A healing and dopamine-filled "Bogum Magical" meets viewers.
On the 29th, an online press conference for the tvN variety show "Bogum Magical" was held. The event was attended by PD Son Su-jung, Park Bo Gum, Lee Sang Yi, and Kwak Dong- yeon.
"Bogum Magical" is a program that follows Park Bo Gum, who holds a barber national license, his close friend Lee Sang Yi, and Kwak Dong- yeon as they run a special barbershop in a remote rural village that trims hair and hearts together. Park Bo Gum will be in charge of hair, Lee Sang Yi will handle customer service, and Kwak Dong- yeon will serve as the chef. In particular, the three brothers prepared "Bogum Magical" for about a year and participated in choosing the show's starting location, remodeling, and interior design, raising expectations even more.
On the day, PD Son Su-jung, who directed the show, said with a laugh, "This is the hair that Bogum himself cut on set," and shared behind-the-scenes about casting the three brothers. Son PD said, "They are Park Bo Gum's beloved older brother and younger brother. I thought that when we did this show, we had to gather people who absolutely matched in vibe. Only then could they fly and cover what happens on set together. So when I thought of people who would match Park Bo Gum best and complement each other, only those two came to mind," and explained, "Who wouldn't associate Park Bo Gum with beauty? Bogum holds a barber national license. We thought we could start a project using that, and thus we began 'beauty.'"
When asked about expectations for it as a "healing variety show," Son PD said confidently, "It's a variety show that explodes dopamine. Rather than chasing something sensational, just seeing the three actors releases dopamine, doesn't it? There will be dopamine from the chaotic interactions with the villagers. There is dopamine when it's just the three of them. If you think the three gentle men are just going to make something fun, you're very mistaken," drawing attention.
He added, "Because our program had cameras rolling 24 hours a day, the production team also stayed awake. There might have been moments like 'let's take a short break,' but the cast never rested for a single moment over 24 hours. They fully immersed themselves in our show, and it seems we went with pure sincerity. In fact, there were many times we couldn't close for business because of Mr. Sang Yi and Mr. Dong- yeon," emphasizing the cast's sincerity.
Park Bo Gum said, "I am in charge of hair on the program. My weapon and charm, my skill may be a sapling, but my warmth and dedication are like a thousand-year-old tree. The allocated time per customer is rather long. In shops, one person usually takes up to an hour, and long procedures finish within an hour to an hour and a half, but I take two hours per person. It's because I help with hair with so much warmth and dedication," he said with a laugh.
When asked about the brothers' charms, Park Bo Gum said, "Lee Sang Yi became a companion to every customer who came. Watching Mr. Sang Yi, I wanted to learn so much. I didn't have many conversations while helping with hair procedures, but he was in charge of the blossoming conversations. He really scattered a lot of the shop's pollen. Kwak Dong- yeon was truly an all-rounder. Not only drinks but meals were prepared by him for every meal. Also, since I was cutting hair alone, I often needed help, and he would come over and hand me the scissors. Once he even washed my hands," he said admiringly.
Kwak Dong- yeon boasted, "The moment I was most helpful to the director was when we were filming in winter and it was very cold. He was sweating about six drops. I remember wiping that sweat for him," and Park Bo Gum responded, "I was grateful to feel again Mr. Dong- yeon's attentiveness and sense, with his gaze even reaching the customers," creating a warm atmosphere.
On the pre-preparations for haircuts, he said, "For this show, whereas before I mainly held a barber license for men, I wanted to help with women's cuts too, so I studied for an additional cosmetologist license," drawing attention. He added, "The most difficult thing was tending to the hair of elderly people who had perms. Since the hair is all kinked, if I cut it wrong the head can look uneven, so it was challenging."
He, who has recently appeared on several variety shows, said about the appeal of variety shows, "I think the attraction is that the whole family can gather and enjoy it. There are many shows that are provocative and play with people's feelings, but the appeal of making a great variety show with people I like and want to be with is that it can be comfortably watched by all generations, which I think is the charm of this variety show and the kind of variety shows I like."
Lee Sang Yi explained, "I was in charge of customer service and nail care. Actually, I don't think I did much customer service. I just chatted. From the day we arrived, the villagers welcomed us warmly, so that was nice. In addition to customer service, I wondered what I could do inside the barbershop, and I wanted to learn nails, so I became the nail person." He added with a laugh, "I prepared and learned nails, but I can't say yet whether I passed or failed. I don't know how much the broadcast editing has been done, but please watch."
As the eldest brother, he also conveyed the members' strengths. Lee Sang Yi said, "Park Bo Gum cuts well. Isn't our goal a barbershop? He really does clean cuts very well. Our PD also did cuts, and I was asked to help too, and I liked it very much. His skill is good," and added, "As for Kwak Dong- yeon, I get coffee every morning, and Chef Kwak always asked, 'Do you want the beans dark today?' which I appreciated. Honestly, it's embarrassing to call myself a moral support. Everyone was so excellent, warm, and cheerful. Rather than feeling like an older brother, we all just got along so well." He added with a laugh, "Bogum was a leader who found it hard to leave on time. He had so much passion, and his cutting skill was good, but he was the warmest. He was always warm, just like on TV."
Hearing this, Park Bo Gum agreed, "Mr. Dong- yeon brought a lot of coffee beans and prepared different aromas and flavors each day at the lodging. I felt secure because the two of them were there. They always worried about the menu. If I said I wanted something different today, they would just make it in a snap," and Lee Sang Yi said, "Just as every customer's tastes differ, the dishes and food they made for us never overlapped even once," drawing attention.
When asked what they valued at work, Lee Sang Yi reflected, "We didn't want to make customers uncomfortable. Of course it's a variety show, but we actually operated a business. At that time, we worked not as actors but as barbers and chefs, so we tried to identify needs and avoid making customers uncomfortable as much as possible." Listening to this, Kwak Dong- yeon said, "His strength is making people really comfortable, matching his age from 5 to 95. Sometimes he speaks like an 80-year-old grandfather; other times he speaks like a 5-year-old. I thought people who studied comprehensive arts are different," mentioning his Korean National University of Arts background with a laugh.
Kwak Dong- yeon said, "I was in charge of the three of their meals, snacks, and overall cooking," and added, "I had been staying abroad for other work and joined the project as soon as I returned. But the two of them were already preparing licenses. I was really taken aback. So I resolved to make up for it physically among the brothers and did my best. I would appreciate it if you could check the results on the broadcast," raising anticipation.
Kwak Dong- yeon, who has had a long relationship with Park Bo Gum through work, was asked about the new sight of Park Bo Gum as a boss. He testified, "Rather than feeling it was new, it's definitely different from meeting him as an older brother and meeting him as the owner and staff. For example, when I was assisting beside him, he'd say, 'Dong- yeon. Not that, that one. Not that, give me that,' and he never gave up. Even though business hours were set, he never finished on time. I felt that level of determination."
In particular, Kwak Dong- yeon said, "When I think of hair salons, owners used to share snacks and such culture existed, right? So we wanted to do it warmly too, and there was a menu that got a good response. I worked hard preparing fish-shaped red bean pastries. I took lessons from a famous shop owner and practiced a lot at home. The response seemed as warm as my heart, so I felt proud," drawing attention. He emphasized, "I never thought I would make regular meals for such long periods, but it's not easy. I respect all the housewives in the world. You clean up a bit and then you have to prepare dinner again. I really respect housewives who take care of meals at home. My gratitude has grown."
At the impressive "multitalented" skills, MC Park Kyung-rim asked, "Could a branch centered on Kwak Dong- yeon open?" He said, "Actually I felt ambition too. I did several things, and there was a response. If this settles in, I could rival the owner; I had some business acumen," raising expectations. In addition, Park Bo Gum jokingly said in response to a 'season 2' question, "We are actually preparing it among ourselves without telling anyone," drawing laughs.
When asked about the program's "core keywords," Kwak Dong- yeon said, "It's like freshly baked fish-shaped red bean pastry. When you eat it fresh, the moist, warm, sweet filling comes out. As you eat it, you bite into the crispy exterior. There will be warm and sweet healing moments, but also fun scenes like the crispy edges. I think such a harmonious show has been completed," and Lee Sang Yi said, "A living room. A cooking barbershop and all that, but the time we spent in it was warm and fun."
Park Bo Gum said, "I want to describe it as ondol. These days, some generations may not have much experience using the heated floor or warm sitting area. But when you think of a 'sarangbang' (living room), ondol comes to mind. This show will let people know how warm and heartfelt a piece of fish-shaped red bean pastry eaten on that floor can be. When you're somewhere warm, you don't want to leave. I hope everyone who comes to this shop will want to stay in this place," expressing sincerity, and PD Son Su-jung vowed, "It's praise and courage. I want to praise and give courage to the many service workers and housewives who truly live well. We'll do our best to reflect that through the end."
Finally, when asked about what to watch for in "Bogum Magical," Son PD asked viewers to watch, saying, "Actually this project wasn't conceived as a healing show for actors; it started from Park Bo Gum's sincerity. Moved by that, Lee Sang Yi, Kwak Dong- yeon, and the production team all together create a 24-hour real variety show. Please enjoy it as if you are visiting a beauty shop while watching."
tvN "Bogum Magical" premieres on Jan. 30 (Fri) at 8:40 p.m.
[Photo] tvN
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