[Kim Ji-yeon's Treasure Box] The Actor Buzzworthy Dramas Discovered First: Chae Seo-an of 'Brave New World' and 'The Great Lady of the 21st Century'

An intriguing new actor is emerging fast. After making a meteoric entrance as the plaintive 'Mrs. Hak' in 〈Completely Fooled〉, Chae Seo-an went on to play IU's not-quite-hateful, slightly obnoxious new sister-in-law in 〈The Great Lady of the 21st Century〉 and has kept turning up in one buzzy project after another — most recently as the scene-stealing 'catfish woman' who upends a romance in 〈Brave New World〉. Lately, watching her work has been a real pleasure: she keeps appearing in back-to-back talked-about dramas and leaves a strong impression in every role.

But the more you watch Chae Seo-an, the more interesting she becomes — and not only because she keeps appearing in high-profile shows. Plenty of newcomers have star quality and can handle emotional scenes, but it's rare to find a young actress who can deliver deadpan comedy as naturally. From the scene-stealing supporting work that enlivens 〈The Great Lady of the 21st Century〉, to the mournful face that endures a patriarchal era in 〈Completely Fooled〉, to the modest, small-scale portrayal of a real office worker in the indie film 〈Mungyeong〉, and on to the glamorous, brazen performance that brings pure rom-com pleasure in 〈Brave New World〉 — her range makes Chae Seo-an all the more compelling.

Chae Seo-an's comic potential shines brightest in 〈The Great Lady of the 21st Century〉. In a show that feels like IU's role from 〈Completely Fooled〉 carried into a 21st-century constitutional monarchy, Chae plays Han Da-young — Seong Hee-ju's (IU) new sister-in-law and the child of a yangban household (a traditional aristocratic family) — and delivers a lively, slyly comic supporting turn. Han Da-young and her sister-in-law Seong Hee-ju are such rivals that Da-young is saved in Hee-ju's phone as 'Jae-su-taeng-i,' but when it matters most Da-young becomes Hee-ju's staunchest ally. She fires back with lines such as, "What can you do, miss?" and when her friends speak rudely she fires back, "Haven't you heard that our girl of low birth is the one who's marrying into the Grand Prince's household?" At the same time, she shows a lovable chemistry with her husband, Tae-ju (Lee Jae-won). My favorite moment in 〈The Great Lady of the 21st Century〉 is when Tae-ju mispronounces 'hot potato' as 'hot tomato' and she immediately corrects him, "It's hot potato." That scene captures Chae Seo-an's natural charm at its best — annoying without being hateful, funny without going over the top — so you find yourself replaying it.

Her appeal as a 'not-unlikable villain' sparkles in 〈Brave New World〉. Making a surprise entrance in episode 5, Mo Tae-hee (Chae Seo-an) goes to great lengths to win Cha Se-gye's (Heo Nam-jun) heart — she deliberately spills coffee on a custom suit, even rams into his car — and plays the role of the legendary 'catfish woman' who stirs up the show's tension. Her brazen lines and delivery — the way she charges in like an 8-ton truck with a broken steering wheel, and quips such as "I'm not exactly forgettable" — make the series more unpredictable and thrilling.

In fact, IU recognized Chae Seo-an's potential even before 〈The Great Lady of the 21st Century〉 — back when they worked on 〈Completely Fooled〉. IU revealed on a YouTube channel that she was surprised by Chae at the read-through: "During the reading, even when it wasn't her part she immediately started acting as she read. It wasn't a prepared performance — she did dialect on the spot and tried out a range of acting choices, and it was so much fun to watch." Chae has said that at the 〈Completely Fooled〉 audition she performed not only Yeong-ran, the role she played, but also roles including Mi-suk (played by Lee Mi-do), so IU's impression at the reading was no coincidence. IU added, "I felt this person would be even more loved," and that prediction is proving true.

Interestingly, Chae Seo-an's path resembles the fate-defying search for her own voice undertaken by Yeong-ran, the Mrs. Hak character. She started doing commercial modeling to earn money for expensive acting classes, and even after she began acting she would say whenever asked about projects, "I don't show up that much." During the gap between finishing 〈Completely Fooled〉 and the project's release, she worked at a rice-cake factory, a cookie factory, an electronics factory, a corporate research facility for a large company, a card terminal manufacturer, a door-lock manufacturer, and on a CCTV quality team — jobs she took so she wouldn't become idle. Thinking that studying directing might help her acting, she wrote crime-thriller scripts inspired by the styles of 〈Basic Instinct〉 and 〈Decision to Leave〉 and even took a university entrance exam, passing the first round. After 〈Completely Fooled〉 was released and the Mrs. Hak role received wide love, Chae — who had no agency at the time — received many offers and inquiries. Still, she said joining a company right after a project's release would be rash, and she wrote on social media, "I don't plan to hold individual meetings with agencies yet. For now, I'm taking my time looking into companies. I plan to stay independent, submit audition applications and visit them myself." It was a bold, spirited move. Put an actor who is proving her own value into your own 'treasure box' soon — just as IU did.