[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] Actress Arin’s resurgence did not happen overnight.

Arin has been nominated for Best New Actress at the 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards, to be held on the 31st, for her role in the Wavve original drama “S-Line.” Although she has been a familiar face to the public for a long time since her debut in 2015 with the group OH MY GIRL, Arin, who played Shin Hyun-heup—the central character of “S-Line”—left a strong impression from her very first appearance. There was no trace of the familiar “idol Arin.” She was unfamiliar and refreshing, just like a rookie actress meeting the audience for the first time.
Arin took her first steps as an actress in the 2020 web drama *A Girl’s World*. She demonstrated her potential in the role of Oh Na-ri, a character that aligned with her bright and lovable image, and subsequently made her big-screen debut in the film *Seoul Ghost Stories*, expanding her range from coming-of-age dramas to genre films. In tvN’s *Hwanhon* and *Hwanhon: Light and Shadow*, she played the role of Jin Cho-yeon, maintaining a steady presence even within the vast world-building of the series. Over the course of two seasons, she steadily honed her ability to carry the character with a long-term perspective.
Her growth as an actress became even more evident in “Summer, Love Machine Blues,” the first production of the tvN and TVING joint drama project “Opening 2023.” Arin played Yeo Deul-im, a college re-exam taker who fills the emotional voids of Na I-su—a reclusive loner portrayed by Go Soo—delicately depicting the wounds and growth of youth. By maintaining a steady emotional arc even while acting alongside Go Soo, she demonstrated a broader range as an actress, transcending her previous bright and lovable image.

The time she spent steadily building her craft transformed her potential as an actress into certainty in *S-Line*. Based on the webtoon of the same name, *S-Line* was recognized for its artistic merit by winning the Music Award at the 8th Cannes International Series Festival in 2025. Arin took on the central role of Shin Hyun-heup, a high school student who, since birth, has been able to see other people’s “S-lines.”
Having lived in isolation from the world due to his ability, Hyun-heup is a character who rarely reveals his emotions and does not explain himself through words. With her short haircut, bare face, low-pitched voice, a tightly closed expression that seemed cut off from the world, and a wary gaze, Arin delicately portrayed Hyun-heup’s isolation, anxiety, and the inner resilience within him. Without resorting to exaggerated emotional acting, she convincingly brought the character’s inner world to life, drawing viewers deep into the story.
Above all, it was impressive how she meticulously built up the character’s transformation through restrained expression rather than dramatic emotional outbursts. The process by which Hyun-heup—who had kept his distance from the world—formed relationships with others at his own pace and ultimately willingly reached out to help someone else was portrayed with a calm yet profound emotional depth. Even within a surreal world, the character’s kindness and resilience were never lost, and this served as a powerful force that heightened the audience’s immersion in the drama.

This nomination for Best New Actress is not merely an acknowledgment of her physical transformation—represented by her short haircut and natural look. Rather, it signifies that the time she has spent steadily building her depth as an actress through new challenges in each project has finally borne fruit.
While she is already a familiar name as an idol, she was rediscovered as an actress through “S-Line.” The title of “newcomer” is not reserved solely for those who started the latest. It is equally fitting for someone who, through a single work, has proven a new kind of potential and convinced the public of the birth of a new actress.
The character Shin Hyun-heup in *S-Line* was not created overnight. The time that actress Arin had steadily invested finally bore fruit within this single character, and the public rediscovered “Actress Arin” through this work. Attention is now focused on whether that time will lead to yet another achievement: her first Best Newcomer Award.