(Herald DB)

The beauty of a drama featuring a woman disguised as a man lies in the fact that viewers recognize that it is obviously a woman, but few on-screen characters are aware of the disguise. Male counterparts straddle a line between friendship and love, and such subtle emotional changes attract more and more viewers.

The woman-disguised-as-man role is a tough job, as they have to catch subtle changes and details. To many women, simply acting like the opposite sex itself is a hard task to do. However, once the actress prefects her manliness the drama is likely to succeed, as well as the actress’ career.

Here are a few actresses who have taken on the role.

Yoon Eun-hye in “The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince” (2007)

(MBC)

The then singer-actress Yoon Eun-hye set a standard for a woman-disguised-as-man role. Young lady Go Eun-chan disguised herself as a man, in order to work as a clerk in a coffee shop. Co-workers including Choi Han-kyul (Gong Yoo) are infatuated by the feminine look of the “little boy.” Yoon changed her hairstyle, as well as the tone of her voice for the role, and this has come to be a standard for many female actors challenging such roles.

Moon Geun-young in “Painter of the Wind” (2008)

(SBS)

The periodic series revolved around the lives of the two most renowned rival painters of the time: Kim Hong-do and Shin Yoon-bok. In the fictional-historic drama, Shin, famous for his unique depiction of women, is a woman disguised as a man. Moon won the Best TV Actress award at Baeksang award ceremony for the role in 2008.

Park Shin-hye in “You’re Beautiful” (2009)

(SBS)

Actor Park Shin-hye in the world hit “You‘re Beautiful” took on a double role playing a brother and a sister. Go Mi-nyeo, who disguised herself as her elder brother Go Mi-nam, were to join a rock band led by Hwang Tae-kyung (Jang Keun-suk). She walks a blurry line between friendship and love with the male band members.

Park Min-young in “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” (2010)

(KBS 2TV)

Actress Park Min-young disguised herself as a man in “Sungkyunkwan Scandal.” Born as a talented writer, the street-smart Kim Yoon-hee decides to live as a man, as the Joseon dynasty posed a glass ceiling for women. She passes the entrance exam for the prestigious higher education institution Sungkyunkwan and encounters the nation‘s top-level scholars.

Kim Yoo-jung in “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds” (2016)

(KBS 2TV)

Child actress Kim Yoo-jung at a press promotion for the periodic series said that, while playing Hong Ra-on, she was deeply inspired by Go Eun-chan in the series which aired about a decade ago. Hong currently plays a eunuch in a Joseon dynasty palace. However, men around, her including Prince Lee Young (Park Bo-gum) and scholar Kim Yoon-sung (Jinyoung of B1A4), are developing feelings for the eunuch.

By Son Ji-hyoung (json@heraldcorp.com)