Kim Soo-hyun’s Homage To His Queen Of Tears Co-Star's Funniest K-Drama Character Couldn’t Have Been More Perfect

Summary Kim Soo-hyun's comedic talent shines in Queen of Tears with ad-libs and funny moments.

His homage to Kim Ji-won's character in Fight For My Way adds depth to the scene.

Queen of Tears may be emotional, but it still has great comedic moments and nods to iconic characters.

Kim Soo-hyun is known as the "King of Ad-libs" and one of his best Queen of Tears ad-libs pays homage to one of his co-star's funniest characters to date. Kim Soo-hyun's quick wit and comedic timing are some of his best acting talents, which are seen in the varied and best K-Drama performances throughout his career. Though his role as Queen of Tears' Baek Hyun-woo isn't best known for being funny, Kim Soo-hyun still gives Hyun-woo an edge that makes him feel like a varied and complex character who can also be funny in the right circumstances.

Before its release, Queen of Tears looked to have the perfect comedic recipe thanks to its unique concept of a marriage on the brink of collapse. However, as Crash Landing on You's perfect replacement, Queen of Tears was always bound to veer towards the emotional. Despite this, Queen of Tears is full of great comedic moments, with Kim Soo-hyun delivering some of the show's funniest scenes. In one of his best, he also finds a way to pay tribute to one of his co-star's best characters in a scene that could not be more fitting.

Related Kim Soo-hyun’s Queen Of Tears Success Is A Reminder To Watch His Other Critically Acclaimed K-Drama Queen of Tears marked Kim Soo-hyun’s return to the small screen in a leading role and is a reminder to check his other critically acclaimed K-drama.

Kim Soo-hyun References Fight For My Way's Ae-ra In Queen Of Tears

Kim Soo-hyun's Homage Brings Kim Ji-won's Career Full-Circle

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Every episode of Queen of Tears shows why Kim Soo-hyun has such a great reputation as an actor through his varied and complex performances, yet the early episodes prove just how funny he can be. In one of Queen of Tears' funniest scenes, Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun) expresses his frustrations about his marriage and Hae-in's family in an over-the-top fashion. While this scene is hilarious on its own, it's even more special as Kim Soo-hyun adds a small nod to one of Kim Ji-won's most beloved characters to date, thanks to an expertly placed ad-lib.

"Aegyo" is a Korean term that refers to acting overly cute.

In this scene, Hyun-woo cries about how he was always seen as the cute youngest son of his family. He adds, "I was born this way. What can I do?". This directly references one of Kim Ji-won's most viral scenes from Fight For My Way, where she played the boisterous wannabe newscaster, Choi Ae-ra. In the comedy K-drama's second episode, Ae-ra cutely declares to Ko Dong-man (Park Seo-joon), "I was not acting pretty. I was born pretty," which is one of Ae-ra's most memorable lines in the whole K-drama.

Kim Ji-won's expert delivery in Fight For My Way earned her a reputation for her incredible aegyo skills, which have been replicated by many following the K-drama's release, including by her latest co-star, Kim Soo-hyun. His homage is incredibly subtle, especially to those unfamiliar with the iconic Fight For My Way scene. However, it is a great nod to one of Kim Ji-won’s best K-dramas and best characters to date.

Fight For My Way's Ae-ra Is One Of Kim Ji-won's Best K-Drama Characters

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From High Kick 3 to Queen of Tears, Kim Ji-won has played many incredible characters in her career. However, none of them are quite like Choi Ae-ra. Ae-ra was Kim Ji-won's first leading role in a K-drama, following on from her overwhelming success in her supporting role as First Lt. Yoon Myeong-ju in Descendants of the Sun. As Choi Ae-ra, Kim Ji-won showed an entirely new side to her acting range that left many wishing for her to return to the world of comedy once again.

Fight For My Way Cast Character Kim Ji-won Choi Ae-ra Park Seo-joon Ko Dong-man Song Ha-yoon Baek Seol-hee Ahn Jae-hong Kim Joo-man

As Fight For My Way relies on rooting for the underdogs, the leading characters had to be easy to fall in love with. Fortunately, Kim Ji-won and Park Seo-joon make that easy. Kim Ji-won gives Choi Ae-ra a flair that makes her bounce off the screen without making her feel like a caricature, especially when delivering her most over-the-top scenes. Plus, Ae-ra's headstrong and feisty nature makes some of Fight For My Way's best moments even better, as Kim Ji-won gives her all into every scene to deliver some outstanding slapstick comedy moments that are equally matched to Park Seo-joon's.

Along with this, one of the best things about Ae-ra's character is her relationship with Ko Dong-man and how that changes her throughout the K-drama. As childhood best friends, the pair's outlandish energy thrives as they are both unafraid to put the other in their place through playful jests. However, as they slowly come to realize their feelings for one another, the balance between quieter, tender moments and playfulness makes Ae-ra and Dong-man easily one of Kim Ji-won's best on-screen couples, as well as a well-rounded character that feels like a breath of fresh air in Kim Ji-won's dramatic career.

Related I’m Grateful That Kim Ji-won’s Queen Of Tears Performance Made My Watch This Other Great K-Drama Kim Ji-won’s performance as Hae-in is a highlight of Queen of Tears, but she also shines in this other great K-drama from seven years ago.

Queen Of Tears Was Great, But Fight For My Way Is Still Kim Ji-won's Funniest K-Drama

Kim Ji-won and Her Co-stars Make Comedy Look Easy

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Though both Queen of Tears and Fight For My Way are considered romantic comedies, Fight For My Way certainly takes the lead in the comedy department. Kim Ji-won and Park Seo-joon are a formidable on-screen duo who bounce off each other perfectly, making falling in love with this friends-to-lovers K-drama story easy. Even some of their most sincere moments are layered with comedy, which makes Fight For My Way both easy to watch and hilarious.

This does not mean to say that Queen of Tears is not funny. In fact, Queen of Tears has many laugh-out-loud moments that help to add depth to the fantasy-like romance. Much like in Fight For My Way, Kim Ji-won proves she is an even match for Kim Soo-hyun's comedy powerhouse. However, her comedy moments in Queen of Tears are a lot more subtle than in her previous K-drama and are few and far between compared to Fight For My Way's focus on the funnier side of life.

Though Kim Ji-won has proven that she excels in the dramatic department, especially in Queen of Tears, Choi Ae-ra proves she is a comedy master, too.

Kim Soo-hyun's portrayal of the drunken Hyun-woo brings back a comedic energy to Kim Ji-won's latest K-drama that has been absent from many of her recent works, which have focused more on the dramatic side of life. Though Kim Ji-won has proven that she excels in the dramatic department, especially in Queen of Tears, Choi Ae-ra proves she is a comedy master, too. As such, Kim Soo-hyun’s small tribute to his co-star could not be more perfect, as it connects two of her best K-dramas and reminds audiences of just how iconic some of Kim Ji-won’s previous characters are.

Queen Of Tears (2024) Hong Hae-in, the heiress of the prestigious Queens Group, and her husband Baek Hyun-woo, known as the "supermarket prince," navigate the complexities of their high-profile marriage. While Hae-in exudes a cold and calculating demeanor, Hyun-woo brings warmth and emotional depth to their relationship. Their union, celebrated as the "wedding of the century," faces a monumental crisis that forces them to reassess their differences and rediscover the strength in their bond. Cast Kim Soo-hyun , Kim Ji-won , Park Sung-hoon , Kwak Dong-yeon , Lee Joo-bin Release Date March 9, 2024 Streaming Service(s) Netflix Seasons 1 Writers Park Ji-eun Directors Jang Young-woo , Kim Hee-won Main Genre Romance Expand