tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’

Actor Moon Geun-young looked back on her time battling a rare disease and candidly shared how difficult that period was.

On the 22nd, the official YouTube channel of tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’ released a pre-release video titled ‘Moon Geun-young returns! From the story of full recovery after emergency surgery for a rare disease to an unexpected charm in her forties’.

Appearing as a guest that day, Moon Geun-young mentioned the acute compartment syndrome she was diagnosed with in 2017 and described how urgent the situation was at the time. Acute compartment syndrome is a condition in which pressure inside the muscles rises and blocks blood flow; in severe cases it can lead to tissue necrosis, so prompt surgery is known to be necessary.

She confided, “The golden time had already passed, so necrosis might have begun. That is why we had to start emergency surgery quickly. I think I cried when I was told the nerves in my fingers might not recover. I always cried alone.”

After undergoing surgery and rehabilitation, Moon Geun-young set about returning to everyday life and calmly recounted the process. She recalled, “My (rehabilitation) therapist said, ‘You will soon be able to play rock-paper-scissors. Soon, let us have the winner at rock-paper-scissors treat the other to something delicious.’”

tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’

When Yoo Jae-suk said, “You must have cried,” Moon Geun-young replied, “But I do not think I felt that moved. I just thought, I should win at rock-paper-scissors and get treated to something tasty. I did not go, ‘How moving.’” eliciting laughter.

She also shared small changes she felt during recovery. “The doctor said, ‘Eat whatever you want. You probably have not been able to eat what you wanted because you were always dieting. You need to eat what you want so you can get better quickly,’” she said, adding, “My wish was to watch a movie at the theater while eating popcorn.”

She continued, “The very first thing I did was go to a theater and buy the biggest size, caramel and cheese popcorn. I thought, ‘This is what movies taste like.’”

Having regained her health, she said her attitude toward life also changed. Moon Geun-young conveyed bright energy as she said, “I thought I wanted to live life a little more joyfully. Eheradiya.”

Meanwhile, tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’, featuring Moon Geun-young, airs at 8:45 p.m. that day.