‘Lies Hidden in My Garden’ promises chilling suspense to beat summer heat

Cable channel Genie TV will kick off the summer with its highly anticipated eight-part suspense thriller series “Lies Hidden in My Garden.”

Director Jung Ji-hyun and the star-studded cast did not hide their excitement for the series during a press conference at Stanford Hotel Seoul in Mapo-gu, Seoul on Monday.

“Our drama does not have a lot of sensational, shocking scenes to surprise and thrill viewers like many existing thriller projects. However, our show has a mysterious aura and uncanny atmosphere that will entertain them,” said actor Lim Ji-yeon, who caught many drama fans’ hearts in the hit revenge series “The Glory.”

In contrast to her role as the iconic villain Yeon-jin in “The Glory,” Lim plays a pregnant woman who is a victim of domestic violence in “Lies Hidden in My Garden.”

Lim stressed that as she shot "Lies Hidden in My Garden" before the release of "The Glory," she was not under any pressure to show a different side of herself as an actor. Rather, she was simply drawn to the character of Sang-sun.

“Initially, I wanted to know who Sang-eun was. As I delved into the script, I simply wished to become Sang-eun. After I read the original novel, I was satisfied with my choice to star this series,” Lim said.

Co-star Kim Tae-hee -- who is returning to the small screen three years after 2020’s “Hi Bye, Mama!” -- agreed with Lim about the unique charms of the series' individual characters.

“Though thriller is an unfamiliar genre for me, the storyline was exciting. When I finished reading the script for the first episode, I was eager to find out what would happen next. Simply imagining myself playing Joo-ran made my heart race,” Kim said during the press conference.

“I feel that our series is a well-made project that will satisfy thriller fans' passion for suspense. I didn’t feel a lot of pressure with viewership, but I hope the series will be enjoyed by as many people as possible,” the actor added.

Director Jung Ji-hyun, who was behind the smash hit coming-of-age series “Twenty Five Twenty One,” said that he put his utmost effort to bring what was written in the script to life on the screen.

“‘Lies Hidden in My Garden’ did not have a lot of dialogue. The characters’ psychological state and emotions were expressed through texts in many cases. So I tried to explain and present the characters with various camera angles, shots with symbolic props, and show their facial expressions, among others,” the director said.

“Lies Hidden in My Garden” is expected to be one of the most anticipated series of the year, as Lim stars in the series with top actor Kim for the first time.

Adapted from a novel titled “A House with A Yard” (unofficial translation) by author Kim Jin-young, the thriller series revolves around an ordinary housewife named Joo-ran (played by Kim), whose life veers in an unexpected direction after noticing a strange smell in her backyard and meeting Sang-eun (played by Lim).

Meeting both local and global drama fans’ high expectations, “Lies Hidden in My Garden” pre-sold its distribution rights to 190 countries before its premiere.

“Lies Hidden in My Garden” premieres at 10 p.m. on Monday, with new episodes to be released on Mondays and Tuesdays on local cable channel ENA and on global streaming platforms Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Japan, iQIYI and Rakuten Viki.