[Limelight] Shin Min-a Repeatedly Said, "I Will Remember This Face"

Shin Min-a Delivers a Powerful Performance as Lee Ju-yeon in Netflix's "Bad Blood"
A Sexual Crime Victim Left Unhealed
Choosing "Memory" Over a Bloodstained Decision

Our society tends to objectify criminals as beings different from ourselves. In psychology, this is called demonization. It is seen as an attempt to secure one's own existence. No one is born a criminal. Everyone walks precariously on the prison wall. If one missteps, they fall inside; if they manage to maintain balance, they live as normal people in the outside society. In crime, we are bystanders and borderliners.

Actress Shin Min-a [Photo by Netflix]

In the Netflix series "Bad Blood," neurosurgeon Lee Ju-yeon (Shin Min-a) stands precariously on the boundary. She becomes anxious when a burn patient named Park Jae-young (Park Hae-soo) arrives at the hospital. He was sexually assaulted by a senior with the same name during school days. Believing him to be the perpetrator, she demands an apology. When Park Jae-young shamelessly denies recognition, she meticulously prepares for revenge.

Many criminals are those who have been hurt or disappointed in human relationships. Wounds and alienation manifest as forms of crime. Sexual crime victims like Lee Ju-yeon are more vulnerable to these risks. If the internalized wounds and coagulated anger in the heart are not properly resolved, the dark self can burst into the real world at any time. When I met Shin Min-a on the 9th at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul, she said, "If the only way to resolve pain is to get blood on your hands, then it has to be that way."

"Lee Ju-yeon is a character who has endured trauma for a long time. The pain remains, but she has just hidden it herself. In such a situation, if the perpetrator appears, she might think it is fate. Amid complex thoughts, she can drive herself into crime. There was a moment while acting when I actually felt those emotions. A sense of vagueness also came along. I wanted to convey all those thoughts and feelings."

'Bad Connection' still cut
[Photo by Netflix]

Lee Ju-yeon puts down the scalpel filled with life in front of the unconscious Park Jae-young. She vents her anger and says, "I will remember this face." He remembered the name, triggering the trauma. The face can bring another trauma. But the surname "Lee" attached to it carries various meanings. Shin Min-a revealed, "It is a word with many implied meanings, so I acted with the most care."

"Even if Park Jae-young is killed, the trauma does not disappear. So I interpreted it as a transformation of memory. I saw the most miserable and desperate face of the other as a key to overcoming anxiety disorder. Since the face was also burned, I thought there was a certainty that the remaining life would be painful. Maybe she wanted to express it like this: 'Whenever the pain I experienced resurfaces, I will remember your miserable appearance and overcome it.'"

The possibility of such a choice being given to sexual crime victims is slim. Many carry emotional wounds inward without sufficient healing. In this way, the negative self grows by feeding on the seeds of negative emotions. If one denies this or does not face their emotions and unconscious drives as they are, they may face destruction. Shin Min-a, who imagined and pondered this process while acting, cautiously hoped to find a thread of hope in Lee Ju-yeon.

'Bad Connection' still cut
[Photo by Netflix]

"How can one fully understand their hearts? Just acting out the distorted face seen in the mirror was painful. Like Lee Ju-yeon, one must be cautious not to fall deeply into the pit of negative emotions. I hope they gain warmth by talking with many people around rather than finding solutions on their own. By forming good relationships."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.