5 Things To Know About 'Queen Of Tears' Actress Kim Ji-Won

K-drama rom-com Queen of Tears has officially surpassed the ratings of Crash Landing On You as recorded by South Korean cable channel TVN. The story centres around power couple Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun) and the steely-gazed heiress Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won) — she runs a vast empire of department stores, while he leads the legal team for a major supermarket chain. Their extravagant wedding dubbed them the couple of the century. However, as their marriage encounters turbulence and a critical incident tests them, the pair are forced to confront their feelings for each other in ways they never anticipated.

Kim Ji-won has won praise for her cool, poised portrayal of the chaebol heiress. Here's what to know about the 31-year-old leading actress.

Her first big breaks

Before gaining widespread recognition, she appeared in commercials, the South Korean film Romantic Heaven, and the drama series High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged. Her breakout role came in 2013 with The Heirs (in which she also played a heiress), but it was her performance as the spunky military doctor Yoon Myeong-Joo in the hugely successful Descendants of the Sun that really catapulted her to fame. She was also the love interest of Jin Goo, who took on the role of Master Sergeant Seo Dae-young. Their on-screen chemistry was highly acclaimed, earning them the “Best Couple” award at the 2016 KBS Drama Awards.

She nearly chose to be a K-pop idol

First scouted on the street, the actress trained in singing, dancing and acting before her debut. She performed as a keyboardist and background vocalist for the singer Younha, appearing in various performances and featuring in Younha's 2008 music video for "Gossip Boy." At that time, there were also plans for her to launch her singing career under the stage name "JessicaK." However, she later chose to pursue acting.

Or a kindergarten actress

During an appearance on South Korean online platform Naver's V Live talk show 'Actor & Chatter', she mentioned that she would have become a kindergarten teacher if not an actor. “I like little kids. I want to spend time with them and receive their good energy,” she said.

She overcame a phobia through filming for a drama

Kim Ji-won revealed her fear of water, or aquaphobia, during an episode of reality show Running Man. She also shared a poignant moment from a retreat for Descendants Of The Sun, where she was brought to tears after being playfully pushed into the water. Despite these challenges, Kim Ji-won faced her fear and successfully completed her surfing scenes in the K-drama Lovestruck In The City.