Kim You-jung Discovers Pickpocketing Talent—Tak Jae-hun: "You wouldn't ride the subway, right?"

Actress Kim You-jung brought laughter by revealing that she discovered an unexpected talent in the pickpocketing skills she learned for her work. As Kim You-jung wittily responded to settings reminiscent of actual crimes, Tak Jae-hun joined in, fully revealing the pleasant atmosphere of the cast surrounding the new drama.

In the tvN special variety show '100 Days of Lies: Secret Documents' broadcast on the 3rd, the stories of the main actors of the tvN 20th anniversary special planned drama '100 Days of Deception', which is set to premiere on the 20th, were revealed. On this day, Kim You-jung introduced her character as "the best pickpocket in Joseon and an interpreter for the Government-General of Korea," adding that she plays a role that "infiltrates as a spy."

Since the core setting of the work is 'pickpocketing,' Tak Jae-hun immediately asked, "Then how do you learn pickpocketing?" Kim You-jung replied, "First of all, the martial arts team planned all the movements," and "I turned out to have a bit of talent in it," drawing laughter.

Tak Jae-hun's questions did not end there. He asked Kim You-jung, "Can you try taking the wallet out of my pocket right now?" and then joked, "You didn't actually ride the subway to practice, did you?" Kim You-jung drew a line by saying, "I only practiced on set," and then conveyed the atmosphere on set by retorting, "As I practiced and filmed on set, all the staff members started guarding their pockets."

When an actor plays a specific profession or skill in a period drama, it is not completed merely by memorizing lines. Especially for a role like a pickpocket, where hand movements, paths, and the timing of distracting the opponent's gaze are important, collaboration between the actor and the martial arts team is essential. Even for a scene that lasts only a few seconds on screen, it means repetitive training and precise coordination are required for the actor.

Kim You-jung's mention of discovering 'talent' in that process gains variety-show entertainment value in this context. Having accumulated acting experience by moving between historical and modern dramas since her child actor days, Kim You-jung is now expanding her acting range to include characters that encompass action, espionage, and period dramas, rather than being limited to romance. In this work in particular, acting that uses the body, which is different from her existing neat and static image, is expected to be an important element.

'100 Days of Deception' depicts a 100-day espionage romance that unfolds when the best pickpocket in Keijō who became a spy and an elite interpreter for the Government-General of Korea meet in the heart of the enemy. As it is an espionage drama set in a historical era that combines romance and action, how convincingly the professionalism of the characters is implemented is cited as a major viewing point of the work.

Above all, in this broadcast, Kim You-jung introduced her character in a way that was the exact opposite of the work's tension. By jokingly interpreting the grand modifier "the best pickpocket in Joseon" as an actual ability to pick pockets, she simultaneously drew anticipation for the work and variety-show laughter. The scene created by Tak Jae-hun's question, "You didn't practice on the subway, did you?" and Kim You-jung's witty response is also a part that is likely to gather buzz immediately after the broadcast.

Attention is focused on how the 'best pickpocket in Keijō' played by Kim You-jung will actually infiltrate the enemy camp and what kind of espionage and romance will be created in the process. Like Kim You-jung's joke that she "only practiced on set," it is now time for viewers to check the pickpocketing skills she has perfected on screen.