Quiet comeback of Lee Na-young, the A-list mystique

In the Korean entertainment scene, few married couples command as much fascination, or maintain as much distance, as Lee Na-young and Won Bin.

Despite their status as perennial A-listers, the two are famously selective about their work, often letting years pass between projects. While Won Bin has remained on a cinematic hiatus since his 2010 blockbuster "The Man from Nowhere," Lee recently ended her own seven-year television drought with the ENA legal drama "Honor."

The series proved to be a ratings standout for the cable network. "Honor" debuted with a 3.1 percent viewership share, the highest premiere rating in ENA drama history, and concluded its run on March 10 with a 4.7 percent rating.

In an era increasingly defined by streaming-driven audience fragmentation, the performance marks a notable commercial win, comfortably surpassing the roughly 4 percent threshold typically regarded as strong for cable shows.

In the series, Lee portrays Ra-young, an attorney battling a systemic sexual crime cartel. The role required Lee to balance the outward stoicism of a public crusader with the inner wreckage of a woman living with the trauma of her own past sexual assault.

“I felt a strong pull when I first encountered the script,” Lee remarked during a press junket in Seoul on Wednesday. “I read it in one sitting, like a reader absorbed in a novel. I'd never had to deliver long lines like those in newsroom scenes or play a professional character before. Once my casting was confirmed, I told myself, 'I need to start memorizing the lines right away,' gearing up for the challenge.”

Lee steers away from portraying the strong-headed heroic archetype, focusing instead on a more grounded and nuanced depiction of trauma.

“Ra-young is someone who has to completely change her disposition when she goes outside,” Lee explained. “That contrast in tone and atmosphere was incredibly appealing. ... I worked closely with the director to find points of empathy and adjust the tone.”

With "Honor" now wrapped, Lee expects another period of reflection before committing to her next role, though her enthusiasm for challenging material remains undiminished.

“My mind is always eager to jump into something, but I don't know what I'll end up becoming captivated by,” she said.

During her previous hiatus, Lee said she focused less on rest and more on personal enrichment, pursuing activities that might deepen her approach to acting. Among them was dance.

“I didn't spend the last three-year hiatus just resting. I tried to fill my inner self,” she said, revealing that she even learned choreography by Blackpink's Jennie as part of the process of pushing herself outside her comfort zone.

The conversation eventually turned to Won Bin and the public's enduring curiosity about his long absence from the screen. Lee addressed the topic with a mix of humor and sincerity.

“He's also filling his inner self in a different way,” she said. “He still has a strong passion for acting. He's grateful that people haven't forgotten him and continue to show interest, and as someone beside him, I'm grateful for that too.”

The couple's mystique has only deepened over the years. Famously private, they married in an intimate ceremony held in a wheat field rather than a lavish hotel ballroom, a choice that reinforced their reputation as two of the industry's most quietly guarded stars.

Lee, however, insists their day-to-day life is far more ordinary than the public might imagine.

“Our everyday lives aren't really visible to the public, so I think that's why we get placed in that 'mysterious' category,” she said with a laugh. “But we're actually very normal. We're always in training suits, so we're the kind of people who think, 'Is there really anything worth showing?'”