Singapore actress Gladys Bay’s K-drama cast mates threw her a memorable farewell party

Who: Singaporean actress Gladys Bay, 29, makes her K-drama debut in Absolute Value Of Romance, which streams on Prime Video from April 17. 

In the coming-of-age drama, she plays a 17-year-old Singaporean high school student on an exchange programme in South Korea. The 14-episode series features South Korean stars Kim Hyang-gi, Cha Hak-yeon and Kim Jae-hyun. Bay, who speaks Korean in the show, had studied the language and taken part in an exchange programme in South Korea during her university days.

An accomplished breakdancer who has represented Singapore on the international stage, Bay’s show-business career started after she was named runner-up in the 2024 edition of Mediacorp’s talent competition Star Search.

The actress is nominated for Best Rising Star at the Star Awards 2026 on April 19 for her role in the Channel 8 netball-themed drama Under The Net (2025).

Bay took part in Star Search 2024 with her husband, breakdancer Marcus Sim, who was a finalist in the talent contest. She was last seen in road-trip drama Highway To Somewhere (2026), in which she was among a group of friends kidnapped by scammers.

“When I think about my time in South Korea while filming Absolute Value Of Romance for three months from November 2025 in Seoul, Jeonju and Buan, two memories immediately come to mind.

One of my favourite weekends started with an unexpected day off. A close friend I met on set – South Korean actress Han Se-hee – invited me out. We had got to know each other only during the shoot, but she quickly became my best friend from the whole South Korea experience. She plays one of Hyang-gi’s classmates in the series.

Together with her manager, they picked me up from where I was staying in Seoul and we headed off.

I had no idea where we were going. I just sat in the car, chatting away as the manager drove us far out of the city.

We ended up at a unique Korean onsen-style spa. Unlike the typical jjimjilbang (traditional Korean public bathhouse) with huge shared saunas and stone rooms, this place had private rooms with wooden bathtubs in the middle.

The whole vibe felt like a Japanese bathhouse, but with Korean touches. The tub was filled with herbal water and the room came with the classic jjimjilbang comforts – pillows, towels and, of course, snacks like sikhye (sweet Korean rice drink), instant noodles and eggs.

We soaked up the atmosphere, ate and just talked. It was quiet, warm and incredibly relaxing.

My other perfect weekend memory happened at the end of filming, during my last week in Seoul. The main cast members decided to throw me a farewell party, which they called ‘Jenny’s Day’, named after my character.

Before meeting the male co-stars, we girls had our outing and made matching bracelets together. It felt like our drama friendship had spilled into real life.

We did what South Koreans do best on a night out – we hopped from place to place.

We had Korean barbecue followed by chicken at another place. Then we headed to a noraebang (private karaoke room) to sing our hearts out and, finally, to a photo booth to take fun sticker photos.

Hyang-gi and the other actresses who played classmates in the drama also surprised me with gifts.

Those weekends were not flashy or extravagant, but they captured everything I loved about my time in Seoul.

I never thought I would be an actress, let alone be part of a K-drama. I was living a dream I had once thought was impossible.”