JOURNAL 2

Thanks to the success of Netflix original series “I Love Yoo”, which is adapted from my favorite webtoon of the same name, I get more fame and recognition. People constantly praise me for my incredible acting skills, saying that I demonstrated a wide range of emotional expressions in that series. Whenever I read those positive comments and remarks about my acting, I feel fulfilled and ecstatic. They give me a boost of motivation and I’m always thankful for such encouraging words. They also add that the success of “I Love Yoo” also depends on the cast’s acting performance; and mine is one of those that definitely carries the show. My acting is so convincing that people believe I bring the character “Shin Ae Yoo” into real life; all things about her including her personality, characteristics, struggles, self-esteem are portrayed by myself perfectly. I said that without passionate love for this webtoon and my extensive understanding of “Shin Ae Yoo” as a huge fan for years, I could not deliver that excellent acting performance. My friends are also surprised to see that I can act; actually, “I Love Yoo” is not my first acting project, they have seen other movies of mine, but “I Love Yoo” is the one that they have to constantly remind me how they admire my acting. Well, if I win an acting award, I could thank them when I’m on the stage!

How hard it is to play as “Shin Ae Yoo”? On the scale of 1 to 10, I think it’s probably 7. Sometimes her character is not too hard to portray. But I, as an actress, have to make sure that acting appears realistic and not a mirror of the Webtoon version; meaning that what people watch is the real-life Shin Ae, not the Shin Ae they had seen in the digital images. Some scenes are quite simple: when she talks with her friends - she’s on the neutral mood. But when she expresses frustration, sadness, confusion, anger and cries - it requires deep understanding of the character and energy to build these emotions. That’s why I prepare very hard for these “challenging” scenes. I have to analyze the script very carefully and meticulously, and practice before the director says “Action!” When the camera stops filming and the director is pleased with the product, I can start smiling and wipe those tears (LOL). These emotions are not “real”, but when I act, I totally immerse in the storyline that I forgot that "Shin Ae Yoo” is just a fictional character, designed to tell a story and played by an actresss.

This project once again grows my love for acting and reminds me that I’m incredibly lucky to step into the acting world.

Thanks to the success of the Netflix original series “I Love Yoo,” which was adapted from my favorite webtoon of the same name, I’ve gained more fame and recognition. People constantly praise my acting skills, saying that I displayed a wide range of emotional expressions throughout the series. Whenever I read those positive comments about my performance, I feel fulfilled and ecstatic. They give me a boost of motivation, and I’m always grateful for such encouraging words. Many also say that the success of “I Love Yoo” largely depends on the cast’s performances — and mine is one of those that truly carries the show. My acting is so convincing that people believe I bring the character Shin Ae Yoo to life; everything about her — her personality, struggles, and self-esteem — is portrayed perfectly through me. I’ve said before that without my passionate love for this webtoon and my deep understanding of Shin Ae Yoo as a long-time fan, I could never have delivered such a strong performance.

My friends are also surprised to see that I can act. Actually, “I Love Yoo” isn’t my first acting project — they’ve seen me in other films — but it’s the one that makes them constantly remind me how much they admire my acting. Well, if I ever win an acting award, I’d love to thank them on stage!

How hard is it to play Shin Ae Yoo? On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say about a 7. Sometimes her character isn’t too difficult to portray, but as an actress, I have to make sure my performance feels realistic and not just a mirror of the webtoon version. I want the audience to see a real-life Shin Ae, not just the one they’ve known from digital drawings. Some scenes are quite simple — like when she’s talking with friends and in a neutral mood — but others require much more effort. When she expresses frustration, sadness, confusion, or anger, or when she cries, it takes deep understanding of the character and a lot of emotional energy. That’s why I prepare carefully for these challenging scenes. I analyze the script meticulously and rehearse before the director says, “Action!” When the camera stops rolling and the director is satisfied, I finally smile and wipe away my tears (LOL). These emotions aren’t “real,” but when I act, I’m so deeply immersed in the story that I forget Shin Ae Yoo is just a fictional character — one created to tell a story and brought to life by me.

This project has deepened my love for acting and reminded me how incredibly lucky I am to have stepped into this world.