[Sportschosun Baek Ji-eun] Han Sun-hwa has once again pushed past her own limits.
The JTBC weekend drama "We Are All Trying Here" came to an end on the 24th. The series earned word of mouth for its quiet afterglow, moving story, and standout performances from the cast.
Han Sun-hwa played the daughter of Oh Jeong-hee, Korea's top national actress, portrayed by Bae Jong-ok. Her character is a top star who appears glamorous and confident on the outside, but carries inner wounds and anxiety caused by living in her mother's shadow and by criticism over her poor acting. After the film she starred in flops at the box office, she meets Hwang Dong-man, played by Koo Kyo-hwan, who is also struggling with his own sense of worthlessness. Through that encounter, she breaks free from the pressure and scrutiny that have long tormented her and begins to grow by revealing her honest inner self.
Han Sun-hwa brought extra flavor to the drama with her signature bubbly, comic performance. This time, however, she took the high-energy character she had shown in earlier works such as "Work Later, Drink Now" and elevated it even further. Her single-minded devotion to Hwang Dong-man, along with her vacant gaze and other details, made the character seem bold and fearless. At the same time, she added depth by delicately expressing the loneliness, anguish, and conflict hidden beneath the surface. In particular, the scene in episode 5 where she throws herself into a full-scale congratulatory performance for Hwang Dong-man, saying, "I would like to congratulate Hwang Dong-man, the director, on the marriage of his beloved cousin Lee Ye-rin and Kim Shin-young. And I want to thank our Hwang Dong-man, who fixed my broken arm after I was ruined as the second sister without arms. Director, don't forget that I'm first in line when a great script comes along. This is my congratulatory song," is regarded as one of the drama's best moments. It goes beyond comedy and becomes a powerful explosion of repressed emotion.
She also completed a rich narrative by creating a wide range of chemistry with the other characters, including a close friendship with Hwang Dong-man, a touching female bond with Byeon Eun-a, played by Go Youn-jung, a sense of attraction toward Hwang Jin-man, played by Park Hae-joon, and a tense confrontation with Oh Jeong-hee.
Through her agency Ghost Studio, Han Sun-hwa said, "As the title suggests, everyone is fighting their own sense of worthlessness, so I hope we can all show one another compassion and share encouragement so that we can become a little more valuable to each other. Just as 'We Are All Trying Here' supported you for a while!"
Attention is now focused on what Han Sun-hwa, who has proven her wide acting range, will do next.
Baek Ji-eun, silk781220@sportschosun.com
