[OSENWORLD] Netflix’s upcoming series You and Everything Else (Eunjung and Sangyeon) centered on a profound question during its Seoul press conference on Sept. 5: “How do you say goodbye to someone precious?”

The press event, held at the Ambassador Pullman Hotel, brought together director Cho Young-min along with leads Kim Go-eun and Park Ji-hyun. The drama, premiering Sept. 12 on Netflix worldwide and airing on tvN in Korea, follows the tangled friendship of Eun-jung (Kim) and Sang-yeon (Park) across nearly three decades.

Director Cho described the premise: “This is the story of Eun-jung and Sang-yeon from their teens into their forties. Sometimes they admired each other, sometimes they hated each other, but ultimately it is a journey of forgiveness and reconciliation.”

Kim Go-eun, who plays Eun-jung, described her character as a girl raised modestly by her single mother, deeply loved but also burdened by shame over poverty. “At first, I wondered if the project might feel too subdued. But as the depth and narrative grew, I was drawn in,” she said.

By contrast, Park Ji-hyun’s Sang-yeon grew up with wealth but without love. “When I read the script, Sang-yeon’s story resonated immediately. She is not as honest as Eun-jung, and I wanted to express all those layers,” she explained.

The drama reaches its emotional climax when Sang-yeon, in her forties and facing death, asks Eun-jung to accompany her through assisted death. Kim Go-eun reflected tearfully: “When Eun-jung makes that decision, I thought a lot about what it truly means to say goodbye to someone precious. For Eun-jung, it became an opportunity to give her friend a final gift — the chance to be sent off with love.”

Park acknowledged the complexity of her character’s request: “It’s selfish, even shameless. But at the end of her life, Sang-yeon had no one else, and Eun-jung was the only person she wanted forgiveness from. I studied books and documentaries to prepare, but what helped most was having Go-eun embody Eun-jung so vividly in front of me.”

The actresses spoke warmly of each other. Park said, “I always admired Go-eun. I respected her as a senior, a colleague, and a friend.” Kim, in turn, laughed: “Ji-hyun gave me so much love and energy. But I did envy her — she never swelled up during shoots, and I always did.”

Director Cho closed by praising his leads: “Without Kim Go-eun and Park Ji-hyun, this project would not exist in its current form. They exceeded every expectation.”

You and Everything Else promises to resonate with audiences by delicately portraying friendship, forgiveness, and the universal experience of saying goodbye.

/k_inside@osen.co.kr

Courtesy of OSEN