'Shōgun' Actress Yuka Kouri Makes Her Korean Drama Debut on tvN

Japanese actress Yuka Kouri is making her mark in her first Korean drama. Her natural performance in tvN's weekend series "100 Days of Deception" caught viewers' attention in episodes that aired last week.

Kouri plays Hanako Yamada, a secretary to the head of political affairs at the Japanese Government-General of Korea, the colonial government that administered Korea during Japanese rule. Yamada got the job with help from her uncle, who heads the government's internal affairs section.

She has a secret crush on Kim Tae-ung (played by Park Jin-young), the son of her boss, political affairs chief Shinichi Sato (Jin Seon-kyu). Yamada is wary of others, but she is also clumsy. Without knowing it, she ends up helping Lee Ga-gyeong (Kim Yoo-jung) with her work as an undercover spy.

In last week's episodes, Yamada ran into Lee while picking up mail for the political affairs chief's office. Lee greeted her warmly, and Yamada eyed her with clear annoyance. Then Kim's name came up, and her face lit up. She even handed Lee some chocolate, hoping to hear more about him. Kouri showed Yamada's innocent side, portraying a young woman who can't hide her feelings for the man she likes.

Yamada also fell for one of Lee's schemes and opened the mail herself. She panicked once the envelope was open, then calmed down when Lee told her it was fine. But when Sato noticed that some of the contents were missing, Yamada didn't know what to do. The moment added real tension to the scene.

She kept leaking key information without meaning to. Crushed by the news that Kim was getting married, Yamada poured her heart out to Lee. In the middle of it, she mentioned that mouse traps would soon be set in the vent of the women's restroom. Lee had hidden a smuggled bomb in that exact spot. Shocked, she rushed to the Government-General building. Yamada, with no idea what was going on, kept calling Kim's name in grief.

Many viewers have said they were surprised to learn Kouri is actually Japanese. She reportedly taught herself Korean by watching Korean dramas and films.

Kouri has appeared in the Japanese film "September 1923" and the American series "Shōgun," which won 18 Emmy Awards. "100 Days of Deception" is her first Korean drama.

For an actress who picked up the language from Korean screens, landing a role on one is a full-circle moment. It also points to how K-dramas keep opening their casts to talent from beyond South Korea.