Actress Park Jung-soo shared her first meeting with Director Jeong Eul-young.
On the 20th, during MBN and Channel S 'Jun Hyun-moo Plan 2', she appeared as a guest while heading to Dangjin in South Chungcheong Province.
On that day, Jun Hyun-moo and Kwak Tube had their first meal at a chicken soup restaurant. Jun Hyun-moo said, "We will eat kongguksu with today's eating friend, and this person is the grande dame of sitcoms. When it comes to sitcoms, it’s this person," providing a hint about the guest, which turned out to be Park Jung-soo. Park Jung-soo commented, "I think Hyun-moo is a bit of a tease? He tends to poke fun at people, right?" and added, "(I) will retaliate. I don't think anyone has ever retaliated against him among the guests so far."
Kwak Tube, who guessed that the guest would be Sun Woo-young, arrived at the meeting place, blindfolded, and called out, "Teacher Yong-yeo," before being startled when he saw Park Jung-soo and explained, "Hyun-moo kept leading me on." Park Jung-soo jokingly replied, "Is the grande dame of sitcoms only Yong-yeo? Am I not the grande dame? So what am I then?" and added playfully, "I’m a bit offended. Today will not be a good day. I tend to hold grudges."
Jun Hyun-moo continued, "Didn't we do Vitamin together in the past? You look exactly the same as 10 years ago. You're like a preservative," complimenting her. In response, Kwak Tube remarked, "You look exactly the same as when I watched the sitcom. You look just like when you were raising Young-sam," he said. In response to their excessive teasing, Park Jung-soo laughed and said, "Why are you being like this, Kwak Jun-bin! You've really crossed the line."
Afterward, the three moved to a kongguksu restaurant. Park Jung-soo fixed her hair, which had been messed up by the wind, while Kwak Tube commented, "You really have a lot of hair. Is that all real?" and added, "It’s so thick." Park Jung-soo explained, "Since I'm over 70, I have to take care of it since my late 60s. I need to dye and perm it. So I add some nutrients, too." She added, "I may have a youthful face, but my body is healthier compared to others. I have been consistently receiving personal training for the past 7 to 8 years, twice a week. Once is Pilates, and twice is personal training. While running 100m, someone outside praised me, saying, 'Wow, you run well,' which means my strides are quick and I run well," she boasted.
Meanwhile, after finishing their meal, Jun Hyun-moo pulled out a photo of Park Jung-soo from her prime, surprising Kwak Tube. Park Jung-soo explained, "This is from when I was the lead in 'Han Baeknyeon', my first significant role as a newcomer. I was 20, 21 years old then." Kwak Tube remarked, "You don’t look like a classic beauty but like the most popular beauty nowadays. You look like a current actress. I think you resemble Go Youn-jung," to which Jun Hyun-moo also praised, "You have both elegance and a Western, classic feel. Where can you find a face like this?"
Kwak Tube asked, "I bet a lot of guys must have asked for your contact while you were on the street," and Jun Hyun-moo replied, "In the past, we couldn't ask for contact numbers. There were no cell phones. We just used to follow around people." Then Park Jung-soo added jokingly, "They would follow me. If I said, 'Excuse me,' they wouldn’t even respond. What do you think would happen if they did?"
At this point, Jun Hyun-moo inquired about whether she had worked with Director Jeong, asking for a love story. Park Jung-soo replied, "Yes. I did a project called 'Who Could My Love Be' in 2002. Since he kept teasing me, I have this reaction. If someone teases me, I can’t stand it. If someone pokes at me, I can’t help but react. I used to get very angry when they said something like that." Jun Hyun-moo, hearing this, suspected, "Was that part of the plan?" and Park Jung-soo responded with a laugh, "Maybe it was. He always came at me, I guess."
The last restaurant was known for its soy sauce crab, and while they were eating, Park Jung-soo brought up marriage, saying to Jun Hyun-moo, "I will give you something delicious to eat, so get healthy and if you're going to get married, do it quickly." Kwak Tube disclosed, "Last time, we tested Hyun-moo's dating cells, and he was deemed to have no dating cells left," and Park Jung-soo remarked, "That sounds about right," adding, "While Hyun-moo is different, I feel like he wouldn’t lose out just by looking good; he seems to think of himself first. He’s not at an age to be immature, so that impression is stronger."
Kwak Tube asked, "When do you think Hyun-moo will get married?" to which Park Jung-soo replied, "I think he will get married within 5 years," and mentioned that he seems likely to marry before he turns 50. She then added, "What's wrong with getting married at 50? Or 48? As long as you're happy, that's what matters. I don’t understand why parents press for marriage. It’s that person's life; I’m not living it for them," and she stated, "When it's time to marry, you will feel that you cannot marry anyone else but this woman or man. That’s when you should. Asking someone when they will marry or why they brought such women is not what I think is right."
Hearing this, Jun Hyun-moo shared, "I hope my mom watches this," revealing that he is still being pressured to marry at home. Park Jung-soo responded, "That’s fine to say, but she might have given up a bit in her heart. Maybe she hasn’t given up? I think like that. If I didn't say it, she might stop saying it even more," honestly expressing her thoughts, which brought laughter.
In her 54th year since debut, Park Jung-soo is still actively participating in theater. She said, "I started acting in theater in 2015. I’m a bit older in dramas, so I don't know if it’s because I avoid roles or if there aren't suitable roles for me, but compared to the past, I’ve been less called for dramas and TV shows, which leads to a strong sense of self-esteem among actors. When I feel like I have no presence, it makes me very sad. To express that I’m here and still doing this, I need to find the stage. After doing a few works, I found that interacting with the audience is so enjoyable. They respond with me. In theater, there’s the concept of ‘again’ on stage. If my condition is bad today, I can do well tomorrow. The next day is another play. It can change every time. That’s so much fun," she remarked.
Jun Hyun-moo then asked about retirement plans, saying, "Is there a point where you will stop?" Park Jung-soo answered, "I don’t have such a thing. I’ll keep going as long as I can still perform on stage and don’t have dementia or do strange things. Then, one day, if someone calls me, I would hope to leave without regrets," she said, moving everyone.
[Photo] OSEN DB, MBN
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