Queen for Seven Day: Park Min Young explains ending of the drama

Actress says the drama added more depth to her acting abilities.

Park Min-young
Actress Park Min-young. instagram.com/rachel_mypark

KBS2 drama 'Queen for Seven Days' ended on August 3, with a decent viewership rating of 7.6 percent across South Korea as per ratings agency AGB Nielsen. It had also maintained above seven percent ratings for its final three episodes. Now, lead actress Park Min-young has revealed why the ending of the drama was very fitting.

As noted by website Soompi, Park Min-young sat down for an interview with The Star, a Korean entertainment and celebrity news magazine. When asked about her thoughts regarding the ending of 'Queen for Seven days,' she said, "I think it was the best choice. It reminds me of the ending for the movie 'The Notebook.' Because of the drama's flow, it was not possible to have a happy ending, which is why it ended on a dream-like note. The writer had originally said she wanted to write the ending like that."

'Queen for Seven Days' was written by screenwriter Choi Jin-young. As to how the writer had conceived of the ending, Park Min-young said, "I heard that regardless of how, she wanted Shin Chae Kyung and Lee Yeok to reunite. With a heavy heart, the drama showed moments from their childhood to adulthood. I thought that scene itself was very beautiful. After missing each other for 38 years, they wish they can peacefully rest and forget before facing death. I understood what that feeling is like, so I think it was a good ending."

Alien snail
Alien snail YouTube screen grab

Park Min-young also revealed how 'Queen for Seven Days' was a like a short but rigorous acting course for her, saying, "It felt like undergoing difficult training for acting. I even joked to the writer that this is the 'Real Men' version for acting. It's a drama that added a little more depth to my acting. I think it will stay with me as a great project."

As noted by Soompi, in the final "making of" video for the KBS2 drama released on August 2, Park Min-young had reflected on finishing filming by saying, "Despite the hot weather, I felt that not only the cast but the crew worked their hardest on this drama. Now that it's over, I think that we all worked really hard. I'm glad and grateful that we were able to wrap up safely. I wanted to smile a lot because my character cries a lot. There were days when I cried all day. Now that it's over, I want to live smiling again."

In the interview with The Star magazine, Park Min-young also revealed that she wants to share her work on the drama when she has a daughter in the future. "I said previously that I want to participate in works that I can show my future daughter and 'Queen for 7 Days' is a drama I would like to show my daughter."

Park Min-young also recently revealed what the acting profession means to her. "Acting is always stressful. When I analyse a part, it is very sensitive and takes a lot of effort. When I receive a screenplay, I always continue my rehearsals by myself. But that stress suddenly becomes enjoyable. It seems you have to be working at something to be truly alive," she said in an interview, as noted by Soompi.

This article was first published on August 19, 2017