Pictured: Tiffany 'Amber' Taeyeon arrives in Busan Heights [Episode 7, Season 3]
Tiffany Taeyeon's recurring guest-role on Asia's hottest K-Drama Busan Heights has brought the scandalous series its highest ratings ever!
Tiffany's debut on the show last month was the most-watched episode in Busan Heights' three and-a-half season run. Detractors were quick to label the ratings as nothing more than a 'curiosity factor' spurred by Tiffany's controversial weight-loss and rumored plastic surgery, and predicted that ratings would decline from there, but numbers for the following two episodes only showed minor dips.
MBC's Busan Heights follows a group of late-twentysomethings sharing an apartment complex in downtown Busan. The outrageous show is known for it's over-the-top storylines and dark humor, and is often called the 'mature' counterpart to Korea's other biggest K-Drama, Gangnam Hills.
Tiffany's role in Busan Heights as the villainous blonde bombshell Amber Moon-Ri has transfixed Koreans across the nation, and is fast becoming the most controversial K-Drama character of the year.
On episode one, Amber arrives to Busan Heights as the seemingly innocent younger sister of the beloved Ryu (played by Lee Yoon Ji), but things quickly take a turn for the worse when Amber tries to blackmail Ryu into murdering her own husband. The following episode sees Ryu refusing to take part in Amber's plan, so Amber seeks revenge by changing her appearance to look exactly like her sister in a bid to steal her life.
Tiffany's startling transformation shocks netizens
Monday's episode saw Amber turning the residents of Busan Heights against Ryu, while secretly plotting to murder Ryu's husband and frame her for it. The scandalous plot has had netizens transfixed to their TV screens waiting to see what happens next, and rumor has it that MBC are offering Tiffany big bucks to extend her role for several more episodes to prolong the ratings-grabbing feud.
Discussing the success of her new role, Tiffany told AKF exclusively, "I'm so proud to be part of such a huge and respected program. I've tried my hardest to show a new color of my charms through my acting, so I'm pleased that everybody has responded so well. Just please don't think that I am like my character Amber in real life, because I'm actually the opposite of her. I'm very humble and sweet in my daily life, so it's fun to play somebody who is so different to my real self."
AKF also asked Tiffany about the recent news that she had been replaced by SNSD's Yoona on the popular animated series Adventure Time.
"I auditioned for Adventure Time with many other idols," she said. "But then I got asked to star in Busan Heights, and due to my busy schedule I only had time for one show, so I pulled out of Adventure Time and chose Busan instead."
"I wanted a role that would give me plenty of screen time," she continued. "I'm not content to just be a voice actress, but I think it's a cute role for Yoona; Adventure Time suits her more because it's a cartoon for little children. Busan Heights is the type of role that only somebody with a mature charm can pull off, so I knew that I was the only one who could portray Amber correctly."
Netizens were quick to share their thoughts on both shows on our official forum, commenting, "My mother doesn't let me watch Busan Heights," "Yoona is the most beautiful woman in history," "Yoona is my life I kill for Yoona," and "Yoona so cute in Adventure Time so pretty!"
You can catch Busan Heights on Monday nights at 10pm on MBC. Adventure Time with Yoona will begin airing next year.
