Jeong Ji-sun broke down in tears during the broadcast.
On the afternoon of the 23rd, KBS2's entertainment program 'The Boss's Ears Are Donkey Ears' (hereinafter 'Sadangui') featured Eom Ji-in, Lee Soon-sil, and Jeong Ji-sun.
On this day’s broadcast, the first boss, Eom Ji-in, said, "I heard that Jin-woong and Joo-yeon are appearing in various entertainment shows and that many people are starting to recognize them. At times like this, I think, 'Have I become a star? Is it time for me to go freelance?' So I came to give them some mental training," explaining why she called announcers Kim Jin-woong and Hong Joo-yeon.
The three visited the home of former announcer Kim Seon-geun, where the original freelance announcer Kim Hyun-wook also made an appearance. When Eom Ji-in asked, "What was the reason for going freelance?" Kim Seon-geun replied, "The biggest reason was money."
He continued, "I got a call saying I won a housing lottery while filming '6 O'Clock My Hometown.' I couldn't concentrate on the broadcast. Thinking about the kids' education expenses and other costs made me feel like I was going crazy. I thought that at least if I worked hard, I might have a chance to earn money."
He said, "I was waiting for the right timing, and then the announcement for 'Mr. Trot 2' came out. After declaring I would go freelance, I focused on the audition but got eliminated in the first round. I had zero income after leaving. I had no income for about six months. I was really grateful that Jang Yoon-jung gave me 2 million won. She said, 'Seon-geun, if you go out, I know you might need this money at some point.'
He added, "Life was unstable, so I did part-time jobs packing books and unloading at Coupang. The longest job I had was laundry, where I would hang it in front of the door and collect it at night. I earned 100,000 won a day. When I was doing delivery work in the early morning, there were customers who wouldn't give me the front door password and would just write it down for the security office. Then the security guards would wake up in the middle of the night and curse loudly. After all that, I would come home and think, 'I worked really hard, but did I not work hard enough? What did I do wrong?' and I cried a lot in the car," sharing his backstory.
Kim Seon-geun said, "I wanted to go back to KBS. I just needed to have a clear position like my seniors Jeon Hyun-moo or Jo Woo-jong. But my recognition and timing were ambiguous. I told Kim Jin-woong and Hong Joo-yeon not to think about going freelance."
At that moment, Seon-geun's wife appeared and said, "I didn't oppose his decision to go freelance. I dated my husband for a long time. We met when I was 20 in college. I was someone who supported him. Even when he was preparing for a job, people around him would say, 'Is it easy to be a KBS announcer? Think about other jobs,' and said hurtful things. But Seon-geun is not just anyone! I was really upset about that and wanted to protect him."
When asked if she knew about the difficult times he went through last year, she replied, "He kept going out early in the morning. When I asked, he told me. When he was at KBS, his salary came in regularly, so he could buy food for the kids without worry. The older child has allergies, so I told him to let them eat beef often, but now it seems like he buys it only once out of ten times after thinking about it," shedding tears.
His wife said, "When gold prices went up, we sold the kids' gold rings. We promised to pay them back double later. We must succeed..." wiping her tears.
The second boss was Lee Soon-sil and her natural male friend. Soon-sil prepared North Korean-style chicken soup using mulberry leaves, filled a bowl with corn noodles and dongchimi broth, and topped it with chicken meat.
The natural man tasted the noodles for the first time and said, "It's not oily at all," enjoying the meal. Soon-sil encouraged him, saying, "This is the taste of North Korea. Try it with the seasoning," and Jeon Hyun-moo, who was watching, laughed and said, "Aren't you eating too much?" The staff also praised, "We've eaten a lot of noodles, but today is the best."
During the meal, the natural man brought out Cheonma liquor and Jangsu wasp liquor from the storage and enjoyed the drinks. Later, when a staff member urgently needed to use the restroom, Soon-sil took a shovel and made a makeshift toilet.
The third boss was chef Jeong Ji-sun. Kim Sook asked, "You seem to be getting prettier these days," and Jeong Ji-sun replied, "It's because I got braces. My mom sincerely told me I looked ugly."
Jeon Hyun-moo asked, "Did you have two teeth pulled?" and Jeong Ji-sun said, "They told me to pull two teeth while getting braces." The production team showed before-and-after photos of her braces, making Jeong Ji-sun feel embarrassed.
Jeong Ji-sun visited the restaurant of chef Kim Hee-eun, who runs a fine dining restaurant, and said, "It's an honor," enjoying a course meal that included seasonal vegetables, poached eggs, chicken dishes, abalone dishes, lamb ribs, and desserts.
After tasting the seasonal vegetables, Jeong Ji-sun praised, "The shiitake mushroom aroma is so good. The umami flavor was heightened. I love that the shiitake aroma lingers until the end." After eating the lamb ribs, she said, "The pepper is really chewy. The pumpkin is cooked just right, isn't it?" enjoying the meal.
After the meal, when asked if receiving a Michelin star helps with sales, Kim Hee-eun replied, "Not at all. If the profit margin is over 10%, isn't that really good? Meeting customers' expectations is incredibly stressful. There are many costs invested in places that are not visible. I think fine dining is a comprehensive art. People who do art create the dishes they want to make. I do it to protect my honor, hoping that the dishes I love will be recognized."
Jeong Ji-sun said, "I went abroad to study because no one taught me. It was like heading into the unknown. After studying abroad, I couldn't find a job. I endured because I was underestimated as a young woman." She continued, "In the past, there were many senior chefs. In the kitchen, they would hit my head and shoulders with a ladle. They said it was okay. It was a time when the youngest could say it hurt. I can't even count how many times I was hit with a knife. It felt like I was working while getting hit all the time," revealing her painful past.
She added, "I did those things to fit in with my seniors. I felt that smoking time was too precious. I didn't like the conversations they had, so I tried to go out and smoke with them. But I had asthma for six years, so I gave up."
Jeong Ji-sun also revealed, "My hand got caught in a machine, and I had to get 30 stitches. My hand got stuck in the machine, and I pulled it out forcefully. But the perception that I was causing trouble in the kitchen was so strong that I didn't realize I was hurt until I got home after being treated and stitched in the emergency room. I remember that I was told to rest for two months, but I was so scared of getting fired that I went to the head chef and insisted on working. I was really scared of getting fired."
Ji-sun said, "When I opened my first restaurant, I didn't spread the word. My seniors said, 'Let's see how much a girl can do.' I opened the store to make a living, but I was underestimated because the owner chef was a woman," she said. Watching the VCR, Jeong Ji-sun eventually wiped her tears, and Jeon Hyun-moo said, "This is the first time I've seen Jeong Ji-sun cry. The discrimination must have been immense," looking surprised.
Jeong Ji-sun said, "Many people openly said things to me. They came in groups to test me. They would taste the food and say it was good, but then gossip behind my back," expressing her sorrowful past.
'Sadangui' can be seen every Sunday at 4:45 PM on KBS2.
