INTERVIEW Actress Kong Hyo-jin reflects on-screen chemistry in hit drama

By Lee Gyu-lee

Dubbed the queen of rom-com, actress Kong Hyo-jin is known for her down-to-earth, humble performances as the heroine in a handful of hit films and TV series, including "The Greatest Love" (2011) and "Master's Sun" (2013).

But for KBS hit drama “When the Camellia Blooms,” which aired its last episode on Nov. 21 with 23.8 percent of the viewership, it wasn't just another romantic comedy flick for her.

“It was the first piece that I was hoping people to notice this drama this much,” the actress said in an interview with The Korea Times last week, at a cafe in southern Seoul. “I used to be indifferent to others, but became more solicitous through this series.”

This heartfelt drama revolves around Kong's character Dong-baek ― Korean for camellia ― and people in the fictional small town Ongsan. Dong-baek is a single mother, running a restaurant called Camellia after moving to Ongsan a few years ago. Growing up as an orphan, she is used to being by herself and struggles to fit into the neighborhood until she meets Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul), a police officer who shows her unyielding love.

Written by Lim Sang-choon, who also wrote the 2017 series “Fight for My Way,” the drama only increased in popularity as the story progressed, achieving its highest rating of 23.8 percent for its finale. “I was surprised but happy to see people responding to the story of people sharing innocent and pure affection,” Kong expressed.

Each episode was full of stories, not only about Dong-baek but also about the people around her. Every character had their own stories and relationship in which they turn to share affection and mingle.

Kong said she was thrilled to see the performances of fellow cast members and how well they played their characters. “The experience with such chemistry (among fellow cast members) gave me chills,” Kong expressed.

Known for her natural, understated style of acting, Kong said her performance was balanced out with the co-stars acting. “The energy that Yong-sik had from his vibrant acting style made my modest, introverted character look more realistic," she said.

“My life was like an apple tree planted in the sand… I didn't have any soil or other trees to reach out and depend on,” Dong-baek narrates in the last episode. “But now people began to sprout around me. All I did was mingle my roots with them….. I could finally see the sea breeze, the sand, and the dazzling sky that had always been around me.”

As the title says for itself, her life blooms as she settles in with the people in her own way, finding people to share the love and care she has longed for her whole life.

Just like Ongsan did for Dong-baek, the actress said she came to face a new phase of a two-decades-long acting career, through this series.

The most memorable line she picked was where Dong-baek asks Yong-sik if it was a miracle that she met him. When he asks “Do you believe in something that only sounds like a lottery?” she answers “No, I believe in myself.”

The actress said she felt her heart pounding as she was saying that line. “I really do believe in me… It was so interesting because some lines were like I was speaking my mind,” she said.

Dong-baek uses a metaphor of stuffing dumplings to crafting your own happiness, which should not be compared with others' dumplings. Using the metaphor, Kong expressed that it's important to find one's own happiness. “In the future I want to work on more stories like this that tell you important things.”