South Korean actress Jung Yu-mi goes into action mode in her latest series

Jung Yu-mi is the school nurse in 'The School Nurse Files'. Photos: Netflix

South Korean actress Jung Yu-mi says she had always wanted to play an action hero some day.

She assumed she would partake in a period piece like Mandarin blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which combines action with drama.

As it turns out, the 37-year-old realised her dream with The School Nurse Files. Well, kind of.

The six-episode series, available on Netflix, is best described as a lighthearted fantasy that combines action with humour, featuring an unusual main character and some zany ideas.

“It was not what I expected, ” confessed Jung at a virtual press conference held in Seoul for The School Nurse Files. “It was a completely new kind of action that I got to experience. I think it’s just my destiny to start my action role with this character.”

Don't mess with this nurse who sometimes solves medical problems with a colourful toy sword.

In The School Nurse Files, Jung plays school nurse Ahn Eun-young who has the unique ability to see jelly-like creatures, that are invisible to everyone else.

The toxic jellies – that appear in various forms – may cause harm to humans, if not destroyed.

Hence, Eun-young has a closet full of weapons to fight the jellies including a toy BB gun and a plastic sword, to channel her energy to destroy the creatures.

Her ammunitions come in especially handy as the school she works at is built on a ground where jellies have been breeding for many, many years and causing all sorts of trouble among the youths.

In the first episode, a huge toad-like jelly monster is unleashed from the school ground and it is determined to suck in as many schoolchildren as possible into its endless belly. It is up to Eun-young to put a stop to the ugly monster, but her energy is depleting fast.

Fortunately, a teacher at the school (Nam Joo-hyuk) has a positive aura, which seems to recharge Eun-young whenever the two have physical contact, allowing her to take down the monster.

Thus begins a series of cases involving the jellies that the nurse and the teacher join forces to solve.

Actors Jung Yu-mi and Nam Joo-hyuk looking at the dailies on the set of 'The School Nurse Files'.

“The action sequences that I did for The School Nurse Files are a little different than what I dreamt of, and it was a little hard to do because I had to imagine things that weren’t there.

“But once I got more comfortable and really got into the role, it became almost natural to me.

“I’m very happy to start my very first action project with Ahn Eun-young, ” said Jung, who has appeared in box office hits such as Train To Busan, The Crucible and Kim Ji-young: Born 1982, and has won various acting awards in her native country.

The School Nurse Files is based on a 2015 novel by Chung Se-rang, who also wrote the screenplay for the series.

According to Chung, she had wanted Jung to play Eun-young even before there was any interest for the novel to be translated into a series. A thought that was also shared by fans of the novel.

Chung was reported saying, “Jung Yu-mi has a silent but explosive energy” as her reason for wanting the actress for the role. Likewise, the series director Lee Kyoung-mi stated that Jung is “the exact embodiment of Ahn Eun-young”.

This talented actress has won a number of acting awards in South Korea.

The actress said that she felt honoured that the fans, the writer and the director all thought of her in the role.

Jung said: “I was very happy to be cast as the main role and to bring her to life.

“When I was first approached for the role, the story seemed very strange to me. But I loved that (the main character) was bubbly and quirky, and there were many issues that were dealt with within the story.

“And I was curious as to how they were going to translate the quirky world of Eun-young into a live action series.

“And I wanted to make sure the series was created in a way that would touch the hearts of the audiences as much as the novel did for the readers.”

Although she found fighting nothing strange at first, Jung Yu-mi quickly became comfortable with it.

In the process of portraying Eun-young, Jung said she found herself gaining strength from her character.

The actress elaborated: “When I tried to stand in her shoes and understand her, I felt empathy for her because she had to see all these things that no one else sees. And I think this led to her feeling lonely and unhappy as a child. Despite that, she accepts her destiny and takes bold steps to fulfil her duty.

“Of course, my personal life and my experiences are very different from Eun-young’s, but she just helped me in my life.

“When I was faced with challenges, I thought of Eun-young and how she is, in the face of an obstacle.

“So, I felt as if she’s a friend that I have in my life who comforts me.”