Oh My Girl member and actress Arin has succeeded in showing a new side through "S-Line."
On the 28th, Arin met with reporters at the Post Tower in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and had an interview discussing the Wave original drama "S-Line" (written and directed by Ahn Joo-young).
"S-Line" is a fantasy thriller that unveils forbidden desires and hidden truths as the red line, commonly known as the S-line, begins to appear between people who have established sexual relationships. Based on the webtoon of the same name by popular webtoon artist Kkomabi, it has drawn a hot response since its first release on the 11th, ranking first in new paid subscriptions on Wave for 14 consecutive days. Notably, it won the Music Award in the feature competition section at the 8th Cannes International Series Festival.
Debuting with Oh My Girl while concurrently pursuing acting, Arin has been recognized as an actress through dramas such as "Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow," "Alchemy of Souls," and "Summer, Love Machine Blues." Meeting viewers as the high schooler "Hyun-heub," who can see the S-line from birth, Arin portrayed the complex inner life of a character who has lived in isolation, depicting her as a living character with weight beyond a simple genre piece.
Having been active as part of Oh My Girl for about 10 years, and receiving much love for her lovely and innocent image, Arin's participation in "S-Line" was a big twist and shock. Arin also noted, "The genre itself has shocking elements, so when I first received the script, I wondered if I could digest this genre well, which was different from the image I had previously shown and the roles I had challenged myself with. I thought about how to naturally portray this character."
Arin said, "Since the character Hyun-heub was born with a somewhat different special ability, I wondered how to express the pain and uniqueness of having such an ability. Although Hyun-heub is similar to her peers, she has some special aspects, so I thought about how to express that, and what emotions might arise when viewing the S-line. The difficult part was expressing a calm demeanor, which felt unfamiliar compared to my previous bright appearances."
To immerse herself in the character "Hyun-heub," Arin made changes to her external appearance. She explained, "The director had a clear vision of the image. He wanted me to have a slightly shorter haircut, which I was okay with. I thought it would be great to challenge myself in this way. Since Hyun-heub is a recluse who rarely goes outside, I thought it would be more realistic if my skin looked pale and unkempt. I did wear makeup, but I aimed for it to look less attractive. I tried to make my skin look rougher and added freckles. I also didn't groom my eyebrows. At that time, I was concurrently active with Oh My Girl, so that was fun for me."
Regarding the aspect of being a "recluse," she said, "Since Hyun-heub has a somewhat different special ability, I pondered how to express the pain and uniqueness associated with it. Although Hyun-heub is similar to her peers, there are special aspects of her character, so I contemplated how to express that and what emotions might arise when viewing the S-line. The challenging part was expressing a calm demeanor, which felt unfamiliar compared to my previous bright appearances." She added, "Hyun-heub had a complicated family background due to her special abilities, as her grandmother passed away, which likely led to many feelings of loneliness where she couldn't rely on anyone. I thought that she might struggle with facing people, so I expressed that. Since she has the potential to harm others with her abilities, I thought that might be a reason she didn't go outside."
Arin's transformation has paid off. She expressed her gratitude, stating, "I'm thankful and impressed that people didn't realize it was me when they saw the character Hyun-heub. I felt that I was able to portray a character that wasn't just Arin when I challenged myself in this new role."
Arin's transformation was shocking to her Oh My Girl members but also an opportunity to see the charms of their new 'maknae.' She described, "During filming, the members were very understanding. Since I was focused on Hyun-heub, I tended to talk less than usual, and there was a time when Hyun-heub's appearance naturally came out in my daily life. The older members understood that I was in a focused situation. They viewed it positively. After watching the piece, the older members said this style was also very charming and that they were surprised when I appeared on screen. Since it was a side of me they had never seen before, they likely found it even more attractive. I think they enjoyed it. One memorable response was their surprise at my external changes. They seemed pleased that such aspects could also appear in me."
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