[Sportschosun reporter Kim So-hee] Actors Jin Seon-kyu and Park Bo-kyung, a married couple, looked back on their difficult years as unknown performers and revealed their faith in each other and their deep religious devotion.
On the 1st, a video titled ""Honey, get a grip!" The couple Jin Seon-kyu and Park Bo-kyung, who turned the Blue Dragon upside down, came together" was released on the YouTube channel "I Am Happy Every Day." In the video, Park Bo-kyung, who won the Best Supporting Actress Award at The 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards, appeared with her husband Jin Seon-kyu and spoke candidly about the years when they had to get by on 300,000 won a month.
That day, Jin Seon-kyu recalled the time when he was an unknown actor and a newlywed, saying, "We had nothing material."
He said, "We tried to move into a rental apartment, but it didn't work out, so we registered our marriage first. After that, we looked into a rental apartment for newlyweds and moved into a very small one in Namyangju."
Even their wedding had to be held under tight financial circumstances. Jin Seon-kyu recalled, "A wedding hall opened in the neighborhood where Bo-kyung was living, and they said they wouldn't charge a venue fee as part of the opening event. So I rushed over and made a reservation. Even though we had very little, we prepared slowly and held the wedding."
He also felt sorry that he could not provide enough for his wife as the head of the household. He said, "We were not financially secure. Everything else was happy and good, but as the head of the family, I wanted to make her happy..."
Their financial hardship was even harsher than expected. There were times when they did not receive payment even after performing, and they also faced economic difficulties severe enough for their credit card to be suspended.
Jin Seon-kyu recalled, "We spent one month paying off debt and the next month living. We didn't even have rice, and because the card was cut off, we couldn't buy any."
For Park Bo-kyung, however, the hardship itself was not the hardest part. She said, "I told myself it was okay. On the surface, financial hardship did not feel that difficult to me." Instead, she remembered a moment related to her faith.
Park Bo-kyung confessed, "The hardest time for me was when I went to church with 10,000 won. But that 10,000 won was money I had brought for the baby. When the offering envelope was passed around, I thought, 'Should I not open my hand?' Still, I told myself, 'No, I can't do that,' and after giving the offering, I burst into tears. I felt so sorry to the Lord for that one second of hesitation."
She added that even in difficult circumstances, she never skipped tithing.
Park Bo-kyung said, "I'm simple-minded, and that is both my strength and my weakness. I learned that the tithe belongs to God. I took that literally and told my husband, 'You have to pay the tithe.'" She added, "When my husband brought home 300,000 won, we always gave 30,000 won as tithe, and he never once complained about it. I was so grateful for that."
Jin Seon-kyu admitted that he did not agree with tithing from the beginning. He explained, "At first, we were just trying to survive, so I said, 'Can't we give it later? Tithing is too much money at this point.'"
He added, "But my wife said, 'Still, we have to give this back,' so I just thought, 'Bo-kyung will handle it,' and left it to her."
At the time, Jin Seon-kyu's income from performances was reportedly at least 300,000 won a month, and even with part-time side jobs, it reached only about 1.1 million won at most. Despite such a tight life, the couple endured each day in their own way.
Jin Seon-kyu said that his wife Park Bo-kyung's words, "It's okay," gave him great strength.
He said, "My wife's words, 'It's okay,' were not just a sign that she believed in me. They were also words that encouraged my abilities. So the energy that had suddenly dropped came back like Son Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball. More than making money, I gained the energy to say, 'Let's act well with the abilities God gave us.'"
Park Bo-kyung also recalled the period when her husband considered taking on work outside acting to support the family. She said, "My husband tried to do other things to make money. Then I would say, 'That doesn't sound fun. Don't do it. It's okay,' and he really started working hard at acting."
Although they went through one of the hardest financial periods anyone could imagine, the two never let go of their faith in each other. Park Bo-kyung's steady trust and Jin Seon-kyu's passion for acting helped the couple endure their long years of obscurity together.
Kim So-hee, reporter yaqqol@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
