Kal So-won grown up: Ryu Seung Ryong's 'Miracle in Cell No. 7' daughter reunites with actor

The father and daughter duo who moved the nation in the film 'Miracle in Cell No. 7' have reunited after 13 years. As actor Ryu Seung Ryong and Kal So-won continue their special bond, photos of Kal, now an adult, being embraced by Ryu have been released, adding to the warmth of the moment.

On the 24th, Kal posted several photos on her social media account with the caption, "I came to see my daddy's premiere~ haha."

In the photos, Kal is smiling brightly while naturally leaning into Ryu. Her neat styling, featuring a navy short-sleeved top paired with white bottoms, and her more mature aura catch the eye. In particular, her significantly taller height and changed appearance compared to when she was a child in Ryu's arms make the passage of time feel real.

The two first formed a special connection in the 2013 film 'Miracle in Cell No. 7.' Ryu played the role of Lee Yong-gu, a father with an intellectual disability, and Kal played his daughter, Ye-seung.

'Miracle in Cell No. 7' received great love from audiences by alternating laughter and tears, centered around the touching relationship between the father and daughter. In this work, which ultimately surpassed 10 million viewers, Kal left a strong impression by showing stable emotional acting despite her young age.

In particular, the character Ye-seung in the movie became a name more familiar to audiences than Kal So-won's actual name. While it is a common phenomenon for young actors to be strongly associated with a specific character, for Kal, 'Ye-seung' became a symbolic character representing her acting career beyond just a role name.

Kal does not seem to view this public memory as a burden. Appearing on the recent KBS2 variety show 'Malja Show,' she expressed her gratitude, stating that she is thankful whether people remember her as 'Ye-seung,' 'Kal So-won,' or as the child from 'Miracle in Cell No. 7.'

Although time has passed, Kal remains a figure close to being a 'daughter' to Ryu.

In an interview conducted ahead of the release of his new film 'Portrait of a Family,' Ryu expressed his gratitude for Kal visiting his film premiere. He even brought a laugh to the interview by mentioning that Kal visited the premiere right after enjoying the BigBang 20th anniversary concert the previous day, where she was seen waving her light stick.

Ryu also revealed that he and Kal "make sure to meet at least once a year." This means that even after the project ended, they have continued to meet steadily, moving beyond the relationship of actor and child actor.

He mentioned that even when Kal was in school, he took care of her by gifting her things like bags and shoes. While they played father and daughter on screen, he has naturally maintained the relationship by watching the young actress grow even after filming ended.

Ryu's 'daughter care' does not stop with Kal. He also expressed special affection for actress Kim Si-a, who plays a new father-daughter duo in 'Portrait of a Family.'

Ryu praised Kim, noting that despite her introverted personality, she releases immense energy when acting. He also shared an anecdote about gifting her a headset when she entered university this year.

On-screen father-daughter relationships usually end with the running time of the work. However, when actors maintain real-life human connections, the bond created by the film takes on new meaning within the flow of real time. This is why the relationship between Ryu and Kal feels so special.

The two, who met as father and daughter before the audience in 2013, have now become a middle-aged actor and a fully grown adult actress. However, the fact that Kal still calls Ryu "daddy," and that Ryu continues to look after Kal's growth, shows that the emotions left by the film 13 years ago did not remain merely as acting.

While the fact that little Ye-seung has become an adult makes one realize the speed of time, the moment the two faced each other again reminded audiences of the warmth of the father and daughter from 'Miracle in Cell No. 7.'