Comedian Mija revealed a heartwarming story about Park Na-rae.
On the 16th, a video titled "Jang Young-ran's 'Couple of 90 Years' Unimaginable Love Story" was released on Jang Young-ran's YouTube channel 'A-Class Jang Young-ran'.
On that day, Jang Young-ran visited the newlywed home of Mija and Kim Tae-hyun. Mija explained, "My original major was art," and "I graduated from Hongik University and was in graduate school but dropped out in the middle." She continued, "I had been drawing since I was young, and I felt like I would grow old staring at a wall. So, I developed a dream to be on TV. I turned down an offer to be nurtured as a painter in New York after graduating from college to prepare to be an announcer," mentioning how she got into broadcasting.
However, despite six years of trying, she kept failing the announcer exams. Mija explained, "Public broadcasting rarely posts job openings, and the competition was 3000 to 1. For cable announcers, it was 500 to 1. I kept failing, and my self-esteem hit rock bottom."
During this time, Mija stumbled upon a recruitment post for KBS comedy actors. She said, "I had often been told to become a comedian. I applied right away." Although she failed the KBS public recruitment comedian exam, she debuted through a program called 'Gag Star' at the suggestion of a judge.
Later, Mija officially debuted as a comedian in the 19th public recruitment of MBC in 2012. Mija said, "I was the oldest rookie ever. It didn't feel like my place. The atmosphere was strict. I couldn't endure it. Half of them quit. I was one of the last to leave."
Recalling that time, Mija shed tears and said, "Depression came to me. I really lived hard. I was like that in school, and even in my 20s, I was living like crazy with seven study groups. But when I turned 30, my friends were getting jobs and married, and I wondered what I had lived for. For about three years, I didn't go outside," evoking sympathy. She added, "At that time, I only thought about how to die. I felt like I was being very unfilial to my parents."
Later, Mija met Park Na-rae when she appeared in the play 'Drip Girls' in 2014. Mija said, "Our family considers Na-rae a benefactor," drawing attention.
Mija expressed her gratitude, saying, "Even in broadcasting, people naturally form groups and talk among famous individuals. That's the norm, so I got used to being alone. But Na-rae knew everyone at that time, including senior Lee Guk-joo and Jang Do-yeon, who I had appeared with. I was the only one who didn't know anyone, but Na-rae kept calling me and inviting me to her house. She knew I was depressed and kept saying, 'You shouldn't be alone.'
She continued, "At that time, Na-rae was also going through a tough time. It wasn't like she was doing well now; she was in a really small room with no space, even sitting in the bathroom. I have never met anyone like Na-rae while working in broadcasting. She would take me in, cook with her own money, and give everything, even sending gifts. She invited me every day. The reason 'Mija's Tavern' came to be is also thanks to Na-rae."
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
