Ko Hyun-jung's new drama, 'Reflection of You,' depicts twists and turns of two women's lives

Actors Ko Hyun-jung, right, and Shin Hyun-been pose during an online press conference for JTBC's new series, “Reflection of You.” / Courtesy of JTBC

By Kwak Yeon-soo

JTBC's new series, “Reflection of You,” which kicked off on Wednesday with a 3.6 percent viewership rating, follows the complex lives of two women ― a wealthy, middle-aged woman who has lost meaning in her life, but who is inspired by a poor, talented, younger woman ― who struggle to find their own happiness through insecurity and chaos.

Ko portrays Hee-joo, who grew up poor but became a successful painter and essayist. Despite her success, Hee-joo feels miserable until she meets Hae-won (Shin Hyun-been), a young woman that reminds her of her youthful self.

“I'm so happy to return to the small screen after two years. I actually received a few scripts when I wasn't in a good condition. I initially thought, 'I'll read them later,' but this one caught my eye. After I began reading, I instantly liked it,” she said during the online press conference for the series, Wednesday.

Describing her character as an unstable person who sometimes makes reckless decisions, Ko said that it was challenging to portray Hee-joo.

“It was hard to define and interpret my character, so I simply tried to look into her real emotions and just stay true to herself,” she said.

On starring opposite Shin, Ko said that she became her fan after meeting her in person.

“Shin has a unique aura. I liked her even more after meeting her in person. After watching how well she went through her lines without making a single mistake, I was really impressed,” she said.

Shin said that she filmed “Reflection of You” around the same time that she shot season 2 of tvN's hit drama, “Hospital Playlist.”

“It was a difficult to film two dramas simultaneously, but I was really attracted to the script. Thankfully, I was able to finish shooting both without any difficulties,” she said.

On starring alongside Ko, Shin said, “We frequently met and got closer before filming. So we had fun while filming. Because I was working on two series at the same time, there were times when I was exhausted. But Ko understood my situation, took care of me and gave me a lot of strength. Sometimes she made jokes, so it was really fun to be around her.”

“Reflection of You” airs on JTBC Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 p.m. (KST).