Chef Jeong Ji-seon received psychological counseling in a psychiatry department.
On the 16th, the KBS2 program 'Boss's ears are donkey ears' depicted Chef Jeong Ji-seon meeting with psychiatrist Lee Kwang-min.
That day, Jeong Ji-seon made everyone gasp with his unique workaholic traits. When asked why he thought he needed to receive counseling, he said, "I think I enjoy doing new things because it’s fun. Am I not the most successful star chef in Korea these days? I get invited a lot and have been to Taiwan and Japan. In fact, I'm a human too, and it's tough. It's very tiring. I could just reduce my greed, but the stress from not working is greater than the stress from working, so I prefer to get stressed while working. It’s fun; I do it because it’s fun and enjoyable. That’s the answer. So, I want to work more," he shared, revealing that he has been busy traveling domestically and internationally for the past six months.
He leaves home at 6 a.m. and, when late, says he can get home as late as 1 or 2 a.m. or as early as 10 p.m. He stated, "So far, I haven't thought about needing to rest. I find happiness in that. I think I sleep about 4 hours a day. Yesterday I slept 2 and a half hours," and mentioned, "I usually have one meal a day. Not eating doesn’t make life impossible. I just don’t think about meals."
When asked, "Haven’t you ever felt tired or burned out?" he replied, "In fact, just seeing the ingredients should bring out the story of the dish to me. There have been times when I felt stressed because that didn’t happen. When my brain isn’t functioning, I wonder if it’s broken, so I found a solution: I've been getting IV drips about three times a week. I often get fluids. Getting fluids really wakes me up. The times I felt burned out were those weeks I was getting them three times a week."
Former athlete Jeon Hyun-moo, who has had similar experiences, said, "It's the same for me. I also had no answer but fluids. You need to get them in moderation. It’s like an energy drink; it feels like you’re overworking your body by using up your energy too much." He added, "I also tend to faint, which is a sign that the body is not doing well. Fainting is not a good thing," he emphasized.
The specialist expressed concern, saying, "It's remarkable, but I'm worried if you're okay," and after completing the questionnaire, an in-depth consultation followed. Jeong Ji-seon identified her biggest worry as her son, mentioning, "My worry is definitely my son. He's 12 years old and going to the 5th grade. The kid is very good-natured. Even though his mom is this busy, he accepts it without complaining. But when he was six, he said that he didn’t want to live like his mom. That young child said, 'Mom lives her life without rest.' I thought, how can a child who doesn’t even go to school say that?" She shared, "I’m not able to spend much time with my family, and that's a concern. I have more things I want to do, but I also have to care for my child."
When Jeong Ji-seon was asked when he last saw his son, he replied, "Four days ago," and hesitated when asked, "Do you need to reduce your work to spend time with your family?" The specialist observed, "Normally, it would definitely be work, but now it seems like a bit of a question mark," and Jeong Ji-seon reflected, "I think about whether I should reduce my work thinking of my son, but I suppose this is the life of a working mom that I cannot avoid."
He rated himself as foolish and lacking knowledge, saying, "I felt like a fool because of my son. I’ve loved cooking and only focused on it. I had no interest in anything else. But after my son was born, he began asking me various questions like who is famous in soccer and what awards they won. Whenever he asked me ridiculous questions, I realized that I really lack knowledge. I had never paid attention to anything I wasn’t interested in until now, but because of my child, I need to learn with interest. When my son and husband talk, they constantly share. Suddenly, they start talking about soccer, and they know everything. I feel like I can’t join in. I’m worried that he might stop communicating with me, so I have been thinking that I need to study more," expressing that he constantly feels inadequate.
Jeong Ji-seon wrote down Shin Saimdang as the ideal woman. He stated, "She’s a wise person. She gives the impression of having raised her children well. That’s how I feel. I love and work hard, but I also want to raise my child wonderfully," revealing his desire to do both well. He expressed, "I think I just need to sleep a little less to achieve both."
In particular, Jeong Ji-seon reflected on the difficult times of her 20s, evoking sympathy. She remarked, "My job search did not go smoothly at all. To make known my value and abilities, I studied abroad and went to university, but even after winning cooking competitions, I was often overlooked for my experience. This hurt a lot. So, when job openings came, I ran without stop. Actually, it was more about the happiness of being able to work rather than money," leading the specialist to diagnose, "It seems like you became a workaholic due to the trauma of people not hiring you."
Jeong Ji-seon confessed, "I was always anxious. Even when I got married and was pregnant, I hid the pregnancy for four months out of fear of being fired. In the kitchen, if you're pregnant, you can't keep your position. I endured morning sickness and struggled with food smells, eating ice with no smell. I’d come home late at night and eat rice with seaweed. As my energy was dropping, I needed food that didn’t have a smell, so I wore a mask and held my nose while eating," adding, "I worked until the day before I gave birth, only taking a month off because of an emergency, but I just kept working. I wouldn't know if I got a job offer immediately, but because there wasn't one, I thought that if I missed this opportunity, I might not get another chance."
Jeong Ji-seon, fearing that opportunities might not come again, remarked, "Opportunities don’t often come," exposing her ongoing anxiety about an uncertain future. The specialist then responded, "But now is not that time. The situation now is completely different from when you went abroad in your 20s. You have enough skills, influence, and the recognition of people, yet your mind is still stuck in your 20s. That is a characteristic of trauma. You can't live in the present, constantly living with a mindset from the past. That makes it harsh."
The moments Jeong Ji-seon wishes to forget also stem from her 20s. She expressed, "There were long moments when they ignored me and didn’t select me. I still remember that feeling vividly. Last year, I made a big mistake when life found me. Last May, that timing coincided with the store opening. I was abroad studying and buying equipment at that time. Naturally, I thought to myself, 'I’m healthy, so the baby will be healthy too.' It was at 9 weeks. I thought it would definitely be healthy. But I had high expectations at that time and felt very sorry because everyone, including my husband and son, had high hopes for the baby."
The psychiatrist asked, "Are you okay?" and Jeong Ji-seon replied, "Yes," stating, "I immediately went back to work. The store opening was approaching, so I couldn’t even rest. I think being sad is a waste of time. I won’t reconsider having another child. I don’t want to fall into sadness by overthinking it. I just want to acknowledge that this happened," expressing that her biggest regret was 'miscarriage.' She commented on a panelist's assertion that "this is no one's fault" by saying, "It’s still a mistake because I couldn’t protect it. A mistake is a mistake," and added, "I’m just trying not to have regrets. I’m trying to forget it."
The psychiatrist conducting the counseling emphasized, "It seems that you think work is the way to solve your worries. Work shouldn’t become a tool for avoidance. Otherwise, it just festers. This could be about family, health, or relationships." He continued, "The first solution is to create a hobby that is unrelated to cooking."
Jeong Ji-seon remarked, "There’s so much I want to do, but don’t I also need to make another investment? That’s challenging," to which the psychiatrist encouraged, "It’s difficult, so that’s the solution. If I just tell you to do nothing, you won’t be able to. You’ll be restless. Looking for a type of exercise isn’t a bad idea. You should create something in a non-work area to reduce your desire for work."
Hearing this, Kim Suk asked, "Is that why Jeon Hyun-moo travels?" Jeon Hyun-moo, who had received a similar consultation, humorously replied, "Traveling whenever I get the chance is my only escape," although he firmly stated, "Exercise just adds stress," which elicited laughter.
After finishing the counseling session, Jeong Ji-seon went to a kickboxing gym. He explained, "If I were to find a hobby, I’ve been thinking about kickboxing or drums for a while, and from what I know, kickboxing is popular among people with high-stress jobs. Chef Anh Sung-jae has been doing boxing for a long time, so I thought it would be a suitable workout for me."
Experiencing kickboxing for the first time, Jeong Ji-seon stated, "I think for a moment, I didn’t think about work for 2 or 3 hours while moving my body and sweating in this new challenge. It’s been a long time since I haven't thought about work in my life," yet he stressed, "It's not a desire for work; I do it just because it's fun. I will continue to do it."
[Photo] OSEN DB, KBS2
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