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| A scene from TvN's new suspense series, "Little Women," which kicked off with a 6.4-percent viewership rating, Saturday / Courtesy of tvN |
By Lee Gyu-lee
TvN's new suspense series, "Little Women," has been highly anticipated right from the start of production with its lineup of creators: "Vincenzo" series director Kim Hee-won and "Thirst" and "Decision to Leave" films' scriptwriter Chung Seo-kyung.
Meeting these expectations, the 12-part series presents a fast-paced storyline and scored a 6.4-percent viewership rating on Saturday, which is quite a high viewership figure for the start of a new drama.
The series begins by showing the lives of three close-knit sisters ― bookkeeper In-ju (Kim Go-eun), journalist In-kyeong (Nam Ji-hyun) and high school student In-hye (Park Ji-hu) ― who are born into a family living in poverty.
In-kyeong, who is overeager and has a strong sense of morality as a journalist, comes across a suspicion concerning a politician. Meanwhile, In-ju gets intertwined in her company's swindling case and receives a bag filled with money from her deceased co-worker.
The director said that the series is a modern interpretation of the well-known classic novel of the same name.
"This is a reinterpretation of the novel, 'Little Women.' I wondered what it would look like in modern Korean society. Our series starts with a reality that everyone can agree with but eventually, will meet an unimaginable ending," she said during an online press conference for the series last week.
"I'm confident in the beautifully written story of writer Chung and the excellent performance of the actors, as well as the beautifully arranged mise-en-scene by production designers and cinematographers. I hope viewers will enjoy the fast-paced, well-woven story of this 12-part series."
She revealed that she has put in a lot of effort to cast the lead actors, expressing that she feels lucky to work with such a great crew.
"I've put in a lot of time for casting. I had rules (in casting): either it is the actor that the viewers want to see or that the production staff would want to work with. And I tried to bring in actors that meet those two criteria," she said.
"Thankfully the actors got curious and took an interest in the series. I could feel their passion in studying the script and in making it into a series," she said.
Kim Go-eun plays the eldest sister who carries the responsibility of taking care of her younger sisters as they navigate their poverty-stricken lives.
"I feel overwhelming joy to have joined writer Chung, director Kim and the actors. There was no reason to turn it down so I took the chance," she said, adding that her character will offer a sense of humor throughout the dark suspense series. "This character is the only person that gives a little wit to such a heavy, serious plot."
"Little Women" airs on Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 p.m. on TvN and will stream on Netflix.
