Actress Jeon Hye-jin will be meeting viewers for the first time in a long time since the passing of her husband, the late Lee Sun-kyun, through the drama ‘Riding Life’. Not only will this ‘Riding Life’ be heralding her first time working with Jo Min-soo, but she will also be showing off her chemistry with child actress Kim Sa-rang, raising expectations even higher.

On the afternoon of the 25th, the production conference for the Genie TV original drama ‘Riding Life’ was held online. Actors Jeon Hye-jin, Jo Min-soo, Jung Jin-young, Jeon Seok-ho, and director Kim Cheol-gyu attended the conference that day.

On this day, Jeon Hye-jin said, “It‘s been a long time since we met, so I’m so happy to see you all like this.”



Director Kim Chul-gyu said about ‘Riding Life’, “There have been many dramas that deal with the issue of private education, but there is discrimination in that the targets of private education are kindergarteners. The video of Lee Soo-ji on ‘7-Year-Old Civil Service Exam’, which has become an issue these days, also recorded an enormous number of views. When I see a kindergarten student before elementary school debating Nietzsche‘s philosophy in English with a native English-speaking instructor, it makes me think a lot.“

He added, “Scenes seen in lecture rooms at prestigious universities can be easily seen in a Gangnam kindergarten. The question of how to view this reality became the starting point for ‘Riding Life’. Although it started out that way, it is not a drama that only has a serious and grave theme. It is a warm, cheerful, and lovable drama.”



Jo Min-soo said, “Can I be honest? When I first received the book, I was reluctant because it was something my age had never experienced. It’s a difficult role for me, but since it‘s a job that expresses people, I wanted to express it. I wondered how I could incorporate it into this. And as I kept reading, I found Ji-ah attractive. She’s not a cool girl, but she lives without being shabby, is moderately righteous, and knows how to love people. I wanted to see this through to the end, and I chose it because I thought it would be nice to express that.”

Jeon Hye-jin said, “I have a very close friend named ‘Lee Jung-eun.’ I thought, ‘What is this?’” and added, “I‘m also very interested in education. Having the title of a mother, especially in Korea. And the fact that it’s a story about the Daechi-dong academy district caught my attention. It was heartbreaking and sad at the same time. I was also drawn to her because of her story with her mother. I also wanted to work with the director,” she said about her reason for choosing her.

Regarding her synchronization with the character of “a cheering working mom,” Jeon Hye-jin said, “It’s 70%. I think it’s because I work and have a child. I wonder if she’s as passionate as Jeong-eun. I don’t know what the answer is to empathize. I’m still really struggling. I’m doing my best, but I don’t know if I’m doing it as well as Jeong-eun.”

She emphasized, “Jeong-eun is a mother, but I wanted to cheer on these mothers. No matter what, you’re doing your best. The paths may go astray, and you may regret not doing it at the time, but I really want to cheer you on. I hope you’ll be encouraged while watching “Riding Life.”



Jeon Hye-jin said about her chemistry with Jo Min-soo, ”I really like his style. He‘s honest. He’s comfortable with that. He really fits well with Ji-ah. When he said he‘d be working with him, I was so happy as a fan. He’s not like a grandmother, but a mother, but he‘s independent, unlike any character I’ve seen before. That part fit so well, too.“

Jo Min-soo continued, ”I‘d only seen him on screen and then met him for the first time. We didn’t talk much, but I think we knew each other, so the set seemed to be decorated with a different color. I think we ended it quietly. Even though we didn‘t say anything to each other. It felt like we weren’t being greedy and were considerate of each other. That was good.“

Jeon Hye-jin said about Kim Sa-rang, who plays her daughter, ”I just thought she was cute, but as the episodes went on and she grew, I realized why the director chose her at the audition. It seems different. When I look at it like this today, the reason why Sarang was able to play the character of Seo-yoon so well is because the director‘s eyes were dripping with honey. That’s why I think Sarang was happy on set,“ he explained.



Jeon Hye-jin talked about her riding experience. Jeon Hye-jin said, ”I‘ve been riding ever since my children were born. Now that they’re a little older, fortunately, I still ride when the weather suddenly gets bad. I didn‘t even show gratitude in the past, but these days I do it with a lot of pride,“ making people laugh.

Jeon Hye-jin said about the reality of private education, ”I thought, ’Is this real? It doesn‘t make sense.’ She told me to go to a mom‘s cafe, so I started looking for YouTube from then on. Once I went to a mom’s cafe, it wasn‘t anything special. On the other hand, I understood. How far does this issue go? In the end, it’s something that‘s happening right now. At first, I didn’t understand, so I went to YouTube and Mom‘s Cafe to figure out the reality,“ he explained.





Director Kim Chul-gyu said about the point of viewing of ‘Riding Life’, ”It’s so unbelievable that you can‘t believe it even if you see it with your own eyes. The level of education that takes place at academies in Gangnam is truly astonishing. If you follow that kind of education, you’ll be amazed. Even in that kind of fierce competition, the children are innocent, cute, and lovable. It seems like the stories of three generations are harmoniously arranged, from the parents who dedicate everything to their children, to the wisdom of the adults who raised those parents with the experience and knowledge. I think it would be great if those who watch the drama could understand each other more, look back on each generation, and have an opportunity to support each other,“ he emphasized.

Meanwhile, ‘Riding Life’ is a drama that depicts the life of three generations of mother and daughter in Daechi-dong, where Eun-i (played by Jeon Hye-jin), a passionate working mom, entrusts her daughter‘s ‘7-year-old civil service exam (a term referring to the entrance exam taken to enter a famous English academy)’ to her mother Ji-ah (played by Jo Min-soo), who is about to take the academy riding. It will be first released on Monday, March 3rd at 10 PM through Genie TV, Genie TV Mobile, and ENA.

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

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