The actress looked back on Hong Hae-in’s luxurious wardrobe before beginning a dramatically different chapter in SBS medical noir ‘Doctor X’
Kim Ji-won has revealed that playing a third-generation chaebol heiress in “Queen of Tears” was comfortable in some ways, but the role came with an unexpected source of pressure.
Appearing on the October 7 episode of tvN’s “You Quiz on the Block,” Kim discussed the behind-the-scenes reality of portraying Hong Hae-in, the powerful Queens Group heiress at the center of the record-breaking romantic drama.
The interview marked Kim’s first solo variety show appearance. She admitted that she had been so nervous about filming that she repeatedly got out of bed while trying to sleep the night before.
Her anxiety soon gave way to laughter when hosts Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho asked about life as one of Korean television’s most memorable fictional heiresses.
The Comfortable Side of Playing Hong Hae-in
Kim offered a refreshingly honest answer when asked about portraying a wealthy character.
She admitted that the role was physically comfortable because Hong Hae-in frequently traveled in expensive cars and spent much of her time in temperature-controlled spaces. During cold weather, many scenes were filmed indoors in warm locations, while summer shoots often took place in air-conditioned settings.
Her luxurious wardrobe, however, created a different kind of tension.
Because many of Hong Hae-in’s outfits were expensive designer pieces that had to be returned after filming, Kim could not completely relax between takes. She remained conscious of the possibility that a delicate fabric could be pulled or damaged while she was resting.
The confession offered a humorous contrast to Hong Hae-in’s commanding screen presence. Viewers saw a woman who appeared completely at ease inside a world of privilege, while Kim was carefully protecting every borrowed garment once the cameras stopped rolling.
Fashion Was Central to Hong Hae-in’s Character
The wardrobe in “Queen of Tears” was not simply visual decoration.
Hong Hae-in’s structured suits, restrained colors and luxury accessories helped communicate her position as the president of Queens Department Store before she even spoke. Her appearance projected authority and emotional distance, reinforcing the image of a woman raised to protect both a family business and her own vulnerability.
As the story progressed, her styling became increasingly connected to the character’s changing emotional state. The contrast between her controlled public image and private fear was one of the elements that made Hong Hae-in more than a conventional wealthy K-drama heroine.
Kim’s performance also prevented the character from being reduced to her social status. Beneath the designer clothes and sharp dialogue, she portrayed Hae-in as a woman facing illness, a collapsing marriage and the realization that money could not protect her from loss.
That balance helped turn Hong Hae-in into one of Kim’s defining roles.
‘Queen of Tears’ Became a Domestic and Global Hit
“Queen of Tears” began with a nationwide rating of 5.9 percent in March 2024 before growing into the highest-rated drama in tvN history.
Its finale recorded a nationwide average of 24.85 percent, according to Nielsen Korea. The result surpassed the previous tvN record held by “Crash Landing on You,” which concluded with 21.68 percent in 2020.
The drama also became a major international success through Netflix. Netflix’s engagement report for the first half of 2024 recorded 29.2 million views and 682.6 million hours watched for the series, making it one of the platform’s strongest Korean titles of that period.
The scale of that response gave Kim a new level of global recognition, but it also raised expectations for her next project. Rather than returning with another romance or another wealthy character, she selected a much darker role.
Kim Ji-won Returns as a Medical Dark Hero in ‘Doctor X’
Kim will return to television on October 9 in SBS’s new Friday-Saturday drama “Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia,” her first series since “Queen of Tears.”
She plays Gye Su-jeong, a mysterious surgeon known as Doctor X. The character possesses exceptional surgical skills but refuses to compromise with the powerful doctors and corrupt structures surrounding her.
SBS describes the series as a medical noir centered on a brilliant surgeon who confronts institutional corruption inside a university hospital. Promotional footage shows Su-jeong challenging doctors driven by status and power, positioning her as a dark hero rather than a conventional medical drama protagonist.
Kim prepared for the transformation by learning surgical techniques for the operating-room sequences. The role demands a markedly different energy from Hong Hae-in, replacing the chaebol heiress’s polished restraint with the urgency and physical precision of a surgeon operating under pressure.
The contrast is likely to become one of the drama’s central attractions. Hong Hae-in exercised power from the highest level of a corporate family. Gye Su-jeong enters an entrenched medical establishment and directs her anger at the people controlling it.
A New Test After a Career-Defining Success
Following a phenomenon like “Queen of Tears” can be difficult because viewers often expect an actor to recreate the qualities of a beloved character.
Kim appears to have chosen the opposite path.
Her career has already moved across military romance, youth comedy, emotional melodrama and quiet slice-of-life storytelling through projects including “Descendants of the Sun,” “Fight for My Way” and “My Liberation Notes.” “Doctor X” now gives her an opportunity to lead a genre-driven story built around medical tension, corruption and revenge.
Her appearance on “You Quiz on the Block” arrived at an ideal moment. The interview allowed Kim to revisit the surprising reality behind Hong Hae-in’s luxury while preparing audiences to meet a character who operates in an entirely different world.
Kim Ji-won may have enjoyed the comfortable cars and climate-controlled sets of “Queen of Tears,” but her next role promises very little comfort.
“Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia” premieres October 9 at 9:50 p.m. KST on SBS.