Singer Hye-eun recalled the peak of her career in the 1970s, while Jeon Young-rok testified that "he put money into burlap sacks," shocking everyone.
On the 11th episode of the MBN variety show 김주하의 데이앤나잇 (Kim Ju-ha's Day and Night), Hye-eun and Jeon Young-rok appeared and revealed behind-the-scenes stories and life accounts from their peak years.
That day Hye-eun recalled her childhood, saying, "I stood on stage from the age of five. My father ran an musical theater troupe."
But happiness did not last long. She said, "From my second year of high school I played the role of the eldest daughter," and added, "My father co-signed a loan for an acquaintance and the family's financial situation became difficult. After paying off the debt, only 300,000 won remained."
With the help of her composer uncle, Hye-eun moved up to Seoul, finished her studies with difficulty, and worked on nighttime venue stages to support her family. She recalled, "Six people lived in one room, and we saved money to move to a bigger house."
After that her life completely changed. Just one year after her debut, her 1975 released "You wouldn't know" became a huge hit and she instantly rose to stardom. Hye-eun said, "After achieving success, the first thing I did was give my parents a house," which drew applause.
Jeon Young-rok witnessed Hye-eun's tremendous popularity at the time and shared a surprising anecdote. He recalled, "They used to put money in flour sacks. Money bundles overflowed so much we would step on them," which astonished the cast.
Afterward Hye-eun consecutively hit with songs such as "Ttwi ttwi bbang bbang" and "Gamsugwang," and was loved as the "national younger sister" representing the 1970s and 1980s.
In particular Jeon Young-rok praised her, saying, "Hye-eun was an original Hallyu star." Hye-eun also said, "I signed with a Japanese company and planned to alternate activities between Korea and Japan, spending six months in each, but I was so busy in Korea at the time that I couldn't be active in Japan for long," conveying the explosive popularity she enjoyed at her peak.
[Photo] 'Day and Night'
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