Up and coming actress Kim So Eun is undoubtedly one of the most popular and talented rising new stars in 2009, who has impressed many with her roles in Empress Chun Chu and Boys Before Flowers, both KBS dramas.

In Empress Chun Chu, Kim So Eun plays the younger version of Hwang Bo Soo (older version played by Chae Si Ra), who later becomes the empress of the Goryeo Dynasty. Starting from Episode 2, her vivid portrayal of the leading character has seen many giving her the ‘little Chae Si Ra’ nickname. At the same time, she is also acting as the best friend of Geum Jandi (Goo Hye Sun) in Boys Before Flowers who is a childish yet highly motivated high-school girl.

“I feel that I still have a lot of inadequacies. It is a pity but because of the praises by many, I am now motivated to proceed on. Despite the fact that I have only have scenes for 7 episodes, I have actually learnt horse riding and archery within a span of 3 months. My skin even had callus (thickened) due to the repeated plucking of the bow string for filming needs,” said Kim So Eun.

Kim So Eun, who usually plays a teenage or high-school girl, has achieved a breakthrough in her acting path. In Empress Chun Chu, Kim So Eun has had to contend with marriage, giving birth and losing her husband within the span of 7 episodes. This almost equates to a life experience of a normal adult with the exception of death. Although she has been turned back to a high-school girl in Boys Before Flowers, she is now able to portray the role with ease.

“I have been really busy acting as a queen over the weekend and a normal citizen from Monday to Friday. I have both the loyalty personality of Empress Chun Chu and also the childishness of Chu Ga Eul at the same time.”

The way Kim So Eun entered the entertainment industry is pretty unique. During her school days, she had dreamt of being a designer. As her mum had an interest in photography, Kim So Eun was often the model for her mum.

“My parents didn’t really like me studying arts and actually wanted me to become an actress instead. However, due to my persistence in not wanting to become one, so they just let me be and I learnt arts during my free time. But since I am an actress now, I think that this is probably my destiny.”

credit: hanfever

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thanks to Rosey who posted in the comments, I finally knew what Kim So Eun was doing in Sad Sonata. I was trying to figure out where she was in in that drama when I learnt about it but was clueless. Actually she was playing the younger version of Kim Hee Sun’s character, Hye In who was blind. I was already pretty impressed by her acting even though it was pretty short.