Jang Seo-hee, returning to KBS after 12 years… this time as the villain Ju Mi-ran

Actress Jang Seo-hee returns to the KBS living room after 12 years. This time, she faces viewers by transforming into a villain who completely steals others' lives rather than being a victim. The stage is the new KBS2 daily drama ‘A Trap Called Desire’ (directed by Lee Dae-kyung and Jung Kwang-soo, written by Koo Ji-won), which has confirmed its first broadcast for August 10 at 7:50 PM.

The released first teaser video depicts the twisted desires of Ju Mi-ran (played by Jang Seo-hee) quite directly. In the video, Ju Mi-ran grows her longing as she covets the lives of the Cheongma Group couple, Kim Jeong-seon (played by Yoon Hae-young) and Kang Young-hoon (played by Yoo Tae-woong). Ju Mi-ran's line, “It was mine. All of it. How do you think it feels to have your entire life stolen? I have to take it back,” reveals her obsession with the lives of others.

From 'Passionate Love' to 'Temptation of Wife', the Return of the Revenge Queen

Jang Seo-hee's return is a move back to the KBS channel 12 years after the 2014 drama ‘Cuckoo's Nest’. Having debuted as a 19th recruitment talent for MBC in 1989, she ended her period of obscurity by carrying out revenge against her father in the 2002 MBC drama ‘Passionate Love’. Later, she reached her peak playing the role of Gu Eun-jae in the 2008 SBS drama ‘Temptation of Wife’. At that time, she garnered nationwide attention with the setting of placing a mole under her eye and won the Grand Prize for acting at both MBC and SBS respectively. At MBC, she was named the first daily drama actress to win the Grand Prize. This ‘A Trap Called Desire’ is her return to daily dramas about three years after MBC’s ‘Witch's Game’.

Jang Seo-hee stated, “I hope the news of greeting you with a new work is always a welcome and exciting thing for viewers,” and added, “Starting with this transformation, I want to re-establish myself as an actress whose next steps are always awaited, an actress you can always trust and watch.”

Intersecting Fates, Ju Mi-ran's Lies and Go Eun-seol's Truth

The drama depicts the process of a woman whose life was stolen due to a false accusation of murder facing massive desire. The relationship between Ju Mi-ran and Go Eun-seol (played by Jeon Hye-won) is the core axis of the drama. In the released still cuts, Ju Mi-ran stands before Go Eun-seol with a seemingly gentle smile, but her eyes hold a meaningful depth that hides her true intentions. On the other hand, Go Eun-seol, who has lived an ordinary life receiving the love of her adoptive parents, looks at Ju Mi-ran and smiles brightly without any suspicion. However, their meeting is the beginning of a tragedy. The peaceful daily life collapses as Park Hee-jeong (played by Seo Yoo-jeong), an old friend who knows everything about Ju Mi-ran's past, appears. Park Hee-jeong confronts Ju Mi-ran with the hidden truth, saying, “Even if you erased your entire past, there is one thing you cannot erase. The daughter you gave birth to.” This is followed by the confrontation between Go Eun-seol, who is pushed to the edge of a cliff after being falsely accused of murder, and Ju Mi-ran, who exudes cold charisma.

Entangled Relationships and Catastrophe

Ju Mi-ran's choices shake not only Go Eun-seol's fate but also the fates of other characters. Park Hee-jeong's daughter Go Eun-seol and the sole heiress of Cheongma Group, Kang Hae-ra (played by Joo Sae-byeok), also become entangled as results of the desire designed by Ju Mi-ran. In the teaser video, the scenes of Go Eun-seol's peaceful daily life collapsing and Kang Hae-ra revealing her wicked true colors are cross-edited. Park Hee-jeong's cry, “What on earth have you done?” implies the catastrophe that the false life Ju Mi-ran has built will bring. At the end of the video, Ju Mi-ran continues her schemes to protect her false life, saying, “You should have taken the last chance.” The production team stated, “Ju Mi-ran is not simply a character who only commits evil deeds, but a person who encapsulates human desire and obsession,” and added, “With Jang Seo-hee's delicate acting skills, it will provide an even more intense immersion.”

The Meeting of Director Lee Dae-kyung and Writer Koo Ji-won

Director Lee Dae-kyung, who directed ‘Youth of May’ and ‘Drama Special 2023-Shadow Confession’, took the megaphone. The script was handled by writer Koo Ji-won, who wrote ‘Cheer Up, My Life’ and ‘Summer, Please’. Studio Bom and Monster Union are co-producing. ‘A Trap Called Desire’ is scheduled as the successor to ‘Red Pearl’ currently airing on KBS 2TV. On August 10 at 7:50 PM, the new villainous image that Jang Seo-hee will portray will be presented to the living room for the first time.