A year later, she made a memorable acting debut in the critically acclaimed television drama Alone in Love, as the extremely odd younger sister of the female protagonist.

Later that year, Lee was cast in her first leading role in Merry Mary (also known as Me-ri vs. Dae-gu's Attack and Defense Battle), a quirky romance between a mediocre singer and a failed novelist.

[4] Unlike her previous cheerful roles, Lee surprised critics and audiences in 2008 when she played a darker character in Women in the Sun (also known as Sisters in Love).

[5] In the melodrama, her character wreaks revenge when she learns that her older adopted sister abandoned her (when she was a five-year-old child) at a train station out of jealousy, causing her to grow up impoverished in an orphanage.

[7] Before she turned to acting, Lee had early aspirations of becoming a singer, so aside from introducing and interviewing guests, she frequently performed on the show, sometimes accompanying herself on the guitar or piano.

[29] Lee was cast in the 2022 KBS2's family weekend drama Three Bold Siblings, which marked her 4th collaboration with screenwriter Kim In-young, after 2007s Merry Mary, 2008s Women in the Sun and 2015s Unkind Ladies.