[Sportschosun Baek Ji-eun] I never expected to get so drawn into Shin Ye-eun's romance.
ENA's drama Doctor on the Edge is a medical human romance about public health doctor Do Ji-eui, played by Lee Jae-wook, and the secretive nurse Yuk Hari, played by Shin Ye-eun, after they arrive on Pyeondongdo Island, a notorious place everyone avoids. Shin said she gave an intense performance as Yuk Hari, who is plagued by an unfair rumor that she dates only doctors, drains her doctor boyfriends, and moves on to someone better, but ultimately overcomes those rumors and her trauma to find true love and freedom.
As Shin Ye-eun had already left a strong impression with roles and projects such as The Glory, Jeongnyeon, A Hundred Memories, and Tangeum, her healing romance with Lee Jae-wook felt fresh to viewers as well.
"It had been a while since I did a full-scale romance, so it felt new. Lee Jae-wook came up with a lot of ideas for the parts I couldn't quite catch, and the director also said, 'We don't really know how young people date these days, so just show us how you do it.' I kept thinking, 'What does that even mean?' When I said, 'If it were me, I would do it this way,' they told me to go ahead. Still, I was relieved when the staff said it turned out well, so we built it together. There was a lot of ad-libbing in the romance scenes. Even the scene where I wipe my mouth while eating chicken was something I improvised a bit more cutely and humorously, because if it were me, I wouldn't try to create a deep mood with a mouth that smelled like chicken. The scene where I got drunk, clung to Ji-hee, and cried, asking him not to leave, was also an ad-lib that wasn't in the script."
Shin Ye-eun also expressed her respect for Lee Jae-wook, who played Do Ji-eui. Although they are the same age and it was their first time working together, she said she was able to trust his confidence as an actor and build a more defined character.
"Lee Jae-wook is such a good actor that, as a partner, it became an opportunity to face that character as that person. He always carried snack boxes for the staff, but I ended up eating almost all of them. He always had confidence in his acting. He had a clear goal for each emotion and how he would express it. Even though we're the same age, he seemed to have more depth than I do, and I felt he had a lot of talent as an actor. Age isn't everything, but because we're the same age, our everyday interests and worries were similar. Even when we acted, our emotional exchange and thinking matched well. He brought the character to life in a more layered way than I had imagined from the script, so I was able to follow along well."
Doctor on the Edge also drew major attention for the love triangle involving Shin Ye-eun, Lee Jae-wook, and Hong Min-gi, in addition to the medical staff's struggle. In the drama, Yuk Hari chooses Do Ji-eui, the man her heart is drawn to, over Hyun Chi-yeon, played by Hong Min-gi, who has a one-sided devotion. But what would Shin Ye-eun choose in real life?
"I think I would choose Chi-yeon. It's not that Ji-eui is anxious in attachment, but Chi-yeon feels more stable. Since Hari is someone who struggled early on because of rumors after dating a lot of doctor boyfriends, I thought that if she had some trauma, she probably wouldn't be very proactive when dealing with men. When Chi-yeon showed her kindness, Hari couldn't be grateful for everything, of course, but I thought she would feel a little comforted and at ease, and I really liked that charm. Ji-eui is in a difficult situation, but I think he is a good man as a boyfriend. When you fall in love, don't you want to protect that person? If I ever came to like someone like Ji-eui, I think I would have tried to protect him the way Hari did."
Thanks to Shin Ye-eun's healing romance, Doctor on the Edge recorded ratings in the 4% to 5% range and was praised as a well-made youth drama. So what is Shin Ye-eun's next step?
"There are things I want to do even if I can't do everything, so if I am given the chance, I think I would take it. Rather than thinking about which genre or character I want to do, I think I would choose the kind of work that lets more people see my acting. Lately, I've been thinking about that a lot. If I used to focus on what I was good at and what I liked, these days I'm trying to think more about the trends the world wants and the points viewers enjoy. But it's hard. Trends keep changing. I'm thinking about reading the world more, gaining more experience, and listening more carefully. When I did The Glory, I was worried because it was my first time playing a villain. But so many people liked it that I thought, 'I can do other things too.' If I get the chance, I want to try playing a villain again, one that goes beyond Park Yeon-jin."
Reporter Baek Ji-eun silk781220@sportschosun.com
