Kim Sae-rok's Journey from Part-Time Jobs to Acting: A 'Radio Star' Highlight

Kim Sae-rok (33) recently revealed her transition from working at Yoo Sang-moo's store to Kim Soo-ro's store.

On the October 11th episode of MBC's variety show 'Radio Star,' Jin Seo-yeon, Kim Sae-rok, Joo Jong-hyuk, and Kwak Beom appeared in the 'Multi-talented' special.

The episode of 'Radio Star' aired that day topped the nationwide viewership ratings for its time slot. It also ranked first in the 2054 viewership demographic. The highlight of the show was Kwak Beom's impersonation medley, which recorded a peak viewership rating of 4.2%.

Kim Sae-rok showcased her presence with her current activities in 'Iron Girl Squad 2' and the play 'French Safe.' She is starring in the play directed by Jang Jin alongside Joo Jong-hyuk and shared her enthusiasm for her first theater challenge, preparing various acting concepts. She found the process of understanding the director's direction and trying different approaches enjoyable, even attempting to deliver lines while performing 108 bows, which showed her quirky nature. The behind-the-scenes story of her chocolate-eating banker concept also brought laughter.

The behind-the-scenes of 'Iron Girl Squad 2' unfolded as well. Kim Sae-rok candidly admitted that she thought she was good at sports, but the actual training was much more challenging than expected. A video of her struggling with jump rope brought laughter, and she surprised everyone by revealing that she won silver and gold medals at a national amateur boxing competition. Kwak Beom acted as her coach, and her focused gaze and solid movements when she put on gloves impressed the studio.

Kim Sae-rok shared that her tendency to become overly immersed led to extreme tension on set. During the filming of 'Understanding of Love,' she had to perform a driving scene despite having a 'closet license,' and she confessed to sweating nervously about confusing the accelerator and brake in front of dozens of staff. The director eventually decided to shoot the scene from a distance using a telephoto lens. During the filming of 'Youth of May,' she revealed that she sent a text saying "Mom, I love you" to her mother before climbing a high ledge, fearing something might go wrong.

Her pre-debut 'part-time job king' days were also revealed. Kim Sae-rok shared her experiences working at various places like movie theaters, shaved ice shops, cafes, and wedding fairs, maintaining the top membership card issuance record during her eight-month stint at a movie theater. She was the first part-timer at Yoo Sang-moo's shaved ice shop and was scouted to Kim Soo-ro's store for a higher wage, adding humor to the story. Her high contract success rate at wedding fairs led to a hanbok shop owner contacting her even after she became an actress, showcasing her resilience and charm.

Kwak Beom drew attention from the start with his current status of appearing in 12 regular YouTube shows. He expressed gratitude for being called upon so often, showcasing his prolific nature, and shared an incident where he almost faced a lawsuit due to his content ambitions. The center of this was a parody video of Song So-hee's 'Not a Dream.' The video, released before the original, could have overlapped with Song So-hee's planned live content, but he received leniency after meeting her on the radio.

Kwak Beom unleashed a series of impersonations of various figures, including Lee Kyung-young, Im Chang-jung, Jung Woo-sung, and Song So-hee, as well as a comedy concert art director, turning the studio into a laughter-filled space. However, he revealed that he received a polite request to refrain from impersonating Jang Hyuk, as it might affect the weight of Jang Hyuk's new role.

Kwak Beom's unexpected background also shone. He majored in painting in college and was responsible for the artwork in comedy sketches. He impressed the studio by drawing a caricature of Kim Gu-ra on the spot, to which Kim Gu-ra responded, "I could use this as my memorial photo," genuinely pleased. Additionally, a mishap during the KBS open recruitment exam, where the music never played due to a friend's mistake, added to the laughter, highlighting Kwak Beom's journey to becoming a comedian.

Before becoming a comedian, Kwak Beom revealed that he took comedy classes from Heo Kyung-hwan at an acting academy. Jang Do-yeon and Yoo Se-yoon humorously questioned, "What could he teach?" and Kwak Beom mentioned Kim Yong-myung as another mentor, eliciting laughter.

Tae Yuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr