Jin Ki Joo: Actress's Honest Interview on 'The Real Has Come!'

In the Netflix series 'The Bequeathed', actress Jin Ki-joo, who plays Im Han-rim, revealed that she captured the warmth of trying to understand the pain hidden beneath a strong exterior, along with the weight of responsibility. Based on the popular webtoon of the same name, 'The Bequeathed' depicts the activities of the School Violence Committee, which stands by victims and corrects the school system. Jin Ki-joo, portraying Im Han-rim, a School Violence Committee supervisor with a special forces background, stated that she focused on the character's sincere desire to protect and uplift those who have been hurt. She explained that she worked hard to embody the character by taking vocal training and action classes. She added that 'The Bequeathed' remains a precious set that allowed her to make a mark on the public and fall in love with acting again.

Regarding the enthusiastic response to 'The Bequeathed', Jin Ki-joo shared her overwhelming feelings, saying, "Everyone I meet on set tells me they are enjoying it, so I feel that a lot of people are really watching." She cited the moments when she was deeply moved while reading the script, as the characters found solace and the strength to move forward, as the reason she was drawn to the project. She also mentioned that she wanted to participate due to her trust in the writer's dialogue and director Hong Jong-chan's work. She pointed to Im Han-rim's hidden past and the final scenes of each episode as the most resonant, stating that she felt choked up at almost every ending scene.

Jin Ki-joo revealed that Im Han-rim's unique character setup originated from senior actor Lee Sung-min's idea. She explained that she built the character based on Lee Sung-min's suggestion that "it would make it more interesting and three-dimensional." She also shared that she sought out a vocal academy herself and took basic vocal lessons with the belief that it would help her express the character. This was part of her intense effort to fully embody an unfamiliar character.

Regarding the mixed reactions from viewers to Im Han-rim's distinctive assistant voice, Jin Ki-joo honestly confessed that she herself found it unfamiliar at first. She explained that she watched various videos to absorb the character and felt that her reaction to the unfamiliar sound was the same as a typical person's reaction. After repeatedly listening, she realized the deeper meaning behind the assistant's grunts: a sound that overcomes the intensity of training and awakens oneself, a sound born from a battle with oneself. She added that this sound contains a fervent heart and the responsibility to become stronger.

As time passed, Jin Ki-joo's unfamiliarity with the assistant's voice turned into respect. She explained that Im Han-rim's strength was built upon the accumulated time and responsibility he endured. She believes that the time and habits Im Han-rim endured to become strong, from being an ordinary high school student, have become ingrained in him. As someone who became a supervisor immediately after his military discharge, she thinks that his harsh teaching and nagging of students stems from a desire to pass on what he endured and learned to his juniors.