Actress Clara has gone from relative obscurity to headline-grabbing fame within the eight months since she threw her issue-making pitch last May.

In less than a year, the 28-year-old actress has landed a juicy, eye-catching role as a seductive anchorwoman, showcased her flair for comedy on “SNL Korea” and even starred in her own reality TV show.

Now, she is set to make headlines again in the tvN rom-com “Emergency Couple,” where she will be playing medical intern Han Ah-reum alongside “Running Man” member Song Ji-hyo and “The Heirs” actor Choi Jin-hyuk as the new drama’s leads.

In the upcoming series, Clara’s Han falls for Choi’s Oh Chang-min, another intern at the hospital. The hitch is that his ex-wife Oh Jin-hee ― played by actress Song ― is also interning with them, making for an incredibly awkward working environment.

Up until now, Clara, also known as Lee Seong-min, garnered a great deal of attention for the sexy image that has become her unofficial trademark since she donned those now-iconic striped leggings at a baseball game last year.

After she played an adulterous femme fatale in SBS’ “Goddess of Marriage,” her provocative image gained traction.

This time around, however, Clara plans on shedding her much-publicized, come-hither image for something closer to her true self, she said at the drama’s press conference in Seoul on Tuesday.

“This character is very similar to my actual personality,” Clara said.

“I myself am really bright and positive and I laugh a lot,” she revealed. “I want to approach this work like it was a reality show. I want to show who I am. I want to show the real Clara.”

Clara went on to elaborate how that meant unveiling her own “cute and natural” personality.

At the press event, Clara revealed that she has not been impervious to change over the years.

“In the past, if I really liked someone I waited till that person made the first move,” she confessed. “But now I am getting older, thinking seriously about marriage and it is really hard to meet someone special now, so if I am interested in someone I think I will tell him right away.”

“I am much more direct now,” she continued. “I think I won’t bother to try to hit on someone I am interested in by asking for his phone number or anything, I will just tell him that I like him.”

As for her latest work, television is hardly new ground for Clara. Though she may not have been on the public radar until recently, Clara revealed she has eight years of acting experience under her belt.

Yet, in spite of all those years spent amassing acting know-how, she said, “I am still growing as an actress and want to show that growth through this work.”

“Emergency Couple” starts airing Jan. 24 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:40 p.m. on tvN.

By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)