"Could Lee Min-young really be the true culprit in the hit-and-run case?"
MBN's First Lady's Ji Hyun-woo delivers a heavy aftertaste with a candid one-on-one that reveals sympathy rather than anger toward Lee Min-young.
With only one day left until its finale, the MBN Wednesday-Thursday miniseries First Lady (written by Kim Hyung-wan, directed by Lee Ho-hyun, produced by Studio Gidam Co., Artist Studio, Roadshow Plus Co.) was re-ranked No. 2 on the Hallyu Asia drama category's "today's ranking" on Lemino, the OTT platform operated by Japan's largest telco NTT Docomo, as of Oct. 23. It also proved its enduring popularity by consistently ranking in the top two to top five in the Hallyu Asia drama category throughout its broadcast run.
On the global OTT platform Rakuten Viki in the Americas and Europe, it captured global attention by entering the weekly top 10 based on viewers in the Americas in its fourth week of airing.
In the previous episode, Cha Soo-yeon (played by Yoo-jin) was under investigation at the police station in connection with the hit-and-run death of Um Soon-jung (played by Jo Young-ji), who was the ex-girlfriend of Hyun Min-chul (played by Ji Hyun-woo) and the biological mother of Lee Hwa-jin (played by Han Soo-ah), while Shin Hae-rin (played by Lee Min-young) intensified the shock by dropping a bombshell confession that she had killed the victim.
Meanwhile, in episode 11 of First Lady airing today, Oct. 29, Ji Hyun-woo and Lee Min-young face off in a one-on-one "heart-to-heart truth game" where Lee Min-young has confessed to the killing. In a scene where Hyun Min-chul and Shin Hae-rin sit facing each other in the police interrogation room, Hyun Min-chul softly pours out remorse for the years they shared, sounding like a sigh as he expresses regret, while Shin Hae-rin, avoiding his gaze with her head bowed, chokes up and offers an apology. Viewers are left wondering what the conversation will reveal as the frozen air of the interrogation room heats up with genuine emotion.
Elsewhere, Ji Hyun-woo and Lee Min-young delivered lingering impact with powerful performances in a candid one-on-one scene that put them in a different stance than before. With a strong vocal tone, Ji Hyun-woo restrained his emotions and eloquently expressed Hyun Min-chul's empathy and compassion as a human being rather than as a politician. Lee Min-young, minimizing emotional inflections, completed an intensely immersive scene with concentrated acting that restrained eye contact and even her breathing as she delivered her confession.
The production team said, "It is a meaningful scene in which Ji Hyun-woo and Lee Min-young meet sincerely as human beings, not as the president-elect and a secretary," and added, "Please check the main broadcast to find out what the truth is about Lee Min-young, who has been the most mysterious character in First Lady."
Meanwhile, episode 11 of the MBN Wednesday-Thursday miniseries First Lady will air tonight, Oct. 29, at 10:20 p.m.
[Photo] MBN's First Lady
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