Lee Si Young has said goodbye to her likable character Il Ri in the drama "Valid Love," also known as "Sensible Love." The bittersweet drama ended on a wistful note with all the characters older and wiser. That included Lee Si Young's character Il Ri.
During the course of the drama, the character Il Ri changes from a schoolgirl to a woman in her 30s, coping courageously with a variety of tragic events. The drama poses an interesting question. "Can a woman be in love with two different men?" Or maybe the question should be "Why can't a woman be in love with two different men?"
That's what happens to Lee Si Young's character in the drama. Il Ri is married to her first love, her former high school teacher, played by Uhm Tae Woong. It's a happy marriage although his family takes advantage of her kind nature. Then she works with and falls for a carpenter played by Lee Soo Hyuk. After her husband learns about the carpenter, she is honest. Il Ri says that she still loves him but now loves two men. He cannot accept the possibility and her confession threatens to destroy their marriage.
The drama never really answers the question of whether it is possible to love two men, although it did portray the situation as very problematic. Il Ri was a character that followed her heart and having such a generous heart, believed that love could make anything possible.
Lee Si Young breathed life into the character created by Kim Do Woo, who also wrote the hit k-drama "My Name Is Kim Sam Soon." Kim created Il Ri, a character as original and quirkily lovable as her previous heroine Kim Sam Soon.
"I wanted to talk about an unconventional romance," said Kim during a press conference for the drama. "I didn't consider my drama to be about unrighteous affairs but just wanted to offer something different to the viewers. And then I thought if I gave a rom-com spin to the subject matter, it would be unlike any previous dramas."
Lee Si Young credits the cast and crew with the drama's success but she worked hard to make Kim Do Woo's character even more vibrant. She expressed herself differently at different ages, paying special attention to her character's mannerisms. As her character matured, she toned down the exuberance that always wanted to bubble up from within.
"The drama was successful thanks to the director and the crew," she said. "I am truly grateful. The time I spent with Uhm Tae Woong and Lee Soo Hyuk was memorable."
She also thanked the drama's viewers.
"It's you that got me so far," she said.
"Valid Love" will be followed by "Hogu's Love" on February 9.
Lee Si Young recently appeared in the drama "Golden Cross" and can be seen in the 2014 film "The Divine Move."
