Jung Woong In, the actor behind some of K-drama's most chilling villains in I Can Hear Your Voice and Pinocchio, broke down in tears while talking about the pressure of providing for his three daughters.
The moment came in a preview for the next episode of tvN STORY's variety show What Are You Saving It For?, released at the end of the November 9 broadcast. Jung Woong In visits host Kim Chang Ok's home on Jeju Island along with Lee Young Ja and Pak Se Ri.
Jung Woong In (Photo: Xports News)
A villain's joke, then tears
He opened with a laugh, parodying one of his famous villain lines: "Making me drag a suitcase all the way here? How dare you call me to Jeju. If the food isn't good today, you're dead."
The mood changed when he opened up about his family history. "I had a rough upbringing," he said. "Back then, I didn't know my father had left debts behind when he passed away."
He went on to say that he sometimes jolts awake in the middle of the night thinking about his bank balance. "My kids are all looking at me. How should I open up the future for them?" he said, adding, "This is the first time I've said this," before wiping away tears.
It isn't the first time he has spoken about his late father. On SBS's Healing Camp in 2014, he recalled once seeing his father spill a cup of ramen at a construction site and pick it back up, saying the sight of him from behind stayed with him. "By the time I became successful, my father was already gone," he said at the time.
A father of three
Jung Woong In married a non-celebrity 12 years his junior in 2006, and they have three daughters. He and his daughters won fans on MBC's Dad! Where Are We Going? in 2014. His eldest, Se Yoon, is preparing to apply to theater and film programs to become an actress, and his second daughter, So Yoon, studies art at Seoul Arts High School.
He first became known through the MBC sitcom Three Friends and has since appeared in Queen Seondeok, Prison Playbook, Pachinko and Trigger. He is next set to appear in Becoming a Cooking Soldier Legend.
His full story airs on What Are You Saving It For? on November 16 at 8 p.m. KST.
