After playing a badass role in the mega hit Netflix series All Of Us Are Dead, South Korean actress Lee Eun-saem is back in a heavy drama with the latest tvN offering Cheongdam International High School. 

Also known as Bitch X Rich, Cheongdam International High School is a homicide mystery series. Having witnessed a murder, Lee Eun-saem’s character Kim Hye In is sent to study at the affluent Cheongdam International High School in exchange for her silence. Different from her classmates and broke, she is bullied by the wealthy Baek Je Na, played by K-pop idol and actress Kim Ye-rim, also known as Yeri of Red Velvet. 

In an e-mail interview with PUSH, Lee Eun-saem talked about what makes her character different from the other acting roles she has done before.     

“I think ‘Kim Hye-in’ is a role that consumes a lot of emotional energy from other people and shows the two sides of a person. Also, she depicts the ironic characteristic of humans; firm but fragile, hate but love, and bold but timid.” 

How did she prepare for the character? 

Lee Eun-saem answered, “It was the first time I had to lead the story, so I felt a lot of pressure as a lead actor. In particular, it was a challenge for me in terms of creating a character's narrative, and emotionally diving into the character. In order to depict the character’s life and story, I kept reading and studying scripts and tried to fall deeply into the role of Kim Hye-in.” 

With regards to working Kim Ye-rim, Lee Eun-saem had nothing but kind words for her. She said, “Whatever I do, I feel very lucky to meet a colleague who fits well with me. From the first meeting with Ye-rim, we got along very well and we laughed whenever we made eye contact. It’s too bad that we got to know each other only now. Even if we laugh out loud before the shoot, we get to concentrate once the shoot starts, and I believe our chemistry would be well reflected in the result.” 

As she plays an important role in the series, what lesson or realization would she like the viewers to learn from her character? 

“Everyone would get different messages, so I don’t want to limit or set a specific message for this title. Rather, I hope audiences can be satisfied and thrilled through Kim Hye-in. This title deals with a story that can't be easily encountered, but maybe, like a movie, nonsense things happen to people in real life. Considering stories of Cheongdam International High School may also be an experience for someone, I would be grateful if you can look at it from a wider perspective.” 

Two episodes of Cheongdam International High School air every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on tvN Asia on Cignal (DTH) CH160 and on the Smart GigaPlay app.