'The Glory' star Lim Ji-yeon plays a different kind of villain

Remember Lim Ji-yeon, who delivered one of K-drama's most unforgettable villains as Yeon-jin in Netflix's "The Glory"? The actress is once again stepping into familiar territory as a formidable antagonist, though this time with a comedic, supernatural twist.

In SBS' new romantic comedy "My Royal Nemesis," Lim plays Seo-ri, a struggling actress in 2026 Korea whose body becomes possessed by the spirit of Dan-sim — a ruthless woman from the Joseon era. Her path collides with Se-gye (Heo Nam-jun), a chaebol heir driven solely by money and ambition, setting up a chaotic enemies-to-lovers scenario.

Lim has enjoyed a streak of acclaimed performances that began with the global breakout success of "The Glory" and continued through darker projects including "Lies Hidden in My Garden" and "The Tale of Lady Ok."

Unlike those emotionally heavy dramas, however, "My Royal Nemesis" leans fully into comedy, a shift Lim said immediately drew her to the project.

"The biggest reason I chose 'My Royal Nemesis' was because it's a comedy," Lim said during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. "At the time, I was really eager to take on the genre, and it also felt like a huge challenge for me."

She added that after portraying a succession of darker characters, she was looking for something "bright, lively and cheerful."

"I tried hard to match the atmosphere on set and really focused on making the comedy work," she said.

Director Han Tae-seop said the heart of "My Royal Nemesis" lies in watching a woman shaped by Joseon-era Confucian values struggle to survive in modern society after returning from the dead.

"There's a saying that good girls go to heaven, but bad girls can go anywhere," Han said. "What makes this series compelling is seeing Dan-sim thrown into entirely new relationships and situations after coming back to life. The character herself drives the story."

Han added that much of the creative process centered on exploring how someone from 300 years ago would emotionally respond to contemporary life.

"We worked closely with the cast and developed the scripts around what a person grounded in Confucian ideals would feel while adapting to the modern world," he said.

Meanwhile, "My Royal Nemesis" will launch in one of Korean television's fiercest weekend battlegrounds, airing Fridays and Saturdays opposite MBC's "Perfect Crown," starring Byeon Woo-seok and IU.

The latter has emerged as one of the country's buzziest K-dramas, fueling industry attention around the head-to-head matchup.

Asked about the competition, Han singled out Lim as the drama's biggest asset.

"You start wondering whether an actress can really pull off this many genres at once," he said. "Lim Ji-yeon herself is our greatest competitive edge."

"My Royal Nemesis" premiered Friday on SBS.