Kim Ye Won plays Il Rek, the Electric Fairy in "Pretty Man," a woman with a supposed supernatural ability to see the future. Did you see her performance as the fake psychic Jang Hee Bin who spoke with the real ghost of Kim Jae Wook's character in "Who Are You?" Or have you seen her as Lee Chung Ah's superficial best friend Kang Dong Joo in "Flower Boy Ramen Shop?" If you had, it would not have required psychic abilities to predict that the actress would soon be getting bigger roles. The success of "Flower Boy Ramen Shop" certainly helped more people get to know her name. In that drama she played a woman who was hyper-focused on marrying well but who had never gotten over her first love, her high school gym coach.
Here are a few facts you may not know about this promising actress.
1. The actress changed her name from Kim Shin Ah to Kim Ye Won. Unfortunately, that means she is often confused with the singer-actress Kim Yewon from the girl group Jewelry, and a child actress, who also has the same name.
2. She contributed original songs to the soundtracks of the dramas "Manny," "New Tales of Gisaeng" and "God of Study" under her birth name Kim Shin Ah.
3. She's only 26 but in her five-year career, she has already appeared in nine dramas, including "I Summon You Gold," "Bad Guy," "I Need Romance 2," "Operation Proposal and "Romance Town." Three of those dramas were filmed this year. Her roles just keep getting bigger and more interesting. Netizens have wondered when the actress is going to get a leading role.
4. Although Jang Geun Suk is now pursuing her "Electric Fairy" character in "Pretty Man," it's not the first time a drama character tried to win her heart. In "Nice Guy,' she was serenaded by Lee Kwang Soo. The actor, who was recently in "Goddess of Fire: Jeonji," does not often get to play romantic scenes but in that drama he did get to sit at a piano and sang of his love for her character Kim Yoo Ra.
5. Although her specialty is playing quirky yet charming characters in romantic comedies, she got her small screen start in the 2009 drama "Hometown Legends." That series of eight one-act scary stories focused on Korean legends. She played the character Cho Ah in the first episode, "Blood Ghost," which focused on vampires.
Whether she is playing a supernatural role or not, she's an actress to watch out for.