Actor Kim Go-eun’s Yumi and her cells open up for a second try at love in season two of “Yumi’s Cells,” which premiered last week.

Based on the popular Naver Webtoon of the same title, the narrative centers around an average 30-something-year-old woman named Kim Yumi and some 200 different cells residing in her brain. Each of the cells has a different purpose, with some controlling her thoughts, some her emotions and others her behavior.

Tving’s original drama "Yumi's Cells 2" earned the local video streaming platform the most number of paid subscribers onto the platform, according to Tving on Tuesday.

“Yumi’s Cells 2” is exclusively available on Tving.

The second season revolves around the romance between Yumi and her colleague Bobby. The first season was centered on Yumi’s romance with Goo Woong, whom she broke up with in the final episode.

Episodes one through four of season 2 saw Yumi and her cells struggle at first as they tried to get over her ex-boyfriend until Yumi realizes the potential for a new romantic relationship with her co-worker Bobby.

Although season two of “Yumi’s Cells” was released about eight months after the first season ended, the actors reprising roles said that they had filmed both seasons without a break in between.

“It felt like one long drama [instead of two series],” said Kim during the drama’s online press conference on June 7.

Kim grew her hair for the second season of "Yumi’s Cells,” saying “One of the new cells that are introduced in this season is the 'chalang' cell which gives Yumi strength to grow out her hair.”

Chalang translates to silky hair in Korean.

She continued, “Yumi makes some very brave choices in this season to actively change her life. This growth seemed to come naturally through her changes in emotion.”

The new season is anticipated to include major turning points for Yumi. Director Lee Sang-yeop teased that he believes seasons 2's keyword is “growth.”

“The drama strives to go beyond the main romance story between Bobby and Yumi to draw out their emotions and experiences as characters learn more about themselves."

In addition to the chalang cell, tongue cells of Yumi and Bobby will be newly introduced in “Yumi’s Cells 2."

Comedians Yoo Se-yoon will portray Yumi’s tongue cell, while Kang Yoo-mi will portray Bobby's tongue cell.

The “Yumi's Cells” series is the first Korean drama to combine live-action and 3-D animation.

Two new episodes are released exclusively on Tving on Friday at 4 p.m.

Kim debuted in 2012 at the age of 21 through erotic drama film "Eungyo,” becoming an overnight sensation. She portrayed a schoolgirl who becomes the muse of a 70-year-old poet, portrayed by Park Hae-il. Her performance was highly acclaimed by the public and critics alike, and she swept the awards season with nine rookie awards, including prizes at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.

Her next success came in 2015 through crime-drama film “Coin Locker Girl.” Kim played an abandoned child who gets kidnapped and then sold to a loan shark who is also part of an organ trafficking crime ring in Chinatown, Incheon, portrayed by veteran actor Kim Hye-soo. The film was screened at the International Critics’ Week section of Cannes Film Festival in 2015.

In 2016, she debuted on the small screen in the hit romance series "Cheese in the Trap." All her subsequent dramas — tvN’s "Goblin: The Lonely and Great God" (2016), SBS’s “The King: Eternal Monarch” (2020) and tvN’s “Yumi's Cells” (2021) — saw substantial popularity and solidified her career.

She has also worked alongside Academy award-winner Youn Yuh-jung in the film "Canola" in 2016, playing the granddaughter of Youn’s character.

Kim is set to star in tvN’s mystery drama “Little Women” alongside actors Nam Ji-hyun and Park Ji-hoo. The series is slated to air from August to October.

Kim Go-eun

Date of birth: July 2, 1991
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Seodaemun District, western Seoul
Debut: 2012 through film “Eungyo”
Agency: BH Entertainment

Kim Go-eun debuted in 2012 through romance-drama film "Eungyo." She made her debut on the small screen through tvN drama "Cheese in the Trap" in 2016. In the same year, she starred in "Goblin: The Lonely and Great God." She has also worked alongside Academy award-winner Youn Yuh-jung in the film "Canola" in 2016. She is currently reprising her role as Yumi in the second season of “Yumi’s cells.”

This information was confirmed by BH Entertainment on June 15, 2022.


BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]