The finale of “Lovely Runner” just aired, and it has left viewers thoroughly satisfied. The show reached its highest ratings at 5.762%, marking a successful end to the series. The male lead, Byeon Woo-Seok, is everywhere lately with his recent rise to fame, while 27-year-old actress Kim Hye-Yoon once again proved that the “youth romance genre” is her domain.
Kim Hye Yoon Has a String of Successes
Kim Hye-Yoon’s journey to fame began with her breakthrough role in “Sky Castle,” where she played a high school student under immense pressure to succeed academically. Her continued success was cemented with her role in “Extraordinary You,” a fantasy romance drama where she played Eun Dan-oh, a high school student who discovers she is a character in a comic book. Kim Hye-Yoon has also appeared in films such as “The Girl on a Bulldozer,” where she demonstrated her acting chops once again. Adapted from a web novel named “The Best of Tomorrow” by Kim Bbang, her newest drama “Lovely Runner” follows Im Sol who is devastated by the death of her favorite star but time-slips back to 2008 to change his fate. Despite the show’s success, some fans have complained about the actress’ lack of exposure and blamed her agency for not promoting her well.
“No Invites at the Time,” Said the Actress
Earlier this month, Kim Hye-Yoon’s agency, Artist Company—which manages prominent actors like Lee Jung Jae—addressed fan concerns. They reassured upset fans that Kim Hye-Yoon had a pictorial lined up and a guesting lineup to quell their worries. In a recent interview, Kim Hye-Yoon reflected on her rise to fame due to “Lovely Runner” and addressed the lack of variety show appearances. She defended her label, stating that she’s doing as much as she can, but no invitations had come her way at that time. She assured fans that she had not turned down any offers and would gladly appear on variety shows if invited.
Photos: hye_yoon1110 / Instagram
Xoxo
As much as it pains me to say it, Kim Hye Yoon’s “ordinariness” and her gender is most likely why she’s getting limited interest from the public. She’s very talented, quite pretty but she looks like the average jo. Without any extra charisma or “oomph”, public interest would focus on her male co-stars as most of her viewers are females, with a tendency to overly laud male achievements over female ones. Even less attractive males get more interest from the public than a mere pretty, less charismatic female.
I’ve little doubt that she would do well in variety programs, but without a built in fanbase (like an idol would have), she has few options to market herself. She may end up as a character actor as the years go by, while less talented, but more exotic actresses take center stage. It’s why so many women go under the knife. Though I hope she never does. She’s quite beautiful the way she is.