Shadow Beauty

Never one to be considered beautiful by society’s standards, Koo Ae Jin (Shim Dal Gi) has lived a pretty miserable life. As a high school student, she is constantly tormented by her peers and even strangers on the street feel the need to insult her looks in passing. Despite being bullied by nearly everyone around her, Ae Jin has found a surprising way to cope. Utilizing her skills with both makeup and photo editing, Ae Jin leads a secret life as Genie, a wildly popular social media influencer with more than 770,000 followers. Spending hours each day applying makeup and even more hours editing her photos, every photo Ae Jin posts on social media is sure to be a hit. As enjoyable as it is to live this double life, Ae Jin is horrified when one day Genie receives a text message that changes everything. Sent an untouched photograph of herself, Ae Jin is suddenly painfully aware of the fact that someone knows her deepest secret. The question is, who? Searching desperately for the sender of that mysterious message, Ae Jin is shocked when she discovers who the culprit really is. Suddenly she finds herself wondering, how much longer will she be able to keep the truth hidden? Adapted from the webtoon of the same name by Ahum, “Shadow Beauty” is a 2021 romantic drama directed by Bang Soo In.