Actress Kim Hye-yoon is leaving behind the dark reservoir of her horror film and moving her stage to the courtroom and a law firm this time. Having passed through romantic comedy, fantasy, and horror in turn, she transforms into a divorce lawyer in SBS's 'Good Partner 2,' further broadening her acting spectrum.

■ Joining 'Good Partner 2'… New Partnership with Jang Na-ra

Kim Hye-yoon will appear in SBS's new drama 'Good Partner 2,' scheduled to air in 2026. The appearances of Jang Na-ra and Kim Hye-yoon were officially introduced in SBS's announced drama lineup for this year. Jang Na-ra, who played Cha Eun-kyung—the star divorce lawyer at the center of Season 1—returns as is, and with Kim Hye-yoon joining as a new partner, significant changes in Season 2's relationship dynamics are anticipated.

The character Kim Hye-yoon plays is a divorce lawyer, described as someone with quick judgment in reading situations and a strong sense of responsibility. 'Good Partner 2' is a human courtroom office drama centered on Korea's first divorce-specialized law firm, in which Cha Eun-kyung and new characters navigate various collisions of cases and relationships.

■ From Horror to Courtroom Drama, Continued Genre Expansion

This casting is all the more interesting when connected to Kim Hye-yoon's recent genre shifts. In April, she plunged into a full-fledged horror genre for the first time since her debut with the film 'Salmokji' ('Kill It with Water'). In 'Salmokji,' she played Han Su-in, a PD on a filming team who visits a reservoir to reshoot Road View footage and encounters inexplicable phenomena. Unlike typical horror protagonists who rely solely on screams and terror, she built a character who accepts fear in a restrained manner.

Before that, Kim Hye-yoon left a strong impression as Kang Ye-seo in 'SKY Castle,' then expanded her range through fantasy and youth romance in 'Extraordinary You' and 'Lovely Runner.' In particular, Im Sol from 'Lovely Runner,' with its signature rapid emotional transitions combined with everyday-life acting, became one of her representative characters.

Entering 2026, the scope of change has grown even larger. After passing through fantasy and romantic comedy, she experienced a realistic professional role as a PD and the horror genre in 'Salmokji,' and in 'Good Partner 2' she takes on a professional character where cool judgment and language are key. Having experienced both scenes requiring explosive emotional outpouring and moments demanding restraint, her acting direction shows no signs of remaining confined to a single genre.

■ Playing a Lawyer Is Yet Another Challenge

Playing a lawyer is expected to be another challenge for Kim Hye-yoon. A courtroom drama dealing with divorce cases goes beyond simply delivering technical jargon naturally. She must take in the client's emotions, family relationships, and legal interests simultaneously while maintaining a certain distance as a lawyer. If she restrained fear in horror, this time the balance between emotion and logic becomes the core of her acting.

Her chemistry with Jang Na-ra is also a crucial axis of 'Good Partner 2.' In Season 1, Jang Na-ra's Cha Eun-kyung was a veteran lawyer who dominated cases with experience and cool-headedness. As the newly joining Kang Hye-sung is set as a fifth-year lawyer, a new form of partnership in which each person's experience and way of judgment collide is highly likely to form, rather than a relationship between a complete novice and a veteran.

Kim Hye-yoon also stated in a past 'Salmokji' interview that she wants to greet fans with a new character in every work. Indeed, her recent path leans less toward repeating the success formula of one work and more toward consecutively choosing different genres and professions. From a PD chasing an unidentified terror at a reservoir, Kim Hye-yoon now heads toward a lawyer digging into the complex inner workings of divorce cases. 'Good Partner 2' is expected to be a work that will show how she recombines the emotional acting built through romance and fantasy and the restrained expression demonstrated in horror within a professional office drama.

■ Leading the August Netizen Awards Best Actress Ranking

Meanwhile, Kim Hye-yoon is ranked first in the August Netizen Awards for Best Actress. She has currently garnered 14,918 votes, placing her in the 10,000-vote club, and whether she reaches the 20,000-vote club this month is another point of interest.

[This article was written with the assistance of AI.]