Jo Jae-seok shared his daily life as a jazz bar owner.
On the afternoon of the 24th, Jo Jae-seok and Choi Daniel appeared as guests on the MBC entertainment program 'My Little Television' (hereafter 'My Little Television').
On this day, the first guest was singer Jo Jae-seok. Jo Jae-seok's manager, composer Ahn Young-min, revealed, "Jae-seok actually majored in fashion and worked in interior design. I was a regular customer at the bar run by Jo Jae-seok. He said my song 'Don't You Know' by Davichi is his favorite. He wanted to sing it in front of me. I fell in love with that song. But Jae-seok was such a rookie that there was no guarantee of success. Still, I had no worries. I thought this friend would make it."
In the morning, Jo Jae-seok greeted Ahn Young-min's father, who was sitting in the living room. The manager said, "This is my father's house, my workspace, and our company. I mainly work at my father's house. I'm preparing to release a new song following 'Don't You Know.' I think my father listens to Jo Jae-seok's music about 50 times a day."
Jo Jae-seok said, "Hello, Father. I'll be back shortly," and headed to the room where Ahn Young-min was working. When asked if he thought it would go well, the manager replied, "Not at all. Someone posted the music video on social media, and suddenly, in just one day, the views exceeded 500,000 and kept rising. It was the first time in my 26 years of music that I experienced this. But since we received so much love suddenly, many people suspected we were stockpiling, but we were so confident that I contacted the investigating agency directly," revealing the behind-the-scenes story. Jo Jae-seok also laughed and said, "Actually, the company doesn't have that kind of capacity."
In the car heading to a schedule, his stunningly beautiful wife was waiting, and the panel asked how they met. Jo Jae-seok replied, "She was a customer at our bar. No one believes it, but she suddenly started flirting with me. It was a day of a live performance, and she was wearing something like a trench coat. But I guess my belly made her a bit more relaxed. It must have been really cute. She started touching my belly."
He continued, "I thought, 'What is this?' and looked at her, and she was so pretty. After talking for a while, we parted ways, but I didn't get her contact information. So I ran after her to ask for her number, and we met the next day and talked for three hours, and I thought I would marry this person. Then, a year later, we got married," which drew envy from everyone.
While preparing for a mini-concert, stars including actor Lee Dong-hwi, science communicator Kweido, model Chae Jong-seok, and actor Hyun Bong-sik gathered to see Jo Jae-seok's performance. Jo Jae-seok said, "I’m really close with Se-hong, actors Joo Ji-hoon, Ji Chang-wook, Ryu Jun-yeol, and Ko Kyung-pyo. It seems like many male actors and singers really like me," boasting about his unexpected friendships.
Jo Jae-seok said, "This is a meaningful space for us. Everyone here is someone I met here. Thank you all for coming to see me. I will sing the song that got me here," and started the Jae-seok show. Ahn Young-min, the composer, said, "I completed the song in 30 minutes, so let's listen to it," introducing two new songs.
Before starting the first song, Jo Jae-seok said, "I will sing thinking of my wife," and passionately sang 'Love,' then continued, "The title is 'A Song for a Drink,' so let's have a drink while listening," and immediately started the second song. The panel and audience responded enthusiastically, expressing anticipation for the new song release.
Jo Jae-seok said, "I'm now forty, and my composer brother is like a benefactor who has allowed me to live a new life. I hope to enjoy music for a long time, no matter the situation. I love you, brother," expressing his heartfelt feelings towards his manager.
The second guest was Choi Daniel. Currently staying at a motel in Busan due to a schedule, he said, "I think expensive rooms are meaningless. It's just for sleeping," showing a down-to-earth side. After completing his routine of squeezing lemon juice as soon as he woke up, he had a meal with seaweed and performed some unusual morning routines like doing a handstand.
When Choi Daniel stepped outside, he met actor Han Sang-jin. Choi Daniel explained, "My brother lives in Busan now. My sister-in-law is a director, and she is currently in Busan, so my brother came to see her." Han Sang-jin said, "If you walk a little up from here, my house is there, so let's go together," and took Choi Daniel to his home.
Director Park Jung-eun commented, "Choi Daniel gets along really well with his husband," to which Han Sang-jin recalled, "When Daniel went to the army, we all went together for his enlistment and discharge. When he was going to enlist, he wrote down my phone number and address in the car," reminiscing about the past.
When Han Sang-jin said, "If I say I'm with Daniel, my wife just gives me a free pass," Choi Daniel replied, "She uses that to take advantage of me. How does she behave at home? She calls herself a love fool!" revealing a humorous side. Director Park Jung-eun added, "Even when we went to the baseball stadium to throw the first pitch, she only talked about herself on the way. Then she went to buy a uniform alone and disappeared. But in the end, the articles come out saying she's a love fool," expressing disbelief.
Upon arriving at the baseball stadium, Choi Daniel was smitten by player Kim Won-joong, whom he had been a fan of. He asked, "Your eyes are deep. Personally, I was curious, why did you cut your hair?" Kim Won-joong replied, "I stayed with the Giants due to the FA contract, and I cut it to return to my original self. I donated the cut hair to pediatric cancer patients."
After successfully throwing the first pitch, Choi Daniel had dinner with Han Sang-jin. Choi Daniel shared, "There was an advertisement where I had to run around the field. I think I ran 20 laps. But the director saw it positively and I was cast for a telecommunications advertisement. After that, I was cast in 'The World They Live In,'" revealing his connections.
He continued, "I think I've met many good seniors. At that time, Hyun Bin gave me such good advice that I still act politely. I lived as Yang's sister for 24 hours. I had a separate drinking session with Hyun Bin, and he said that when not filming, we could maintain a better relationship as seniors and juniors, so I was really grateful. I wanted to show my gratitude, so I folded a paper crane and gave it along with a letter," feeling embarrassed. Jeon Hyun-moo laughed and said, "That must have been even more awkward."
Choi Daniel then shared, "My father was a soldier, so he opposed me becoming an actor. But as I continued acting and became known to people, there was a time when I appeared in a newspaper that my dad reads. He scrapbooked it and still keeps it. Seeing his second son do that made him secretly proud. After becoming an adult, I worked part-time at a pub and many other jobs. But I never felt resentful towards my father. He always felt sorry for not being able to support me. After I was discharged from the army, my dad started a business, but it failed due to the IMF. He even sold vegetables and pulled a cart in the subway to sell goods," he recounted.
He continued, "I didn't know. I was taking the subway, and I saw my father. I got off and sat on a bench at the station, talking to him," conveying his affection for his father.
'My Little Television' airs every Saturday at 11:10 PM on MBC.
[Seo Ye-ji, Star Today Guest Reporter]
