[MALAYSIA] From K-DRAMA to Reality: Fans Meet KIM YE RIM and LEE EUN SAEM of CHEONGDAM INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Kim Ye Rim (Red Velvet’s Yeri) and actress Lee Eun Saem visited Malaysia to promote their latest tvN drama, Cheongdam International High School. They had a meet and greet session with fans on Sunday, June 25, 2023 and a private press conference session with the media on Monday, June 26, 2023.

Star Meet and Greet

The meet and greet session began a little after 2PM on Sunday, June 25, 2023 at Sunway Pyramid, LG2 Central Avenue. The two hosts welcomed Yeri and Eun Saem on stage, and even though the pair was still metres away from the stage, the entire venue boomed with cheers. 

This does not come off to a surprise as the two have early on already established their names in the industry. Yeri, a member of world-renowned girl group Red Velvet and Eun Saem from the hit Netflix K-drama, All of Us Are Dead (2022). 

The host then gave the floor for Yeri and Eun Saem to talk about the drama, Cheongdam International High School. 

“The character I played was named Kim Hye In, and she is a key witness to a murder and moved schools only to meet with the suspect of the murder, Baek Je Na, who was played by Yeri.” Eun Saem provided the audience with a brief summary of what the drama was about.

“It is a very interesting experience, because we filmed the drama during winter and I remembered having to record a scene where I had to bite an ice on it.” Eun Saem continued by sharing with the fans an interesting moment she had to go through while recording for the drama. 

When asked regarding her favourite food in Malaysia, Yeri promptly replied “nasi goreng” (fried rice) without any hesitation. The host also taught her how to send her love to the fans, repeating “saya suka anda” which meant “i like you”. The crowd of course loved this, and the entire mall echoed with the fans’ screams. 

Four lucky winners were then brought on stage to have a short game session with both Yeri and Eun Saem. The winners were separated into teams of two, where two girls formed a team with Yeri and the other two girls formed a team with Eun Saem.

The game that they had to play was to flip the bottle, and the group who was able to flip the bottle first wins! After a few rounds and many, many laughs later, Eun Saem’s team came victorious. 

Yeri and Eun Saem both seemed to enjoy talking to the four lucky winners so much, but of course, all good things have to come to an end.

The meet and greet session continued with 50 lucky predetermined winners who were called up on stage to take photos with Yeri and Eun Saem. The winners went up ten at a time, and enjoyed a short but memorable photo session with the actresses that they love. 

Before leaving the venue, the pair thanked the fans for their constant support and told them to keep on loving them in their upcoming work and projects.

Star Tour Press Conference

The press conference took place a day after the meet and greet, on Monday, June 26, 2023 at Level 10 of Sunway Resort Hotel. Yeri and Eun Saem entered the Grand Forum function room and stole everyone’s hearts away. After a quick photo session, the press conference began. 

The host warmed up the floor by asking how the girls felt coming to Malaysia and if it was their first time coming to Malaysia. Yeri reiterated, saying that it was her “first time coming to Malaysia as an actress” and it was a thrilling experience for her. 

“How did you feel about the meet and greet session yesterday?” The host questioned, to which Eun Saem answered:

“I was super overwhelmed by the fans’ support from the meet and greet yesterday. I am so happy to have met them and thank you for the support.”

The press conference resumed with the host asking the pair questions that were collected from the media, days prior. One of the questions read: “What is special about Cheongdam International High School that is different from other K-dramas?” 

Yeri was quick to answer that the theme of this drama is different from others. “Cheongdam International High School has a mysterious outlook to it” which will surely keep the viewers at the edge of their seats!

Eun Saem, on the other hand said, “This drama is special because of the main character, Kim Hye In,” which she plays. “Although the main character is poor, she does not just sit around and not do anything about it.” Eun Saem explained.

A question from our very own The Seoul Story got asked to the pair as well. “Who is your actor/actress role model?”

Yeri answered, “Kim Taeri! I really enjoy her work and love watching her drama ‘Twenty Five Twenty One’.”

Eun Saem did not have one specific role model because she looks up to all of them equally and takes inspiration from their works well. 

Time was passing by for both the media and the girls. With one last question left at hand, the host asked, “What is something that you can look forward to in the last episode of Cheongdam International High School?”

“The plot twist of this drama is something to look forward to. The culprit that will be caught in the end will shock everyone.” Yeri responded with a sheepish smile, as she glanced at Eun Saem. Eun Saem also exchanged a cheeky smile with her.

At the time of the press conference, that might have been a secret to fans of Cheongdam International High School, but now since the final two episodes are already aired, the cat is finally out of the bag!

To end the press conference, Yeri and Eun Saem both told us to keep on supporting them as actresses and thank the fans for their continuous support. Another photo session resumed and before leaving the stage Yeri and Eun Saem managed to pose a heart for the audience. 

So how was the ending of the K-drama Cheongdam International High School? Did it shock you all, as much it did to us?

Thank you to Tonton MY and tvN Asia for the invite!

Written by: Kartini Jasmin
Photos by: Nur Azzahra Qistina

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