Actress Ha Jiwon delivered a powerful femme fatale performance that combines homosexuality and a revenge drama in "Climax."
Ha Jiwon, in the fourth episode of ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama "Climax," which aired on the 24th, played Chu Sang-ah, who sets in motion revenge against entertainment producer Oh Gwang-jae (played by Seo Hyun-woo), who drove her former lover Han Ji-su (played by Han Dong Hee) to death, and who destroys her target without a drop of blood on her hands, delivering tension that never lets viewers look away.
In that episode, at Han Ji-su's funeral, Chu Sang-ah slapped Oh Gwang-jae, whom she met there, saying, "I'll push you to the end of hell, so just watch," unleashing her boiling anger. In particular, she whispered to Park Jae-sang (played by Lee Ga-seop), who had been hired to watch her, "I want your woman, I'll give her all to you. So, Jae-sang, can you kill Oh Gwang-jae for me?" inciting murder and emitting a chilling aura that made viewers' skin crawl.
Chu Sang-ah's "femme fatale" charm shone even more in the meticulousness after the crime. During the witness interrogation, when she faced prosecutor Bang Tae-seop (played by Ju Jihoon), Chu Sang-ah calmly performed a false act, saying, "I didn't ask him to kill me, I mean it." Also, during Park Jae-sang's on-site reenactment of the crime, while supporting and comforting Park Jae-sang's mother, she sent Park Jae-sang a tearful look and framed the incident as a lone act, showing the "two-faced villainess" through meticulous alibi manipulation. Furthermore, when Bang Tae-seop, who had grasped all the circumstances of the case, proposed marriage saying, "I'll take every shame to the grave," the story that led to her accepting and announcing a strategic marriage was revealed.
However, Chu Sang-ah learned belatedly that Park Jae-sang was not the real killer of Oh Gwang-jae, and she tearfully screamed at Bang Tae-seop, "You were the same kind of man; I haven't been able to escape that day for a single day," engaging in a violent marital fight. Afterwards, while experiencing panic attack symptoms while driving and revealing a precarious psyche, Chu Sang-ah sees a news ticker reading "murderer Chu Sang-ah, concealer Bang Tae-seop" and turns pale, leading into an ending that delivered extreme chills to viewers.
Through episode 4 of "Climax," Ha Jiwon freely moved from desperate sorrow to brutal madness to the image of a femme fatale attempting perfect concealment, drawing praise of "as expected, Ha Jiwon." With Chu Sang-ah facing the risk of all truths being exposed, curiosity is rising over what shocking moves she and Bang Tae-seop will take next.
Meanwhile, Ha Jiwon reflected viewers' strong interest in her return to drama after four years by ranking third in cast popularity in Good Data Corporation Fundex's March 3rd week's popularity survey, announced on the 24th. The drama "Climax" also ranked first in TV-OTT integrated drama popularity, showing an upward trend. "Climax," which is capturing attention with Ha Jiwon's outstanding performance, airs every Monday and Tuesday at 10 p.m.
[Photo] Provided by ENA.
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