Actress Kim Hyang-gi drew praise from viewers for a deep performance that delivers empathy and comfort beyond fresh excitement through "Min-ji Min-ji Min-ji."
The eighth episode of the 2025 KBS 2TV one-act project Love: Track, "Min-ji Min-ji Min-ji" (directed by Lee Young-seo, written by Choi Yi-kyung), which aired Wednesday the 24th, depicts the story that unfolds as classmates search for the author of a secret doodle found in the corner of the classroom that reads "Min-ji, I like you - Min-ji" among three students named Min-ji in the same class.
Starting with a single line of confession, this story expands into the inner world of teenagers who gradually experience comparison, alienation and shaken sense of self amid innocent curiosity and rumors, and at its center Kim Hyang-gi, playing ordinary high school student Kim Min-ji, vividly portrayed the subtle waves of emotion and moments of growth with realism, evoking strong empathy.
The Kim Min-ji portrayed by Kim Hyang-gi is a character with no outstanding advantages or special epithets. Even though she is the subject of the viral doodle "Min-ji, I like you - Min-ji," she is naturally pushed out of contention in contrast with "first-place Min-ji" Yoon Min-ji (played by Jin Ho-eun), who excels in studies, appearance and popularity, and "pretty Min-ji" Song Min-ji (played by Kwon Eun-bin), who has a bright and lovable charm. In the process, Kim Min-ji experiences feelings of erasing herself simply because her name is ordinary.
Feeling inferior about her name "Kim Min-ji," she contemplates changing her name and lists new names as candidates, but eventually realizes that the person she liked, Yoon Min-ji, had feelings not for Song Min-ji but for herself. She then summons the courage to confess sincerely, and Kim Min-ji takes a step toward accepting herself along with the fruit of first love.
In this work, Kim Hyang-gi built Kim Min-ji's inner world meticulously through eye movements, breathing and the rhythm of silence rather than exaggerated emotional displays. She organically connected the shrinking that comes when one's existence fades, the anxiety of fearing one's heart will be discovered, and the emotional changes up to finally becoming honest, persuasively completing the character's authenticity.
In particular, the classroom scene in which she recognizes her presence and bursts into emotion is where Kim Hyang-gi's restrained acting stands out most clearly. Without excessively heightening emotions, she clearly conveyed the character's wounds and growth narrative, making Kim Min-ji seem like a person who could exist somewhere in reality.
In "Min-ji Min-ji Min-ji," Kim Hyang-gi captured the thrill of first love while also expanding the story into a coming-of-age tale of self-acceptance mediated by love by focusing on the process rather than the outcome. Her delicate character interpretation and steady acting added to the work's completeness, and favorable reviews say they carried the piece.
Based on a solid acting foundation she has built since her child actor days, Kim Hyang-gi once again proved her prowess as an actor audiences trust by portraying teenage immaturity and honesty simultaneously in this one-act drama. As a result, "Min-ji Min-ji Min-ji" is being regarded as another meaningful growth point in Kim Hyang-gi's filmography.
Kim Hyang-gi left a deep aftertaste by once again naming emotions that had been easily overlooked simply because they were ordinary. Having played a central role in this work that delivered empathy, comfort and a gentle message of growth, she is set to show another side of her acting transformation through the Netflix series Cashero, which will be released on the 26th, drawing attention to her future moves.<
[Photo] KBS2
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