'I am sorry for cheating on my wife': K-drama star's faux apology goes viral
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"I made the unacceptable mistake of cheating on my wife. I offer my deepest apologies to the viewers."
Actor Ji Seung-hyun, who stars in the hit K-drama "Good Partner," recently appeared in a YouTube video that at first glance looks like the real deal -- from the clickbait title ("I am Sorry") to the solemn-faced celebrity against a plain gray backdrop, bowing deeply before the camera as he delivers his pained apologies to the public.
The video checks all the boxes of a standard celebrity apology, except for one important fact: The infidelity occurred only in the fictional world of "Good Partner," where Ji plays Kim Ji-sang, the unfaithful husband of the show's protagonist, Cha Eun-kyung (played by Jang Na-ra).
"Good Partner," a legal drama penned by an actual divorce lawyer, follows the journey of the female protagonist, a star divorce lawyer, as she grapples with her own marital crisis.
In the drama, Ji's character has an affair with his wife's secretary, abandons his pregnant mistress and engages in a bitter custody battle — all plot points that have viewers up in arms. The show has been a hit since its July 12 premiere, with its latest episode scoring a 17.2 percent nationwide viewership share.
Ji’s apology video, posted on YouTube by SBS, the network airing the drama, has racked up a million views since Saturday and cracked YouTube's top 10 trending list in the country.
"I am aware that many viewers are experiencing symptoms of higher blood pressure and throat congestion, all as a result of my impeccable acting," Ji quips at one point in the video, barely holding back his laughter as he addresses the scandal his character has provoked.
In the comments section, fans gleefully played along with the faux apology. While some pointed out that Ji owes an apology to his (on-screen) daughter as well, a chorus of commenters told him to go back to Goryeo, where he belonged, diving deeper into the make-believe.
The calls were a reference to Ji's previous role as a heroic general in last year's popular historical drama, "The Korea-Khitan War," set in the Goryeo Dynasty.
By Moon Ki-hoon(moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com)
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