Lee Jun, formerly of MBLAQ, opened up about not being able to sleep for a year because of the 'currency value' controversy that erupted from a single slip of the tongue.
On the 27th episode broadcast on tvN You Quiz on the Block, Lee Jun appeared as a guest and talked. During the conversation, Yu Jae-seok cautiously referred to last year's 'currency value' controversy, saying, "Actually, in the conversation with DinDin, Lee Jun..."
This refers to Lee Jun's slip of the tongue on Workman in August last year. At the time, Lee Jun and DinDin, who continue their connection through KBS2 2 Days & 1 Night season 4, worked together as cafe part-timers. At that time Lee Jun asked an employee what they wanted from the cafe manager, and the employee confessed, "I wish they gave more money." Then Lee Jun said, "Doesn't it hit a million a month? He's a branch manager," and when the embarrassed employee said, "Me?" DinDin, seeing the employee's reaction, quipped, "This is the problem with entertainers. They have no concept of currency," which provoked laughter.
Afterward, that scene became a big topic, and DinDin was instantly noted as a 'thoughtful entertainer.' On the other hand, Lee Jun, who received much public criticism, recalled the time and smiled wryly, saying, "It was almost like I got hit."
He expressed his grievance, saying, "I thought that way. It was the early days of the web variety show I was doing. Since it was my first time as the sole MC, didn't I have to say something? So I prompted, 'You're working so hard, shouldn't you be getting about 10 million won a month?' But suddenly DinDin said, 'Entertainers have no concept of money...' A kind of changeup came at me? That's how it turned out."
Yu Jae-seok said, "Unintentionally, DinDin came across as very thoughtful and Jun came across as having no concept at all," and Lee Jun said, "I totally just became a complete idiot," adding, "But what's frustrating and makes it impossible to say anything is that the producers filmed that episode and said, 'Let's cut this. It's dangerous.'"
He continued, "They protect the cast. Because if a cast member falls into ruin, others go down with them. We're in the same boat," and Yu Jae-seok burst out laughing, saying, "In one word, it's like our lifelines get cut together." Lee Jun confessed, "Exactly. We go down together," and said, "But what I said then was, 'Oh, put me out. Why is this a problem? The situation is funny,' and I thought if I stir up a little controversy and the show does well, I could endure this much."
Yu Jae-seok noted, "Still, I thought they wouldn't criticize me this much," and Lee Jun painfully regretted, saying, "But the broadcast came out and it was all criticism. It was so different from my expectations that I thought, what should I do? You can't take it back."
In response, Yu Jae-seok said, "Explaining the original intent sounds like a pathetic excuse..." reflecting his thoughts, and Lee Jun expressed, "Doesn't it look really pathetic? When DinDin asked, 'Hyung, are you okay?' I said, 'Hey, it's a broadcast. I don't care about that. I'm fine as long as you're doing well,' but later people were like, 'Wow...' I can't sleep. I almost haven't slept for a year. Whenever I begin to forget, if I do something a bit funny, that line flies back at me. This time I cheered hard and people said, 'Finally he's living diligently.' I've never not lived diligently in my life. They said, 'Now he finally knows the value of money,'" expressing his grievance.
Yu Jae-seok joked, "Even if we say things like that on air right away, they won't be conveyed. It sounds like a lie. That's why we couldn't bring him on then," drawing laughter. He said, "In any case, when a single word is conveyed, how careful we have to be," offering a realization, and Lee Jun nodded, saying, "That's right. I learned a lot." He also expressed gratitude, saying, "What's so kind about DinDin is that he called three times a day to check on my well-being. 'How are you feeling now, hyung? Are you okay? I'm sorry, hyung,' those calls came for days. He was very sorry."
[Photo] OSEN DB, tvN
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