‘The day my heart was dead, I gained hope to live on,’ Kim Hye-soo says

Although famous South Korean Kim Hye-soo has acted in as many as 38 films since her filming career started with “Kkambo” in 1986, she still chooses a movie to act in when she feels it a destiny. This explains well why she decided to work on “The Day I Died: Unclosed Case” directed by Park Ji-wan, which releases on Thursday.

A few years ago, she chanced upon the movie’s scenario, which coincided with the time when she suffered the most heart-breaking pain in her lifetime. Back then, she was pushed back at the center of controversy. However, it was already a long time ago when she cut her mother off due to her mother’s debt and fraud issues. Kim said in an interview in a coffee shop located in Jongno District, Seoul, last Thursday that she related deeply to the main character Hyun-soo, thus leading her to choose the movie.

“It felt like a destiny how I came across this movie. Back then, I was completely overwhelmed by despair and pain. You may be faced with the moments of unpredictable agony and frustration, which you have never consented to bring in your life. This makes me think that Hyun-soo and I have a lot in common.”

Hyun-soo, a lieutenant graduating the Korean National Police University, has taken a long period off from work due to a divorce lawsuit and paralysis. With her return to work just around the corner, she happens to know that a young girl named Se-jin, who Roh Jeong-eui plays, is missing. Hyun-soo searches to find the missing witness of a criminal scene. 　

Confessing that she found a piece of herself in Hyun-soo who manages to fall asleep with a sleeping aid, she said that she contributed to some lines of the scenario. She vividly recited the lines during the interview without hesitation as if she had just finished the shooting. 　

“I dream every night. I see myself dead in my dreams. Looking at myself, I talk to myself. I want somebody else to take care of the dead body. I would see the same thing in my dreams when I was left in pain back then,” Kim said. “At first, I did not mean to add the lines to the story. However, as I kept working on the shooting, I thought that Hyun-soo may have been there too so I added them.”

Kim thanked her friends for being around with her when she had a hard time. The upcoming film will give a bit of comfort to those on the brink of the cliff, she hoped.

“You don’t have to overcome pain within yourself. Just hang in there. I want you to know that someone who lends a hand to help you can bring you a great solace and hope. It is not that Se-jin helps Hyun-soo heal the wound of her own completely,” the actress said. “However, Hyun-soo is able to look squarely at the reality and have the courage to move on to the next by empathizing and embracing the one who goes through a tough time just like she does. As the movie title says, it is the day my heart was completely dead. However, I hope that audiences will learn that there is still hope to live many more days.”


Jae-Hee Kim jetti@donga.com