Byun Jin-seop revealed that he earned so much money that he ranked first in the income of celebrities in the 1990s.
Byun Jin-seop appeared on tvN STORY's 'Now, This Moment', which aired on the 11th.
Byun Jin-seop unveiled a new luxury villa in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, where he recently moved. This huge newly built villa surrounded by mountains has tight security, and boasts a modern interior and luxurious furniture with a two-story structure. The MCs repeatedly expressed their admiration, saying, “It looks like a model house.” It is said that this is the house that Baek Ji-young also came to see.
Yoon Jong-shin, who looked at Byun Jin-seop's trophy display case, said, "He is the first Rookie of the Year and Grand Prize winner. Normally, we don't often give grand prizes to people who have won the Rookie of the Year award, but since he is so strong, we gave him this one."
Byun Jin-seop's second son, Byun Jae-jun, is said to have debuted as a musical actor. Baek Ji-young asked, “There is talk that the second generation is trying to follow the same path.” In response, Byun Jin-seop said, "It's not the same path, but I was originally the first male artistic swimmer in Korea, and my son said he wanted to be a musical actor, so I debuted last year."
Byun Jin-seop also revealed his handsome son and the practice room he prepared for him. Byun Jin-seop was proud, saying, “I am this kind of father.” Byun Jin-seop and his son also performed Byun Jin-seop's hit song 'Laura' together.
Byun Jin-seop, who attended a prestigious high school, said, "I was in the top 20 in my school. If I wanted to go to medical school, I could have gone anywhere. But (because of music), I fell to 30th in my class. My parents grew old because of me." He continued, "I felt miserable because I wasn't treated like a human being because I made music. I felt like I had to go to the university my father wanted to be treated like a child and act like a human being. I tried to become a test taker again. To do that, I had to make my own solo album. “It was the same,” he recalled. The solo album he made just before quitting music became a million-seller, selling 200,000 copies.
While preparing for his second album, Byeon Jin-seop met composer Noh Young-sim, a female college student who was introduced to him by a radio producer. It is said that Byun Jin-seop, who was trying to reject Noh Young-sim's song, changed his mind after Noh Young-sim's provocative words, "I will give this song to Lee Moon-se." That song is ‘Hope’.
The second album was a bigger hit than the first. The second album, which includes songs such as 'Hope' and 'To You Again', is said to have sold 2.8 million copies according to the official count, and 3 to 4 million copies including the unofficial count. Byun Jin-seop, who was the top celebrity earner in 1990, said, "At the time, album profits were about 1 to 2 billion won," and "I had no concept of money. If I earned anything, I left it to my parents." When Yoon Jong-shin said, "When you don't have such a concept, a lot of money comes in. That's how you waste it," Byun Jin-seop laughed, saying, "Now I have a lot of concepts, but no money is coming in."
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr