"Cabbage Your Life" Park Sung-woong is drawing empathy with a realistic look as a K-family breadwinner.
KBS 2TV miniseries "Cabbage Your Life" (directed by Choi Yeon-soo, written by Song Jeong-rim and Wang Hye-ji) depicts the slapstick rural migration of city family patriarch Seong Tae-hoon (played by Park Sung-woong) who moved down to the pristine yet fierce district of Yeonliri and the human stories full of everyday life.
In particular, Park Sung-woong plays the protagonist Seong Tae-hoon, portraying with realism the weight of being the head of household responsible for family and livelihood, drawing deep empathy from viewers. Lines that seem to carry Seong Tae-hoon's painfully funny reality, such as "You only give up when you count cabbage," "I can suffer all I want, but not my family. I will endure no matter what and return," and "Work at the company and the kids' situations are both so difficult," alternate between humor and poignancy.
Seong Tae-hoon, who was reassigned from the headquarters of "Matstory" where he had spent his whole career to Yeonliri, jumped into cabbage farming to return to Seoul, but reality proved unforgiving. In addition to the runaway commotion involving his second son Seong Ji-sang (played by Seo Yun-hyeok) and youngest son Seong Ji-gu (played by Yang Woo-hyeok), his eldest son Seong Ji-cheon (played by Lee Jinwoo) withdrawing from medical school followed, and the "child-raising" did not go as planned. In the end, Seong Tae-hoon had a conflict when his attempt to hide Seong Ji-cheon's withdrawal from his wife was exposed, and his daily life became even more difficult after an incident in which the cabbage field he had carefully tended was damaged.
Despite this "K-family hardship," Seong Tae-hoon declared, "A father never gives up!" and said, "You only use 'give up' when you count those cabbages you raised well and send them to the company, and the word give up has no place in this Seong Tae-hoon's life!" showing his firm sense of responsibility toward his family. Seong Tae-hoon also showed moving fatherly love by understanding the pain of his son Seong Ji-cheon, who gave up on becoming a medical student due to trauma from a medical accident, and offering sincere consolation. His remark, "You must have been suffering a lot. I thought you were fine because you'd always handled things on your own," resonated with viewers.
Meanwhile, in episode 7, a scene showed Seong Tae-hoon harboring doubts about "Matstory." Evidence emerged that his superior Director Choi (played by Min Seong-uk) tampered with the results of cabbage seedling inspections, and the identity of the fake field manager Noh Hyun-gap (played by Jeong Seon-cheol) was partly revealed, heightening tension. On top of that, Seong Tae-hoon showed complex emotions after receiving a proposal for a new project from Executive Director Bae (played by Bae Ki-beom). With Bae's intentions unclear, viewers are left wondering what choice Seong Tae-hoon will make to protect his family.
The production team said, "The conflicts Seong Tae-hoon faces are not merely isolated incidents but a series of choices that arise in the process of trying to protect his family. The responsibility and fatherly love that emerge within that will deeply resonate with viewers. Please watch to see what decisions Seong Tae-hoon will make and what changes those choices will bring to his family."
[Photo] Provided by KBS
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