"Queen Of Tears", one of the hottest K-Dramas of 2024, has finally reached its conclusion. Featuring stars like Kim SooHyun and Kim JiWon as its main leads, the drama had a meteoric rise in ratings, ending at a record high of 24.85%, surpassing "Crash Landing On You" as the highest rated drama of tvN.

The relationship between Baek HyunWoo (Kim SooHyun) and Hong HaeIn (Kim JiWon) kept audiences mesmerized from beginning to end. It was amazing to witness their journey as a couple and how they were able to surpass every hurdle. Combined with an amazing supporting cast and a plot that had viewers wrapped around their finger, "Queen Of Tears" will certainly go down in history as a must-watch series for every K-Drama fanatic.

Part of its success is definitely owed to Kim JiWon and her portrayal of Hong HaeIn. As a character, HaeIn was flawed in many ways, greeting viewers with a towering barricade that kept everyone, Baek HyunWoo included, out. However, it's in her character development and how she transformed over the course of the drama that had fans gushing over Hong HaeIn, and in essence Kim JiWon, all throughout "Queen Of Tears".

Hong HaeIn was special for many reasons. Let's take a look at some down below.

Note: this article contains spoilers.

 

Prickly Demeanor + A Hidden Soft Side

When we first meet Hong HaeIn, her personality is anything but kind-hearted, as her prickly demeanor makes it difficult for anyone to approach her, family included. She's a tough-as-nails CEO who goes to great lengths and strives for perfection at all costs. To some, she may appear emotionless, only thinking about the next way she'll be able to earn money. She's at odds with her husband and legal director Baek HyunWoo, creating a tension that can be felt by all those around them. Overall, she incites a stifling atmosphere that everyone wants to escape from.

Despite this, we find a hidden tenderness underneath it all. Even with the looming risks of her brain tumor, Hong HaeIn goes out of her way to take care of her employees and those struggling to stay afloat. She does it in a particular way that makes it seem as if her actions and decisions are to purely aid the company. But the audiences are able to bear witness to her warm, loving heart that simply was covered in an icy layering for so long. This hidden soft side shows Hong HaeIn in a different light, causing viewers around the world to start nurturing their affection towards the character.

Now, this soft side of Hong HaeIn doesn't remain a secret for too long. As the story progresses, she naturally comes out of her guarded shell, showcasing her true colors of joy-inducing warmth.

 

Falling Back In Love With Baek HyunWoo

Starting off the series, Hong HaeIn and Baek HyunWoo's marriage is falling apart by the seams. Their deteriorating relationship pushes HyunWoo to the edge as he starts up the divorce process — all without HaeIn's knowledge. While their marriage is strained beyond belief, they still hold an inkling of affection towards each other that pops up at the most surprising moments. We see this early on in various scenes like when Baek HyunWoo subconsciously moves to protect Hong HaeIn from a wild boar. Or when she catches herself admiring her husband from afar. While these sweet interactions do exist, they are never vocal about their feelings.

Instead, it's a slow, quiet process for the two, in particular Hong HaeIn, as they fall back in love with one another. Due to HyunWoo's sudden change in demeanor, HaeIn is understandably cautious and right to believe that he's only changed due to her deteriorating health or to gain something. But as the story progresses, the two naturally rekindle a spark and come to believe that they truly are a match made in heaven. Even when they finally do go through a divorce, HaeIn learns about her husband's true feelings, causing her to gravitate towards him once more.

They perform a push and pull dance that plays on viewers' hearts, but also convinces them to remain firmly planted in place, becoming invested as their relationship goes through some much needed healing. Falling back in love isn't easy, especially when there's the conniving and obsessive Yoon EunSeong (Park SungHoon) trying everything possible to tear them apart. However, it's in Baek HyunWoo's persistence and Hong HaeIn's change of heart that allows them to be together once again.

 

Strengthening Family Relations

One of the most cathartic interactions Hong HaeIn has in "Queen Of Tears" is the later interactions with her family. At first, her parents have pushed her aside, with her father believing in her ability to do things on her own and mother forever scarred by the loss of her son. Then there's Hong SooCheol (Kwak DongYeon) who's the baby of the family and acts as the annoying little brother to HaeIn. The only one close to a kindred spirit is her aunt, Hong BeomJa (Kim JungNan) who shows immediate distress upon learning about HaeIn's life-threatening illness.

Everything changes once they learn about HaeIn's illness. Unlike her initial thoughts, her family is grief-stricken by this news and they all do their best to repair their relationship with our main heroine. This attempt isn't one sided either, as HaeIn also takes the necessary steps to create a bridge between her and her family.

One striking scene of heartwarming character development occurs when HaeIn and her mother, Kim SeonHwa (Na YoungHee), talk in the hospital. This is one of the first times since after her brother's passing accident where mother and daughter are vulnerable in front of one another. They allow themselves to feel each other's embrace and from that point onward, their relationship changes for the better.

These instances allowed Hong HaeIn to go through a vital transformation, causing viewers to cheer even harder for the "Queen Of Tears" main character. Now that her and her family's relationship has gone through some healing, many avidly hoped that the hardships would end, allowing for more family bonding moments to occur.

 

Hong HaeIn/Kim JiWon Public Reception

Kim jiwon as Hong Haein will be forever my fav character I love her and I will miss her so much 🥹❤️ #QueenOfTears #KimJiWon pic.twitter.com/ZKtiegCQUd

— Bicho🍀 (@B94495231) April 28, 2024

Looking at everything that happened on screen, Hong HaeIn, the character, and Kim JiWon, the actress, received so much love from netizens across the world. There were numerous mentions across social media, with various scenes uploaded onto YouTube, TikToks, and so much more. To beat an iconic series like "Crash Landing On You", "Queen Of Tears" understandably had to have done a million things right — and one of these was choosing Kim JiWon as the series' female lead.

The comments section across the various YouTube clips and Instagram posts were similar, praising Kim JiWon and the rest of the cast for their amazing performances. Weekends were much more enjoyable with "Queen Of Tears" and the entire globe were more than vocal about it.

Interest over time for Hong HaeIn and Kim JiWon only grew larger as "Queen Of Tears" progressed, receiving noticeable spikes when new episodes were released. The K-Drama community across various social media sites would be abuzz with "Queen Of Tears" reactions. The ending is bittersweet, as the drama wrapped up beautifully, however, its absence will surely be felt all across the world. Kim JiWon's Hong HaeIn made us feel a spectrum of different emotions, speaking to the actress' innate skill and ability to pilot any character to perfection. There's nothing but positivity towards the tvN series and everyone involved as they successfully captivated the entire world.

Kim JiWon's next project has yet to be announced, but before then, fans will surely revisit her performance in "Queen Of Tears" a million times over.

What was some of your favorite scenes featuring Kim JiWon's Hong HaeIn?

tvN is a cable channel of Korea and its dramas are popular in and out of Korea. The channel has quite a lot of hit dramas on its record. The channel keeps on having high ratings with interesting plots and Hallyu actors in its cast.

Here is a list of the tvN dramas with the highest ratings up until now (all years) (updated article).

 

1. "Queen of Tears" - 24.8%

The awaited K-Drama "Queen of Tears" (2024) with top Hallyu stars Kim SooHyun and Kim JiWon started with 5.9% and reached impressive ratings of 24.8% with its final episode.  Viewers were hooked and the drama went viral for its story and amazing acting.

 

2. "Crash Landing On You" - 21.7%

The drama "Crash Landing On You" (2019-2020) with Hyun Bin and Son YeJin makes tvN history by breaking the record of its highest ratings. With the final episode of the drama, the drama ratings reached 21.7%. The love story of the North Korean soldier and South Korean chaebol hooked the country.

 

3. "Goblin" - 20.5%

The drama "Goblin" also titled "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" aired in 2016-2017 starring Gong Yoo, Kim GoEun, Lee DongWook and more. In and out of Korea, the drama was extremely popular. There was definitely a "Goblin craze". The final episode of the drama reached its highest personal ratings at 20.5%. "Goblin" held the record of tvN best ratings until "Crash Landing on You" broke it.

 

4. "Reply 1988" - 18.8%

The "Replies" series were popular and "Reply 1988" (2015-2016) was the most popular. The last episode reached 18.8%. Girl's Day's HyeRi, Park BoGum, Go KyungPyo, Ryu JunYeol and Lee DongHwi acted in the drama.

 

5. "Mr. Sunshine" - 18.1%

The historical drama "Mr. Sunshine" (2018) with Lee ByungHun and Kim TaeRi had a huge budget and it received a lot of love in and outside of Korea. The drama scored 18.1% of ratings on its last episode.

 

6. "Mr. Queen" - 17.4%

The comedy historical drama "Mr. Queen" (2020-2021) starring Shin HyeSun and Kim JungHyun was also popular. The drama started at 8.0% and kept on increasing its ratings up to 17.4% for the final episode.

 

7. "Crash Course In Romance" - 17%

The romance drama "Crash Course in Romance" (2023) starred Jeon DoYeon and Jung KyungHo. The drama started with 4.0% but gained a lot of popularity week after week with its love story, elite education, and scandals. The drama reached 17% with its last episode.

 

8. "Under The Queen's Umbrella" - 16.852%

The historical drama "Under The Queen's Umbrella" (2022) starred Kim HyeSoo, Kim HaeSook, Choi WonYoung, Moon SangMin, SF9's Chani, Yoo SeonHo, Kim MinGi, and more. It was a hit drama. Starting at 7.6%, the drama kept on gaining viewers and reached 16.852% with its last episode. The story of the queen, her sons, and all the political schemes passionated.

9. "Vincenzo" - 14.6%

The black comedy drama "Vincenzo" (2021) starring Song JoongKi, Jeon YeoBeen, 2PM's Ok TaecYeon, Kim YeoJin, and Kwak DongYeon was popular. The drama was also available on Netflix at the same time. The drama started at 7.7% and ended at 14.6%. Viewers have been stunned by the amazing acting and the catchy storyline of a mafia consigliere getting rid of the bad guys.

 

10. "Our Blues" - 14.6%

The life drama "Our Blues" (2022) starring Lee ByungHun, Shin MinA, Han JiMin, Kim WooBin, Cha SeoungWon, and Lee JungEun gathered a lot of interest with its touching story and its talented cast. The drama started at 7.3% and ended at 14.6%.

 

11. "100 Days My Prince" - 14.4%

The comedy historical drama "100 Days My Prince" (2018) starring EXO’s D.O. and Nam JiHyun was also one of the most popular dramas of tvN. The last episode of the drama reached 14.4%.

 

12. "Hospital Playlist" - 14.1%

The drama "Hospital Playlist" (2020) with Jo JungSuk, Yoo YeonSeok, Jung KyungHo, and Kim DaeMyung was popular. The drama kept increasing in ratings and reached 14.1% with its last episode. The story of these close friends working at the hospital had interested many.

 

13. "Signal" - 12.5%

The drama "Signal" (2016) with Lee JeHoon, Kim HyeSoo, and Choi JinWoong was also a hit. The drama reached 12.5% of ratings with its last episode. This drama is often mentioned as one of the best K-Dramas in the international K-Drama community.

 

14. “Hotel del Luna"- 12%

IU and Yeo JinGoo addicted viewers to the ghosty fantasy drama “Hotel del Luna”. The drama was so popular that many are hoping for a second season. The drama reached 12.0% on its last episode.

 

15. "Marry My Husband" - 12.0%

The 2024 drama "Marry My Husband" based on a web novel and webtoon was a hit. With Park MinYoung, Na InWoo, Lee YiKyung, Song HaYoon, and Highlight's Lee GiKwang, the revenge drama caught attention from the start with 5.2%. It continuously grabbed viewers' attention until reaching 12.0% with its last episode.

 

Mental health is a major topic in the world. As society changes and the weight of the world becomes worse, many people deal with mental health issues in different ways. A common but serious mood disorder is depression. Many people experience depression and the condition can sometimes be hard to deal with. Depression takes away your enjoyment of things you once loved and is much more than simply feeling sad. The representation in media is a vast spectrum.

K-Dramas have broken the taboo of discussing depression in shows. Increasingly, more shows choose to address topics of depression and many of them have it as the main focus of their series. Each series is different in how they display their characters' coping mechanisms and symptoms of depression. These 6 K-Dramas address depression throughout the series but all have their unique ways of doing it. Here is how they differ and how K-Dramas have juggled such a difficult topic in their series.

 

1. "Daily Dose Of Sunshine" Shows Anyone Can Feel Depressed

Probably one of the most realistic depictions of depression in a series, "Daily Dose of Sunshine" talks about a kind nurse who works in a psychiatry hospital and tries to bring sunshine to her patients. Setting in a psychiatry hospital, the series dives deeply into depression and mental health issues for each episode. One that stands out the most comes from the main character herself, Jung DaEun played by Park BoYoung. Jung DaEun sees the mistreatment of mental health patients in society's eyes and has to juggle a difficult job. A tragedy from a patient she was close with sent her into a spiral of guilt and depression.

The drama depicts her depression as various forms of self-sabotage and emptiness. She goes as far as overworking herself, even though she doesn't want to work, to try and ignore her depression. "Daily Dose Of Sunshine" was impressive with their depiction of depression and reminding everyone that it does not have a certain look. People may not expect mental health workers to feel a certain way since their main job is to help others but depression is not linear and anyone can experience it.

 

2. "Our Blues" Reminds Us Depression Isn't Just "Feeling Sad"

"Our Blues" focuses on a hometown in Jeju and the daily lives of its residents. As they navigate the ups and downs of life, they must also face the problems that life randomly throws at them. Min SeonAh, played by Shin MinA, is a character in the series who suffers from depression. A single mother whose husband left her, the series shows just how much depression can affect a person's time. She has no organization and has a lack of interest in life.

It gets so severe that she even forgets to pick up her son from school because of her mental health. What makes it even more interesting is the choice of colors for her as she is often shown in a blue hue, showing her "blues" and depression. The series shows that depression can have varying effects. It isn't simply feeling sad; sometimes people can not function normally because of it.

 

3. "Doctor Slump" Shows That Depression Doesn't Have One Look

"Doctor Slump" further reminds us that depression does not have a certain look to it and even if someone seems "perfect" you never know their struggles. The main character HaNeul, played by Park ShinHye, is a perfectionist and wants to succeed in everything she does. So when she realizes she is depressed, she wants to ignore it, resulting in her feeling worse than before. Despite HaNeul's perfect demeanor, she is battling with her mental health and finds comfort in the male lead of the series.

"Doctor Slump" gave some clarity on what depression looks like. Many people may have the image of someone who is untidy, lazy, and cries all the time but that is not always the case. Depression can sometimes be the hard-working doctor who comes into work smiling or your classmate who tends to keep to themselves. The K-Drama tackled the issues and taboos of depression in a wonderful way.

 

4. "Juvenile Justice" Shows Negative Effects Of Depression

"Juvenile Justice" has a devastating but realistic depiction of depression in the series. This K-Drama follows the story of a judge who does not look kindly on juveniles in the system and various cases of juvenile delinquency cases. One plot line focuses on a group of students cheating on a major exam soon being exposed and tried. Kang ShinWoo, played by Kim JunHo, is the son of the main character, Kang WonJung. His father also happens to be the chief of the Juvenile Justice Division.

When ShinWoo is found to be involved in the cheating scandal, his father chastises him to the point he tells him if he plans to end his life, he shouldn't involve his family. This results in ShinWoo attempting to end his life, leading his father to feel an immense sense of guilt. However, this arc in the series shows that ShinWoo was severely depressed with his academics. He never seemed to do well like his brother and being the son of a prominent figure only made him feel even more inferior.

 

5. "Weak Hero Class" Shows Us Outside Forces Can Cause Depression

In a similar fashion to "Daily Dose Of Sunshine", "Weak Hero Class" addresses the main character's depression and his forms of self-sabotage. Our protagonist, SiEun played by Park JiHoon, comes from a broken home with neglectful parents. They are too busy to deal with him and most times they are not even at home. Without any guidance or support from them, he chooses to isolate himself from the world. He studies despite not enjoying it anymore.

He doesn't have friends and feels a sense of emptiness in his everyday life. SiEun's reasons for his depression show that many things can trigger someone into depression. "Weak Hero Class" did an amazing portrayal of how outside factors can negatively impact an individual to the point they can fall into depression.

 

6. "Sweet Home" Shows How Depression Is Not Linear

"Sweet Home" shows the many layers of depression and how sometimes people fall into it due to various factors building up over time. "Sweet Home" is about a boy who has to deal with mysterious monsters after a strange incident in his apartment. Our main character, Cha Hyunsoo played by Song Kang, intentionally isolates himself and plans to end his life due to his depression. Bullied in school, and isolated from his classmates and family, he has many layers to his depression and what led him to his decision. The major turning point in his mental health was when he was the only survivor of a car crash that ended the lives of his family.

The drama shows how this has built up over time with all of the tragic events in his lifetime. There was not one main reason for him to feel depressed but various factors affected him mentally. What makes "Sweet Home" so interesting is the use of horror and monsters as battles of mental health issues. Confronting and battling his inner monster in this series gives the illusion of tackling his inner turmoil and depression. The series hits the nail on the coffin when HyunSoo chooses to help himself. No one forces him out of his depression and it is not magically cured, it's something he will need to improve on because he wants to.

 

As more and more K-Dramas discuss the topic of depression, many of them will choose to talk about it in their unique ways. Whats important is that these series are bringing to light a serious topic that needs to be discussed more in media.