This article is by Hwang Jee-young and read by an artificial voice.

Director Lee Jeong-lim knew her Netflix debut, "As You Stood By," had struck a chord when her mother-in-law called her in tears.
"She told me she watched all eight episodes and asked, 'Are Eun-su and Hui-su doing okay?'" Lee recalled. Even her usually stoic mother, a woman in her '70s from Gyeongsang, was moved to tears by the story.

During an interview at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno District, central Seoul, on Nov. 10, Lee said she was proud that "even my mom's generation could relate to the drama."
Based on the Japanese novel "Naomi and Kanako" (2014) by Hideo Okuda, the eight-episode series "As You Stood By" follows two friends - Jo Eun-su (played by Jeon So-nee) and Jo Hui-su (Lee You-mi) - who are driven to murder in order to help one of them escape domestic violence. As the women become entangled with abusive husband Noh Jin-pyo (Jang Seung-jo) and kindhearted businessman Jin So-baek (Lee Mu-saeng), the series expands beyond a simple crime drama to explore fear, liberation and solidarity.
Since its release on Nov. 7, the show quickly climbed to No. 1 in Korea and No. 3 globally on Netflix's Top 10 chart, according to analytics platform FlixPatrol.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. This was your first collaboration with Netflix. How do you feel?
A. Since I had only worked on SBS dramas like 'VIP' [2019] and 'Revenant' [2023], I felt more liberated to express myself outside of network television. Netflix let me create whatever I wanted, which made the process comfortable.
Why choose such a heavy subject?
I'm instinctively drawn to stories that are painful and heart-wrenching. I want to see characters with difficult lives finally find happiness.

You reportedly met with domestic violence counselors. Is that true?
Yes. I attended classes twice a week and met with survivors of domestic violence. I approached the project carefully, hoping not to trigger their trauma. I wanted the series to offer them a small measure of comfort and to reinforce the idea that domestic violence is not a private matter but a societal issue. That's why I framed scenes from the perspective of the perpetrator, Jin-pyo, rather than focusing solely on the victim's suffering - I didn't want it to be too painful for viewers to watch.
Why did you give Lee You-mi a poem during casting?
While reading books about abuse, I came across the poem 'I Got Flowers Today' [1992] by Paulette Kelly. It's based on the author's 13 years of lived experience with domestic violence. I believed that once Lee You-mi read it, she would immediately understand the character of Hui-su.
The violence scenes must have been hard on the actors. What was it like on set?
We had a therapist present at all times so that actors could receive support whenever needed. I'm sure Lee You-mi had a hard time, but I think Jang especially struggled. Even if it's just acting, hitting someone is never easy. We made sure he had psychological support to help him through it.

The ending diverges from the original novel. What was the intention behind that?
In the novel, the two women escape to another country. But I felt that ending needed to be adapted to Korean sensibilities. Eun-su and Hui-su are the kind of characters who would choose to face the consequences of their actions.
Hui-su's line at the end - 'I wonder what the weather is like' - leaves a strong impression. What did you want to convey through this line?
Would Hui-su, who spent her days hiding in a utility room, have ever wondered about the weather? I wanted to show a moment of normalcy - that her pain had ended, and she could finally look outside and be curious about the weather.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

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