From Child Actor to Leading Woman: Kim You-jung's Bold Turn in '100 Days of Deception'

Actor Kim You-jung is coming back to television with a noticeably more mature presence. Because she has been a familiar face to Korean audiences since childhood, the shift in her latest project stands out even more. Moving past the youthful, sweet image that once defined her, she now carries a quieter and heavier tone in the upcoming drama "100 Days of Deception," set to arrive in October.

In newly released stills from "100 Days of Deception," Kim You-jung gives off a more grown, composed air. With her hair cut short and a dark suit sharpening her frame, she looks calm and firm. In another shot, she strides down a street in a red Western-style dress, projecting a confident charm. In a hanbok, she appears with more understated styling, showing a plainer, unadorned face.

Kim You-jung is one of the few actors whose growth Korean viewers have watched play out for years. She entered the industry in 2003 as a commercial model and began appearing in film and television at a very young age. In the 2006 film "Lump of Sugar" (Gaksseoltang), she played the younger version of Lim Soo-jung's character. In the 2007 series "Hwang Jini," she took on the child role opposite Song Hye-kyo.

Her list of child roles on television runs long. She played the young version of Han Hyo-joo in the 2008 drama "Iljimae," along with child roles opposite Moon Geun-young in "Painter of the Wind," Chae Jung-an in "Cain and Abel," Park Ye-jin in "The Great Queen Seondeok," Han Hyo-joo again in "Dong Yi," and Kim Ha-neul in "Road No. 1." In 2012, she won wide affection as the young Yeon-woo in MBC's "The Moon Embracing the Sun." She later crossed over from child star to adult lead through projects such as KBS2's "Love in the Moonlight."

Her recent characters have taken bolder shapes. Last year in the TVING series "Dear X" (Chinaehaneun X), she played Baek A-jin, a woman who uses others to chase her own desires. The role put clear distance between her and the bright, lovable image that had followed her for years. Rather than trying to erase her child star past, she has been using it as a base to expand what she can show as an adult performer.

"100 Days of Deception" pushes her in another direction. Kim You-jung plays Lee Ga-gyeong, Gyeongseong's top pickpocket, who hides her identity and takes a position as an interpreter at the Japanese Government-General of Korea. She goes by the alias Geum Seo-hee and slips into enemy territory while keeping her true identity hidden. Gyeongseong is the name used for Seoul during Japan's colonial rule of Korea, which lasted from 1910 to 1945.

Set beside her early work, the change looks even sharper. In SBS's 2008 series "Iljimae," what stood out was her round face and childlike look. Eighteen years later, in "100 Days of Deception," the cute image of her child-actor days gives way to something calmer and more grounded.

"100 Days of Deception" is a spy romance about a former Gyeongseong pickpocket, who becomes a secret agent and crosses paths with an elite interpreter at the Japanese Government-General of Korea. The cast includes Kim You-jung, Park Jin-young, Kim Hyun-joo, Lee Moo-saeng, and Jin Seon-kyu. It premieres October on 10.