Netflix's new Korean drama series "Remarriage & Desires" has already shot to No. 8 on the streaming service since becoming available last week.
It is no longer a surprise to see Korean dramas become hugely popular on global streaming platforms, but "Remarriage & Desires" sets itself apart in that it is an unashamed soap. It deals with infidelity, revenge, illicit relationships and illegitimate children in depicting women on a matchmaking site for the super-rich who are desperate to tie the knot with a billionaire.
Kim Hee-sun shines as a woman who joins the site and seeks revenge on a rival who had an affair with her ex-husband and was responsible for his death.
This is Kim's first time in a drama on a streaming service. "It's a story about greed and desires that anyone can have," she told the Chosun Ilbo. "I think these are the raw emotion of humans anywhere in the world, and that's what attracted me to the script."
"Remarriage & Desires" is No. 2 on Netflix in Korea and Japan and ranks among the top 10 in 30 countries, mostly in Asia. "Every morning, I find my Instagram followers increasing by 10,000," Kim said, still surprised at the show's popularity. As of Monday, she had 812,000 followers. "I think I'll have over a million soon," she said.
At the age of 45, Kim says the only way to stay on the business is to try new things all the time. "In the past, an actress my age would have only played working moms, but now we can play leading characters. I'm just thankful to be alive in the age of streaming media that offers the opportunity to act in different genres and play a variety of characters."
