Actor Sa Kang is drawing attention by raising his two daughters and making a fresh start as an office worker.

The third episode of the SBS Plus·E Channel jointly produced entertainment show ‘Because I‘m Solo’, which airs at 8:40 PM on the 12th (Tuesday), will feature Sa Kang joining as the new ‘Solo Unnie’, with the two MCs Shin Dong-yup and Hwang Jung-eum, and ‘Solo Unnies’ Yoon Se-ah and Chae Rim, making their first greetings.

On this day, Sa Kang revealed her recent status after appearing on a broadcast, saying, “Thanks to the support of many people, I’m doing well with my children and staying strong.” She continued, “It‘s already been 10 months since my husband passed away. What’s been hardest than all the circumstances is how people look at me.”She‘s normally a bright person, but I think there are some who look at [her] with pity.“ Shin Dong-yup nodded and said, ”From now on, people who are watching the broadcast, please stop patting Sa Kang on the shoulder...“ making everyone burst out laughing. Sa Kang also responded with a smile and said, ”Your shoulders are too hunched,“ livening up the studio atmosphere.

Amidst the warm welcome, Sa Kang’s day with his two daughters unfolds. Sa Kang wakes up early, prepares breakfast for his daughters, and quickly tidies up the house. After that, he drives his second daughter, who goes to a school far from home, to school. Sa Kang said, ”(My second daughter‘s) school is 35km round trip. Some people advised me to transfer, but I couldn’t do that when I thought of my child. I‘ve been through so much in less than a year. “I thought that I shouldn’t lose even my favorite friends,” he says, explaining the reason for his daily long-distance rides.



After arriving at his daughter‘s school, Sa Kang drives straight to work. However, while listening to Cool’s song “Aloha” in the car, Sa Kang suddenly bursts into tears. The studio cast members shed tears at Sa Kang‘s appearance, and Sa Kang honestly tells us why he cried at the time, although he feels embarrassed at his own appearance on screen.

Sak Kang finally arrives at work and gives off a professional look as an office worker, “Hong Yu-jin.” About his current job, Sa Kang says, “The CEO of the company, who was also an acquaintance who worked with my husband, reached out to me first when I was going through a difficult time (after my husband passed away). It was like a ray of light at the time.” Indeed, attention is focused on what new thing Sa Kang has started and her hard work.

Meanwhile, Sa Kang, who returns home after work, says, “The only thing I laugh about is watching ‘Seon Jae’s Carry on My Back’” and ends the day by binge-watching ‘Seon Up and Twi’. In particular, Sa Kang, who says, “I was comforted by Byun Woo-seok’s lines,” expresses special gratitude to Byun Woo-seok. Shin Dong-yup coquettishly says, “Byun Woo-seok did something great~,” and Hwang Jung-eum also watches Sa Kang’s daily life and says, “I want to make my older sister (Sa Kang) laugh a lot. Come to our neighborhood~”, sending out invitations to add to the laughter.

The third episode of the SBS Plus and E-Channel jointly produced entertainment show ‘Because I’m Solo’, which previews Sa Kang‘s ‘sweet and salty’ solo life and Yoon Se-ah’s country vacation(?), will air on the 12th (Tuesday) at 8:40 PM.

Meanwhile, the second episode of ‘Because I‘m Solo’, which aired on the 5th, recorded a household viewership rating of 1.3% (Nielsen Korea, combined figure for the metropolitan area of both companies), an increase from the first episode. In particular, this is a great feat that broke the household viewership rating among SBS Plus original programs launched this year, making us realize its hot popularity and buzz. In addition, the highest viewership rating per minute soared to 2.2%, and the ‘Women 2549’ viewership rating also set monumental results by exceeding 1%. Also, based on paid TV households, it ranked first in viewership ratings for entertainment programs targeting the same time slot (2049). The online response was also explosive. ‘Because I’m Single’ ranked first in the ‘Most Viewed News’ on portal sites such as Naver, Daum, and Nate on both the 5th and 6th, and ranked first in Daum‘s ‘Entertainment TV Search Rankings’ on the 6th. In addition, it maintained the first place in Naver’s ‘Trending Videos’ on the 6th and 7th, showing its formidable popularity and buzz even after the broadcast.

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