INTERVIEW Kim Go-eun explores acceptance in ‘You and Everything Else’

Actor Kim Go-eun / Courtesy of Netflix

Kim Go-eun was reluctant to accept “trust” as a word that defines relationships.

“Does trust really exist between people? Why do we trust? It feels like trust demands a certain attitude from the other person,” she said, raising a question that lingered long after.

For this reporter, who has written countless articles and conducted interviews about human relationships, the casual use of the word “trust” suddenly felt worth reconsidering.

When asked what matters most in relationships, Kim said it is not “trust” but “the desire not to lose the person.”

That feeling, she explained, makes people respect boundaries, avoid hurting each other and sustain bonds. Whether between lovers, family or friends, the essence of any relationship lies within oneself: “I keep the relationship because I love, because I like, because I want to see the other person,” she said.

In the Netflix series “You and Everything Else,” Kim takes on the role of Eun-jung, whose unguarded warmth is set against the tangled history of her decades-long bond with Sang-yeon (Park Ji-hyun). The drama follows their journey across time, moving from the 1990s to the 2020s, capturing not only shifts in fashion and setting but also the deepening complexities of their emotions and choices.

Kim Go-eun, who plays Eun-jung in “You and Everything Else” / Courtesy of Netflix

Onscreen exploration of acceptance

Kim described the story as one about “fully accepting another person.” But she admitted that such an ideal is almost a fantasy. “Can humans ever truly accept another as they are?” she wondered, pointing to the tension between hope and doubt.

Some lines from the series resonated deeply with her. When Eun-jung says, “If they knew how bright you once were, they could never have done that to you,” it felt like a last expression of love. The line “You abandoned me” hides a confession of how precious the other person once was, while “Who will ever fully accept you?” carries the pain of a final goodbye. Reciting those lines, Kim recalled, felt like wringing out the last drop of affection.

Another line stayed with her: “When a child begins to think that way, that becomes their world.” Kim said it applies not only to children but also to adults. “Once a thought takes root, it easily consumes your world. Getting out is incredibly difficult. You struggle, and it takes time. If Sang-yeon had managed to step out earlier, maybe her life would have been different,” she added.

Actors Kim Go-eun and Park Ji-hyun pose at a press conference for Netflix series “You and Everything Else” at Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel in Seoul, Sept. 5. Yonhap

Balancing restraint and intensity

The filming of “You and Everything Else” in Switzerland was emotionally overwhelming, but Kim’s character Eun-jung had promised herself she wouldn’t cry.

Kim described swallowing tears in scene after scene. “Sometimes I wondered if it might have been more liberating to let it out, but I stayed true to the character,” she said, recalling moments when co-star Park Ji-hyun’s tears almost triggered her own.

Kim praised director Jo Young-min’s leadership, calling it “gentle charisma.” Without hierarchy or chaos on set, she said, the director created an environment where actors could focus deeply. “He is someone whose personality matches the texture of the work itself,” she added.

The series touches on medically assisted suicide, with Eun-jung asked by a terminally ill Sang-yeon to help end her life. Kim avoided taking a firm stance on the controversial topic. “I can’t debate something I haven’t personally endured.”

But she said, “If someone I truly loved asked me, I would want to be there for them."

Reflecting on her career, Kim said, “This is a good time.” She added, “I’ve worked quietly for years, and only now does it feel like that work is beginning to shine. Lately, I’ve been receiving many compliments, and I think this period will remain memorable.”

Years ago, senior actress Jeon Do-yeon described Kim as “an actor who takes paths others do not.” Kim, smiling shyly at the memory, said, “I think I’m simply enduring and moving forward.”

It is not in moments of glamour but in the quiet passage of time that a person’s true nature is revealed. Through her work and this interview, Kim Go-eun has shown just how steadily she has grown.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.