Actor Song Ji-ho delivered a standout performance that amplified the show's entertainment value by showing a sly, everyday-acting portrayal as Hong Dae-il, the older brother of leading lady Hong Eun-jo (Nam Ji-hyun), in episodes 3 and 4 of the drama To My Beloved Thief.
In episode 3, which aired on the 10th, Hong Dae-il drew attention with a shocked reaction upon learning that his father, Hong Min-jik (Kim Seok-hoon), had returned the wedding gifts to the house of the dosungji. Song Ji-ho's passionate acting, which showed Hong Dae-il snapping at his father, saying he failed the past examination while also pleading about Eun-jo, instantly revealed the character's snobbish yet human nature.
In the following scene, he congratulated Im Jae-i (Hong Min-gi) on coming first in the state examination while subtly defending Eun-jo by saying not to mention her, and his convincing drunken performance—tripping over a stone and falling while stumbling into the courtyard of Hyeminseo—was more than enough to produce big laughs.
In episode 4, which aired on the 11th, a drunken Hong Dae-il called Im Jae-i (Hong Min-gi) "our in-laws," inadvertently revealing Eun-jo's betrothal to Lee Yeol (Moon Sang Min) and playing a pivotal "key man" role; that scene created a huge ripple in the previously peaceful relationships among the protagonists and served to heighten the tension to a peak.
Later, while looking at Eun-jo's wedding clothes, he recalled hearing at a past drinking gathering from Im Jae-i that Eun-jo was to marry a man in his seventies, which plunged him into great emotional turmoil. Song Ji-ho's performance—tearing at his hair and writhing in anguish as he broke free from his immature self-centeredness—was enough to convey a new facet of the character to viewers.
Moreover, at Doseongmun, while seeing his father off, he cruelly shouted at Eun-jo, "Take care of your own fate," showing a textbook example of tsundere acting that masks remorse with anger. Later, seeing Eun-jo dressed beautifully in her wedding clothes and choking up while saying, "It would be a waste even to give her the queen's concubine document," his restrained emotional outburst—pained by Eun-jo's beauty and suddenly snapping in anger—imprinted the growth of the immature older brother on viewers.
Meanwhile, KBS2's weekend drama To My Beloved Thief, which has been adding interest through Song Ji-ho's activities, airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:20 p.m.
[Photo] To My Beloved Thief (Inyeon Entertainment)
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