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| Special Scoop / Photo: MBN capture |
[Sports Today reporter Jeong Ye-won] Han Seo-kyung opened up about the darkness that followed her glittering years on MBN’s ‘Special Scoop.’
The April 9 broadcast of MBN’s ‘Special Scoop’ featured Boris, the guardian of Geumseongsanseong, and 1990s pop star Han Seo-kyung.
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| Special Scoop / Photo: MBN capture |
On the episode, Boris prepared a vegetable curry and shared it with everyone. He recalled falling in love with Monk Cheongsan, who changed his order to marry; they had three children, and Boris later became a monk himself.
Cheongsan passed away in 2014. Boris said, \”We all head toward death, but I couldn’t think that way back then. It’s painful to dwell on. I try to forget by staying busy and focusing on other things,\” he said, wiping away tears.
He recalled that Cheongsan collapsed suddenly one day and refused treatment; a month later he died. \”He hated hospitals and told us never to take him. In the end, he passed away lying down. It was very hard for me, and I think it was hard for the children, too,\” Boris said.
Afterward, two of their sons visited Boris. He made the jajang-ramen the three siblings loved as kids. Their mother told them she liked living at the care facility and wanted to keep going. The sons said they worried—she is older and has only one lung—but that how she chooses to spend her final days is her decision, and they will continue to support her.
Boris smiled as he reflected, \”I thought I was going to die, but the monk saved me. I consider him my benefactor and am always grateful. If I live joyfully, I believe the monk will watch over me happily.\”
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| Special Scoop / Photo: MBN capture |
Next, Han Seo-kyung — who exploded onto the scene with her debut single \”Nangrang 18\” — joined the show. \”The record sold a million copies, and I won a rookie award alongside Seo Taiji and Boys. My songs were playing on every street corner. Fans recognized me even when I wasn’t wearing makeup. Even now, it feels like a dream,\” she recalled.
She said her father’s road manager later became her husband; they married after three months of dating.
But Han’s life has not been smooth. She said she got into a shaved-ice business through an acquaintance and was scammed, losing a Gangnam apartment and essentially everything she owned. \”I had no cash left. I really collapsed,\” she admitted.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and gigs disappeared. \”Every month was in the red. Life wasn’t like before. All I could think was, ‘Can I borrow money from that friend?’ I even considered selling mackerel or working as a housekeeper,\” she said.
Han said she became credit delinquent and moved into a small monthly-rent room. Her father then died suddenly in a car accident, and after he passed, her mother suffered about a year of depression and began showing signs of dementia. \”I thought I’d hit rock bottom, but it felt like I sank another 200 meters. I still have debts to pay,\” she said.
Her son Lee Sae-ron inherited his mother’s talent and is active as an idol in Japan. Han returned to Korea and visited the nursing home where her mother lives with Sae-ron. She sang, \”Mom, do you remember me? I’m your daughter, Han Seo-kyung,\” but her mother did not recognize her and could not communicate. The mother did show a small reaction, however, to the grandchild who used to care for her during school breaks.
Han vowed, \”I’ll get through this. I want to be a stronger pillar for Sae-ron — to be there for him the way my mother was for me.\”
[Sports Today reporter Jeong Ye-won ent@stoo.com]
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