K-Drama Queen, Kim Tae Hee, Star in a Psychological Thriller, Lies Hidden in My Garden

One of Korean drama Queens, Kim Tae Hee, returns to small screen after three years. And what a blast! Her comeback drama is an intriguing tale of thrill and mystery.  

Lies Hidden in My Garden, also known as House With a Yard is a psychological thriller about two women from opposing social class background who will be brought together by a noir circumstance, a suspicious smell in one of their backyards. 

Plot Summary:

Moon Joo-ran (Kim Tae Hee) comes from a rich family and is married to a doctor. They live in a hillside manor. She seems to have everything a woman could want for. A husband, Park Jae-ho (Kim Sung-oh), who is the head of a paediatric clinic, and a son, Seung-jae (Cha Sung-je) who is a straight-A student at a prestigious school.

But since moving in to this new neighborhood, their family has not socialized yet with their neighbors. Joo-ran seems always bothered and afraid in talking to strangers. 

Then one day, Joo-ran is troubled with a foul smell in their garden. Her family, however, claims didn't notice it. She has a traumatic past which remains unsolved. And it continues to haunt her.

Years ago, she found her sister’s body after a violent death. Later, she had a breakdown at a school event involving masked children, which prompted the family’s move to their current residence.

Most of the day, her attention is constantly drawn to some old lanterns and pots in the backyard. Again and again, these objects consume her waking thoughts.

She thought there must be something buried in the garden, but whether it is something creepy or just her dark imagination, remains to be seen.

While Chu Sang-eun (Lim Ji-yeon), one of their neighbors, comes from a poor family, and constantly suffers from an abusive husband, Kim Yoon-beom (Choi Jae-rim). She is regularly beaten despite the fact that she's five months pregnant. 

Following the advice of a colleague, Sang-eun attempts to record the abuse of her husband in the hopes of escaping her situation through a divorce. But one day, she receives a call that her husband is dead! 

Lies Hidden in My Garden banks on the thrill execution of storytelling, withholding information and laying down an atmosphere of mystery and curiosity enough to attract interest from the viewers. 

This is Kim Tae Hee's television comeback after Hi Bye Mama in 2020, and her first thriller mystery drama. In an interview published by Soompi, Kim Tae Hee explained her reason why she chose this drama as her comeback project.

“It has been a long time since a project has made me so excited. I was intrigued by the idea of two female characters living different lives, each telling their own story, and then the exciting incidents that occur when they meet.”

She continued, “Personally, the genre felt a bit unfamiliar to me, but I found Joo Ran’s character very realistic and relatable, so I was drawn to the drama.”

“To be honest, I don’t usually watch thrillers. But I really enjoyed reading the script regardless of the genre, and as soon as I read it, I automatically developed a strong desire to play the character of Joo Ran in a way that viewers could understand and relate to.”

Describing her character in the drama, the actress shared, “Joo Ran lived as a doll for her mother during her childhood, suffered from guilt and trauma due to the sudden death of her sister, and then married her first love, Jae Ho (Kim Sung Oh), to start what she believes is a happy family. However, that belief is gradually shaken, and she eventually breaks all the molds that have been holding her back and grows into an independent human being.”

“I wanted to cheer on Joo Ran as she made that journey,” she continued. “So I approached the character of Joo Ran with the mindset that she is someone that we could easily see around us in our everyday lives.

Lim Ji Yeon, who just starred in “The Glory”, plays Sang Eun, a victim of domestic violence who dreams of escaping her abusive husband. Kim Tae Hee also shares what it was like working with Lim Ji Yeon.

Kim Tae Hee and Lim Ji Yeon

“Lim Ji Yeon was always serious and detailed when thinking about the character of Sang Eun, and as a result, she played Sang Eun in such a three-dimensional and realistic way. Thanks to Lim Ji Yeon, who was the essence of Sang Eun herself on set, I was also able to immerse myself in the role of Joo Ran more easily.”

As for the key points that viewers should look forward to in the drama, Kim Tae Hee commented, “Viewers can look forward to seeing the psychological changes in an anxious woman who is having a nervous breakdown when she meets a strange woman named Sang Eun. Viewers can also look forward to seeing how the two women’s sharply contrasting characters and lives influence each other later on.”

She concluded, “It’s an eight-episode series, so you can think of it as watching a long movie. I hope viewers will enjoy it by focusing on the detailed psychological portrayal of the characters.”

Meanwhile, Lim Ji Yeon also talked about the reason for choosing the work, “I fell in love with the original novel so much that I thought, ‘This is mine.’ Rather than wanting to show a different side as an actress, I wanted to know and dig into a woman named Chu Sang Eun.”

She thinks that the point viewers should focus on in “Lies Hidden in My Garden” is “heaviness”. Lim Ji Yeon explained, “It’s not a thriller with provocative scenes, but there’s a heavy feeling that only our drama can give. I think the strange atmosphere and the ironic chemistry between the characters will be the points viewers should focus on in our drama.”

Actually, when I heard that Kim Tae Hee was cast for the role of Joo Ran in ‘Lies Hidden in My Garden’, I thought about that.” She added, “As a junior, I’m happy to be able to act with the seniors I respect. Just jokingly, I want to work with Jun Ji Hyun in the future.

Lies Hidden in My Garden has premiered on June 19 on ENA TV and Genie TV in Korea, and can be streamed through Netflix and Viki.