MBC‘s ‘Good Day’ G-Dragon captivated viewers with his colorful encounters toward a music project.

According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership ratings research company, the previous day’s ‘Good Day’ recorded a household viewership rating of 4.3% in the metropolitan area, while the 2049 viewership rating, a key indicator that measures channel competitiveness and topicality, recorded 2.6%. The best minute was a scene where G-Dragon showed off his flexibility in front of his friends, saying that he‘s done everything from gymnastics to break dancing since he was little, and it soared to a high of 7.3%. (Nielsen Korea metropolitan area standard)

The second episode of ‘Good Day (directed by Kim Tae-ho, produced by TEO)’, which aired on the 23rd (Sunday), depicted G-Dragon’s journey to find inspiration for a music project. Starting with the meeting with actor Hwang Jung-min, an unprecedented gathering of 88-year-olds took place, presenting delightful fun.

G-Dragon, who dreamed of a ‘Other World’ where seniors and juniors gathered together, said when asked about the lineup he had in mind, that he wanted to gather people who were the center of attention when looking back on the year. First, in addition to Big Bang‘s Taeyang and Daesung, he thought of junior singers who shone in 2024, Espa and Seventeen’s Boo Seok-soon, and the popular band Day6. He also mentioned virtual idol Flav and pianist Lee Hyuk, raising expectations for a diverse lineup and the perfection of the song. Regarding the current status of the song, he confessed, “I‘m thinking about a song that can embrace generations and the message I want to convey.”

The main character that G-Dragon met to find musical inspiration was actor Hwang Jung-min. The two, who are long-time fans of each other, met at an LP bar for the first time in a long time and shared stories about recent events and other things they had been catching up on. G-Dragon revealed that he let Hwang Jung-min listen to his new songs before his comeback, showing off their unexpected friendship. When asked why he agreed to sing ‘Good Day’, Hwang Jung-min said, “‘I said okay after hearing two things: “‘G-Dragon is in charge of producing and we’re all going to do something good together.”



G-Dragon congratulated Hwang Jung-min on winning the Best Actor award at the ‘Blue Dragon Film Awards’ for the third time and expressed his admiration for his wide acting spectrum. He said that the movie ‘A Bittersweet Life’ was what made him fall for Hwang Jung-min‘s acting. Hwang Jung-min talked about the detailed efforts he put into his villainous role in the drama, and confessed that he felt more comfortable and better when he played supporting roles than the main characters. This means that the main character has a different sense of responsibility because he has to take care of everyone. G-Dragon also agreed, saying, “I think I was more comfortable when I was in a group than when I was a soloist,” and mentioned the recent MAMA stage with the members of Big Bang, drawing attention.

G-Dragon brought up the topic of a music project and told Hwang Jung-min about the direction of the song, and the two came up with ideas for a fun reinterpretation of Korean pop songs. G-Dragon, who has grown up listening to Korean pop songs since he was young, also revealed the behind-the-scenes story for the first time about the lyrics of the title song of his second solo album, “Oddly,” saying, “I made the beat first and was inspired by Kang San-e’s ‘Oddly’.” They spent time listening to music together, saying, “It‘s not about needing difficult techniques, but about conveying the heart with one voice.” G-Dragon told Hwang Jung-min that it was his “most meaningful conversation so far,” raising expectations for what kind of song they will produce next.

Meanwhile, the gathering of the 88z, the all-time lineup, has finally come to fruition. Centered around G-Dragon, the meeting of the 88 stars unfolded with the concept of ‘I’m Solo’, with actors Kim Soo-hyun, Lee Soo-hyuk, Im Si-wan, Hwang Kwang-hee, and Jung Hae-in. The sight of the 88 stars, who don‘t know what to do as they gather one by one in the 88 countries, including awkward friends G-Dragon and Kwang-hee, was also a fun point. Defconn, as befitting the ‘I’m Solo’ MC, gave the members names that suited them, adding to the excitement. G-Dragon was given the name of the straightforward Yeong-cheol, Kim Soo-hyun was given the name of the laid-back Yeong-su, Lee Soo-hyuk was given the name of the physical Yeong-ho, Im Si-wan was given the name of the pure Yeong-ja, Hwang Kwang-hee was given the name of Kwang-soo who suffers from unrequited love, and Jung Hae-in was crowned as the devilish Ok-soon.

The ‘Self-Introduction Time’, which contained the various charms of the 88 friends, also brought laughter to the viewers. From Im Si-wan who showed off his charms through dialect acting and solving cubes, to Kwang-hee and G-Dragon who show off their trustworthy tiki-taka, to Jung Hae-in who showed off his forearm flirting(?) by splitting apples and captivating even Defconn and Code Kunst, to Lee Soo-hyuk who showed off his presence like a ‘Cherry Blossom Knight’ even when he was still, the time for the 88 friends to show off their charms brought laughter. G-Dragon, the host of 88 Nation, introduced himself by saying, “My goal is to sing together, and that‘s my forte.” When asked if he gets inspiration from his 88 friends, he looked at Gwanghee and answered, “I can’t get inspiration from everyone,” making everyone burst into laughter.

Kim Soo-hyun not only showed off his surprising impersonation skills, but also recreated the “Hae-in-ah” meme that became a hot topic with Jung Hae-in, making the set burst into laughter. The 18-year veteran said, “If it weren‘t for 2024, I wouldn’t have readily ‘called you, but my personality has changed.” When his friends agreed with his words, he said, “I‘ve gotten older. It’s not easy to meet people of the same age. That‘s why this opportunity is precious,” drawing attention with his honest self-introduction. Jung Hae-in and Im Si-wan also showed their sincerity toward the 88s, saying, “I want to participate as the person Jung Hae-in rather than the actor,” and “It’s hard for the 88s to get together, so I‘m so happy.”

Then, the naming ceremony and the 88s’ first impression vote were held. Amidst the tension and tension caused by the unpredictable friendship, G-Dragon (Young-chul) received a total of 2 votes from Jung Hae-in (Ok-soon) and Hwang Kwang-hee (Gwang-soo), becoming the winner of the 88 Nation‘s first impression vote. After that, the friends who decided to talk to each other as same-age friends showed awkwardness but quickly became close as they shared a common ground. At the end of the broadcast, a dinner mission that embarrassed the 88 friends was announced, raising expectations for next week’s broadcast.

MBC‘s ‘Good Day’ is a music project where G-Dragon completes the song of the year with people from various fields, and it airs every Sunday at 9:10 p.m.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.