Singer and Actress Eugene’s Wishes for the Year of the Rooster

“I want to try a romantic comedy in the New Year. Something like Julia Roberts’ ‘Notting Hill.’”

For Eugene, 2004 was the best year since her debut.

Her second solo album “810303,” which showcased her sexy and provocative side, became a bestseller and wiped out the memory of her underachieving first effort. In the SBS series “Last Dance with Me,” her second attempt at acting since KBS2’s “Loving You” (2002), she showed off her acting chops.

Naturally, we wondered about the secret behind her improved acting skills.

“People tell me that I communicate my lines well and that my acting is more restrained. But I’m not sure if I’ve improved or not. I do seem to be better at maintaining the emotions of the character.”

Eugene explains that she hasn’t been able to sleep lying down in six days due to repeated all-night shoots. She is getting by on an hour or two of snatched sleep here and there.

“Last Dance with Me” was extended from a 16-part series to a 20-part series after recording ratings of over 25 percent. She stars as a simple country girl, a character similar to the female diver from Jeju Island she played in “Loving You.”

“I’m from Seoul, so I’m not exactly simple and unsophisticated. I guess I keep getting cast in such roles because I’m remembered for the pure and innocent image I had when I debuted in S.E.S. But personality-wise, my character Eunsu is quite like me: unaffected and spirited.”

On the show, Eugene had no qualms about sporting an unfashionably rustic style, complete with bangs and a ponytail. Despite her urban looks, she seems more believable in the character of a young woman from the country.

Innocence and sexiness: can such contradictory images coexist in one person?

“I want to be sexy without dressing up as sexy, and look innocent without trying to look innocent.”

She’s greedy when it comes to work: she wants to do both singing and acting, to have both innocence and sex appeal.

When told about the characteristics associated with those born in the year of the rooster, she says that they’re generally applicable to her own personality except for the “rich imagination” and the “tendency to daydream and to be a bit of a spendthrift.” Her manager quips that she’s “a miser who hardly ever buys expensive clothes and enjoys plebeian snacks like stir-fired rice cakes.”

Her hopes and plans for the New Year?

“When I’m done with my TV show, I want to take a trip to Japan and try my hand at a movie. Oh, and I also realized recently that you can experience great happiness over trivial things. Although I can’t visit my parents very often, I intend to call them whenever I can.”

Jung-Bo Suh suhchoi@donga.com