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| ▲ This image of South Korean actress Hong Hwa-yeon is provided by BH Entertainment. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- Rising actress Hong Hwa-yeon is making a splash in her first lead role in SBS’s suspense drama Revenge Tragedy (Korean title: Treasure Island), having secured the part after beating 100-to-1 odds in a competitive audition process.
“I never imagined I’d be cast in Revenge Tragedy,” Hong said with a smile during an interview held April 11 at the BH Entertainment headquarters in Seoul. “But when I got the news, I felt more excited than nervous. I was genuinely thrilled.”
The drama, set against the backdrop of a powerful chaebol family, follows Seo Dong-joo (played by Park Hyung-sik), an executive at Daesan Group who embezzles 2 trillion won in political slush funds via hacking, only to become the target of those who want him dead. Hong plays Yeo Eun-nam, Dong-joo’s lover and the granddaughter of the group’s chairman, who finds herself caught between love and the weight of family duty.
“Eun-nam is a character that demanded a much wider and deeper emotional range than anything I’ve done before,” Hong explained. “I’ve mostly done lighter roles in romantic comedies or school dramas, so this felt like a real opportunity to show a more mature side of myself.”
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| ▲ This still of SBS Kdrama series "Revenge Tragedy" shows South Korean actress Hong Hwa-yeon. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
She went through four rounds of auditions to land the part. “I later heard that the director felt my natural aura matched the overall tone of the drama,” she recalled. “Apparently, when I smile I look bright and bubbly, but when I go expressionless, I come across as cold. The director kept encouraging me on set, saying, ‘You suit heavy, serious roles. You should do more of them.’” (laughs)
In the drama, Yeo Eun-nam hides her chaebol identity and joins Daesan Energy as an experienced hire, secretly living with Seo Dong-joo as an office couple. Despite their deep love, Eun-nam abruptly marries Yeom Hee-chul (Kwon Soo-hyun), Dong-joo’s rival and the nephew of political power broker Yeom Jang-seon (Heo Jun-ho), without a word of explanation.
“Eun-nam is a character whose decisions are hard to understand at first glance,” Hong said. “She betrays Dong-joo only to become his biggest ally again, so I had to work hard to portray each shift in emotion convincingly.”
She immersed herself in the character’s inner turmoil: “I tried to dig deep into her sense of betrayal by her mother, resentment toward her stepfather Heo Il-do (Lee Hae-young), the loneliness she felt growing up in a chaebol household, and the heartbreak of having to leave someone she truly loved.”
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| ▲ This image of South Korean actress Hong Hwa-yeon is provided by BH Entertainment. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Premiering in February with a 6.1 percent viewership rating, Revenge Tragedy quickly climbed in popularity, surpassing the 10 percent mark by its fourth episode and maintaining double-digit ratings thereafter.
“I think viewers loved how packed with twists the story was. It always made people eager to know what would happen next,” said Hong. “Even though I knew the plot, I still found myself shocked by the ending scenes. Watching it without spoilers must have been even more thrilling!”
A graduate of Konkuk University’s Educational Technology department, Hong came to acting relatively late. She began training with BH Entertainment in 2021 and made her acting debut in tvN’s Mental Coach Jegal Gil the following year.
“I always had a vague dream of becoming an actress, but I didn’t even know the basics of acting until I auditioned for the company,” she said. “I just watched some monologue clips on YouTube and practiced on my own.”
Despite her lack of experience, Hong was chosen for her potential. “I was later told that while my acting clearly needed work, there was something charming about me as a person—and that’s what got me selected. I’m really grateful for that.”
While filming Revenge Tragedy, she also juggled a role in ENA’s upcoming drama Your Flavor, in which she plays a cheerful and upbeat chef—a complete 180 from her intense character in Revenge Tragedy.
“I’m so excited for that one too,” she said. “If there’s one thing I realized while working on Revenge Tragedy, it’s that I really want to show a brighter, cuter side in my next role. I’ve done the heartbreaking love story—now I’d love to try something sweet and romantic!” (laughs)
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