Her Entire Body Is Possessed, but Only Her Eyes Remain Im Nari [Limelight]

Still cut from the Netflix series "Giligo."

원본보기 아이콘

Im Nari (played by Kang Mina) in the Netflix series 'Girigo' is a self-defensive perpetrator. She makes a wish through a cursed application and faces a life-threatening crisis. The more she struggles to survive, the more she loses her rationality and becomes consumed by a vengeful spirit. She obstructs her friends who are searching for the Maehyung and puts them in danger.

Actress Kang Mina portrayed Im Nari's process of rejecting others in order to protect her social standing and emotional stability through a variety of physical expressions. She delicately conveyed the psychology of anxiety and deprivation being distorted into aggression, creating a character in whom understanding and distance coexist.

Even before her possession, Im Nari is a character who wanders between the desire for affection and the need for recognition. Her blunt way of speaking and exclusive behavior are psychological mechanisms to defend her crumbling self. While she may appear superior in every way on the outside, inwardly she is dependent on the gaze of others. This sensitivity stems from the anxiety that everything could collapse at any moment.

Kang Mina said, "From the moment I read the script, I felt sorry for Im Nari. Her circumstances were harsh even before she was possessed by a ghost. She is a child who did not receive enough affection from her busy parents. Even among her friends, only Yoo Sea (played by Jeon Soyoung) is truly liked. She wishes others would treat her the same way, but her pride causes her to say hurtful things. I wanted to portray her with the language of deprivation rather than malice."

Still cut from the Netflix series "Girigo."

원본보기 아이콘

She described Im Nari as a character who strives to maintain the worldview and hierarchy she has built for herself. The affection she feels for Kim Geonwoo (played by Baek Sunho) is a typical adolescent feeling, while the dislike she expresses toward the immature friend Choi Hyungwook (played by Lee Hyoje) is an aversion to variables she cannot control.

The latter could easily appear inconsistent. She may snap at him on the way to school, then later prepare a birthday gift as if nothing happened. Kang Mina explained, "It's not that she dislikes Choi Hyungwook; rather, she cares for him deeply and feels frustrated. She wishes he would get his act together and live an ordinary life. At the same time, she has a tendency to disguise her criticism as justice or advice."

This aspect is well illustrated in the scene where she argues with her friends on the school stairs after Choi Hyungwook's death. Even though Im Nari knows about Girigo's curse, she pretends not to. "How could a lousy application grant wishes, or make you commit suicide when the timer hits zero? Hey, do you all really believe this makes any sense?" The more she lies, the redder her neck becomes. Kang Mina clarified, "It's not computer graphics."

Still cut from the Netflix series 'Girigo'.

원본보기 아이콘

"During a meeting with director Park Yunseo, I mentioned that my neck turns beet-red when I lie. He remembered this before the shoot and asked if I could adjust it subtly during the performance. I said it was possible and practiced hard at home. Since this scene is shown again from Im Nari's perspective, I wanted the color change to serve as a clue for the twist."

Kang Mina also convincingly portrayed the process of possession. Noting that Im Nari's anxiety and deprivation resembled those of the spirit Kwon Siwon (played by Choi Jueun), she actively incorporated the character's unique habits. Especially in scenes where Im Nari is cornered or anxious, she bites her nails or lower lip. In the scene where she blocks and smashes the car driven by Yang Heejin (played by Shim Soobin), she reveals a chilling gaze.

Kang Mina said, "From the moment Im Nari makes a wish through the application, Kwon Siwon begins to invade her mind. I wanted to express the shifting balance between the two characters within her in a dynamic way." She cited the scene where she breaks Yoo Sea's bracelet as the biggest challenge. "Although I was acting with Kwon Siwon's mannerisms and expressions, I wanted my eyes to still convey Im Nari. I hoped that, even within a smile, sorrow begging for salvation would leak through," she added.

Still cut from the Netflix series 'Gilig'.

원본보기 아이콘

Kwon Siwon's possession of Im Nari is not only due to their shared unstable emotions. At the root of her distorted psychology lies a sense of relative deprivation. It is a mixture of feelings like dissatisfaction, complaint, anger, and jealousy, which become more overwhelming as one peeks into others' lives through social networking services (SNS). While Im Nari's emotions reach an extreme, such feelings exist in everyone. Even while playing a villain, Kang Mina did not lose sight of that universality. This is her secret to creating the most uncomfortable mirror-a character you want to push away, yet ultimately understand.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.