"Riding Life" overcomes pain and playfully unravels the reality of the social issue of the "7-year exam" with actress Jeon Hye-jin.
On the afternoon of the 25th, an online live stream was held for the production presentation of the new original drama "Riding Life" on Genie TV. Actors Jeon Hye-jin, Jo Min-soo, Jung Jin-young, Jeon Seok-ho, and director Kim Cheol-kyu attended the event and discussed the work under the guidance of broadcaster Park Kyung-rim.
"Riding Life" is a drama depicting the life of three generations of mothers and daughters who are anxious about the "7-year exam" of their daughter, Jung-eun (Jeon Hye-jin), as she entrusts her daughter Ji-a (Jo Min-soo) to a riding academy. In this, Jeon Hye-jin plays the role of Jung-eun, and Jo Min-soo plays Ji-a.
Director Kim Cheol-kyu, who directed the work, introduced "Riding Life" as "a drama dealing with the story of a mother and a kindergarten student who has entered the private education scene symbolized by Daechi-dong, along with the grandmother of that mother." He noted, "While there have been many works addressing the issue of private education, the biggest differentiation from previous works is that the subject of private education is kindergarten students."
He continued, "These days, the '7-year exam' has been a huge issue. You might have seen comedian Lee Soo-ji's videos, which have recorded tremendous views. Many people are concerned, but when talking about kindergarten students who have not yet entered elementary school discussing the King of England's speech and debating Nietzsche's philosophy in English, it makes one think a lot."
In particular, he emphasized, "Stories that can be seen in prestigious university lecture halls are seen in Gangnam academies. The question of how to view this reality became the starting point of "Riding Life," but saying it like this makes it seem like a serious and earnest drama, but 'Riding Life' is not just a drama that emphasizes serious and heavy themes. It is a warm, lively, enjoyable, and lovely drama. The three generations thrown into a fierce competition do their best to maintain affection, trust, and laughter with each other while enduring each day. I think it can be viewed as a story where they rediscover the love for each other that they momentarily forgot while going through tumultuous and exhausting days."
At the same time, 'Riding Life' is drawing attention as Jeon Hye-jin's comeback drama. After a two-year hiatus since the 2023 Genie TV drama 'NamNam', Jeon Hye-jin returns to drama. In the interim, he faced great sadness with the death of his husband, actor Lee Sun-kyun.
Regarding her reason for appearing in 'Riding Life', Jeon Hye-jin said, "I'm actually very interested in education. I can't help but be. Once you become a mother, especially in South Korea, you can't ignore it. I was curious about how it would turn out since the background is Daechi-dong. Many stories appealed to me. I also wanted to do it since the director was doing it. He's a very famous person, so I wanted to try it once."
He mentioned about the character's synchronization rate, saying, "70%", adding, "I'm actually working and have a child, so it feels like there's something. It's honest to think that I'm not as passionate as Jung-eun. I'm doing my best in the situation, but not as much as Jung-eun." He continued, "Jung-eun is also a mother, but I wanted to cheer for mothers like this. I wanted to encourage them. No matter what, you are doing your best. The path may deviate slightly, and you may have regrets when looking around, but I really want to cheer for you. I hope you feel encouraged."
Jo Min-soo appears as Ji-a, the grandmother who jumped into riding for her granddaughter, while being Jeon Hye-jin's mother. Jo Min-soo, who is challenging the grandmother role for the first time, said, "To be honest, I felt that I still have many things to do. I've never experienced this age or played a grandmother role before." However, he added, "My manager said, 'You look too similar to your senior.' And when I read the script, I realized I had many things to bring out. Using what I have was good. After filming, I thanked my manager."
Jeon Hye-jin commented on Jo Min-soo, saying, "She was really a perfect match. I was really happy as a fan to get to work with her. I wondered why she hasn't appeared often, but even though she is a mother and not a grandmother, she is independent to the point of being somewhat annoying compared to the mothers we've seen in previous works. Also, being a professional, I thought that it suited her more as a 'cool character' mother."
He also noted, "I felt that Ji-a was often disappointing to me. Ji-a has endured a lot while raising me alone. However, asking for help with riding is a somewhat forced entry into parenting, and she has too much to be disappointed about. It makes me wonder how she could do this to me. Since there's love and hate, we reconcile, shed tears, and hug each other. I believe the process the three generations go through will be pleasing to everyone."
What does Jeon Hye-jin really think about riding moms? She laughs, saying, "I've done riding since my children were born. Fortunately, as they grew a little older, I didn't have to ride anymore, but when the weather suddenly got bad, I ride. In the past, I didn't have gratitude, but these days, they sometimes say, 'Oh, let me take you there.'"
Jo Min-soo stated, "I feel like I've grown this time even though I don't have experience. I think our society feels like each person is only colliding with their own desires. Due to the intense competitive structure, my voice is the only important one. I sometimes realize that, while running, I might have lost what is most precious, and I hope to carry what is most important in my pocket."
Jung Jin-young, who plays the role of Tommy's grandfather, Lee Young-wook, in the drama, commented, "When I go to pick up my grandchild, there are other mothers. I felt, 'Oh, that’s the kind of mother she is.' It was strange. The kids should be the main characters, but it left a curious aftertaste as if the mothers were the main characters."
Jeon Seok-ho, who plays Jeon Hye-jin's husband, Hong Jae-man, in the drama, shared, "I don't actually do riding in this work. However, through this piece, I realized that riding is not just a simple act but a whole process of sharing relationships with a mother or someone else. There are people and families; in the end, it seems that this is what we are all waiting for. We might not be able to wait and keep moving ahead. I learned that riding includes the waiting time for that person."
'Riding Life', which highlights socially discussed keywords like the "7-year exam," riding moms, and Daechi-dong. Director Kim Cheol-kyu emphasized, "I tried to capture the actual situation without distortion as much as possible. To preserve the sense of place, we filmed at actual academies instead of building sets for the biggest main space. We shot all the stories around the academy in the Daechi-dong academy area. While watching the drama, you will see many very familiar places."
Jeon Hye-jin also confessed, "To be honest, when I saw the script, I thought, 'Is this real?' I thought the writers had exaggerated. I said the '7-year exam' doesn't make sense. But I found friends who started as early as 3, 4, or 5 years old. The writer told me to take a look at mom cafes, and when I searched on YouTube and visited those cafes, it turns out it was nothing special. They had their own league."
Furthermore, Director Kim Cheol-kyu shared about the message of the work, "It is almost unbelievable even when seen with the eyes. The educational situations of Gangnam academies and kindergarten students are astonishingly high, and it’s surprising that the kids keep up with it. Even in such fierce competition, the children are very innocent, cute, lovable, and harmless."
He added, "Among those children, there are also parent generations who dedicate everything for them. This also brings the wisdom and maturity of long-suffering adults. It seems that these three generations' stories are well harmonized. I hope that viewers of the drama will enhance their understanding of each other a little more and reflect on mothers from each generation, as well as those above, leading to a moment of mutual embracing and understanding, and I cannot hope for more than that."
'Riding Life' will air on March 3 at 10 p.m. on ENA.
[Photo] Provided by Genie TV.