Nam Ji-hyun, Beloved Thief, Historical Drama Queen

Actress Nam Ji-hyun has once again solidified her position as a star of successful historical romances through KBS2's Saturday-Sunday mini-series 'Love My Enemy'. The drama, which concluded with a final episode viewership rating of 7.6%, depicted the romance that unfolds when the soul of a woman who becomes the greatest thief in the land is swapped with that of the Grand Prince who was chasing her. Nam Ji-hyun, who played the role of the royal physician Hong Eun-jo, expressed her satisfaction with the project, stating, "​First of all, I am grateful for all the love we received."

Before the broadcast of 'Love My Enemy', KBS's Saturday-Sunday mini-series had been struggling with low viewership ratings. However, Nam Ji-hyun felt a sense of responsibility as the lead, saying, "Viewership ratings are given by heaven." She mentioned that the good team atmosphere positively influenced the ratings and revealed her fascination with the script's power, stating, "​The story the writer wanted to tell, and the relationship between Yeol and Eun-jo, were clearly depicted. I also thought that the narrative of them becoming each other's salvation was a story that could move many people regardless of the trends of the times."

Regarding her success in historical romance once again, following '100 Days My Prince' in 2018, Nam Ji-hyun analyzed, "Historical dramas have many serious and profound aspects, which I think are similar to me. It's a genre where honesty and sincerity are attractive, so I think my strengths are more evident." She added that the fact that hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and old-fashioned hairstyles suited her face well also played a positive role.

Regarding her romantic chemistry with Moon Sang-min, who played the role of Grand Prince Lee Yeol in the drama, Nam Ji-hyun said, "Moon Sang-min also prepared a lot." Even though they had to film the soul-swapping scene early on, she stated, "​We had done a lot of script readings, so I didn't feel burdened or worried." She revealed that she wanted to clearly portray the soul-swapping acting by paying attention to their different speaking styles.

Working with Moon Sang-min, who is five years younger than her, Nam Ji-hyun praised him, saying, "It was fun working with Moon Sang-min. He was quick to adapt and change his reactions based on his co-star's at the 현장 (set). Even though there must have been many physically demanding moments during filming, he was cheerful." She expressed her gratitude, stating that Moon Sang-min was "​the person I relied on the most" on set.