Actor Kim Ji-hoon gave the character's narrative credibility with deeply felt emotional acting.
On Dear X, a TVING original released through episode 4 on the 6th, Kim Ji-hoon plays Choi Jeong-ho, a former professional baseball player turned café owner who becomes an aide to the protagonist Baek A-jin (Kim Yoo-jung) and experiences a life change through his relationship with her.
In the drama, Choi Jeong-ho is a righteous figure who cannot tolerate injustice and does not pass by people in difficulty. Even after ending his playing career due to an injury caused by a teammate's dangerous play, he retained a just and kind heart, cheering for that teammate sincerely rather than resenting him. But just when he gained a new opportunity and stood on the threshold of returning to the game, his life suddenly changed after being entangled in a scheme by Baek A-jin, whom he hired as a part-timer.
From his first appearance, Kim Ji-hoon exuded a presence that dominated an entire scene with his gaze. In the scene at the end of episode 2 where he chases a pickpocket and first meets Baek A-jin, the two characters' looks, with starkly different temperatures, intersected in a strange way and hinted at an unpredictable story. Afterward, Kim Ji-hoon skillfully conveyed Choi Jeong-ho's inner self, in which human warmth coexists with wariness toward villains, increasing viewers' focus.
He also delicately portrayed the confusing emotional line between the despair felt by an endlessly warm person who undergoes an unexpected incident and the sense of betrayal toward someone they trusted. Especially during the police investigation, as he retraced every situation and agonized, saying "it feels like something that happened according to a script someone set up," his instinct that he had fallen into Baek A-jin's trap was apparent even as he displayed a desire to deny it. Kim Ji-hoon conveyed Choi Jeong-ho's complex emotions with a single look, raising immersion in the drama to its peak.
The ending of episode 4, decorated by Kim Ji-hoon, amplified curiosity and anticipation about future developments. Through a scene in which Choi Jeong-ho, imprisoned, watches Baek A-jin, now an actor on TV, he calmly expressed a complex mix of betrayal, emptiness and bitterness, leaving a deep aftertaste. Kim Ji-hoon succeeded in fully conveying the character's narrative through deeply rooted acting.
In this way, Kim Ji-hoon weightily showed how righteous goodness in this work can flow toward a kind of tragedy, completing the character as an object of human empathy rather than a simple victim. Choi Jeong-ho's attempt to keep his sincerity amid turmoil delivered a strong emotional impact to viewers.
Immediately after the episode's release, viewers reacted passionately, saying "I watched it immersed as if Choi Jeong-ho were the protagonist," "it's an acting feast. I feel drained after watching it all," and "Kim Ji-hoon's entrance was so intense and his visuals are the best."
[Photo] TVING original Dear X broadcast capture
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