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Actor Kim Go-eun reprises titular role as ‘Yumi’s Cells’ returns after 4 years

Published: 07 Apr. 2026, 21:12 Updated: 08 Apr. 2026, 17:47

KIM JU-YEON
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Actor Kim Go-eun poses for a photo at a press conference for the third season of Tving series ″Yumi's Cells″ (2021–) at a hotel in Guro District, southern Seoul, on April 7. [YONHAP]

Actor Kim Go-eun has had a busy career in the nearly five years since the Tving series “Yumi’s Cells” (2021–) first premiered.

She has won some of Korea's most prestigious film awards for “Exhuma” (2024); starred in other critic favorites, such as “Hero” (2023) and “Love in the Big City” (2025); and appeared in ads for global brands including Nespresso and Chanel.

But she still has a soft spot for the titular role of Yu-mi in the romantic comedy series, set to come back with a third season on Monday, as was evident at a press conference with the director and cast in Guro District, southern Seoul, on Tuesday.

When asked what “Yumi’s Cells” meant to her personally, she replied, “It was the beginning of the second chapter of my life as an actor.”

“In my 20s, I went through many different experiences as an actor and struggled while pushing myself forward. [Now that I’m in my 30s] I’m able to freely use the wisdom and other experiences I gained in my 20s,” she said.

“That’s why I felt incredibly happy while playing Yu-mi,” she said.

From left: Director Lee Sang-yeob and actors Kim Go-eun and Kim Jae-won pose for a photo at a press conference for the third season of Tving series ″Yumi's Cells″ (2021–) at a hotel in Guro District, southern Seoul, on April 7. [YONHAP]

“Yumi’s Cells,” adapted from the eponymous webtoon, which was serialized from 2015 to 2020, has logged more than 35 billion views as of April. The story revolves around a 30-something-year-old Yu-mi, whose brain cells control her moods, thoughts and actions.

The cells, animated and brought to life by voice actors, personify different functions of her psyche — from “rational,” “emotional” and “naughty” to “loving” and even “hungry” — and provide commentary on Yu-mi’s daily life.

The naughty cell is her favorite, Kim said.

This time around, Yu-mi has become a successful novelist. Her main love interest is the coolheaded TV producer Sun-rok, played by rising star Kim Jae-won.

Still of actor Kim Go-eun as Yu-mi in the third season of ″Yumi's Cells″ (2021–) [TVING]

One of the most notable differences to Kim Go-eun’s character in the third season is her hairstyle, which the actor says wasn’t intentional but still played into Yu-mi’s arc as she changes careers from an office worker to a writer.

“I didn’t have a lot of hair [when we started shooting],” Kim Go-eun said.

“But if you know [actual] writers, a lot of them have short hairstyles, such as bobs,” she continued. “And Yu-mi spends her time indoors, struggling to write, so [the hairstyle] is a choice of convenience.”

The actor added that she hopes that viewers have as much fun watching the new season as she did filming it.

“I like to make people laugh, and because [this show] is a very comedic piece, I had a lot of fun acting. The director laughed really loudly many times [while filming]. I got disappointed whenever I didn’t hear him laugh,” she said.

“Yumi’s Cells” will stream on Tving and tvN for domestic viewers and be available on HBO Max in 17 markets across the Asia-Pacific region and on Disney+ in Japan.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]