MBN

“During her prime, Hye-eun Yi scooped money into sacks!”

Jeon Young-rok and Hye-eun Yi, legendary singers who need no introduction and friends of 50 years, reveal their deep ‘history of friendship’ on MBN ‘Kim Juha's Day & Night’.

Jeon Young-rok and Hye-eun Yi will appear on episode 33 of MBN ‘Kim Juha's Day & Night’, set to air on the 11th, sharing candid stories about their close friendship that has lasted a full 50 years, the hardships and twists of their lives, and even their continuing passion for music.

Hye-eun Yi explains their special bond, saying, “We were friends from when we were babies.” She adds, “The mother of Jeon Young-rok, Madam Baek Seol-hee, and my mother are best friends,” vividly showing two lifelong best friends connected since their parents generation, who naturally became friends and know each other's lives from family ties to childhood. Above all, as they retrace their friendship from their early years, the two unleash nonstop bickering best-friend chemistry that keeps the set lively.

In particular, they draw attention by unveiling a surprise duet stage where the two sing Hye-eun Yi’s signature song ‘You Will Not Know’ together. As Hye-eun Yi’s clear, pure voice is layered with Jeon Young-rok adding a solid, weighty feature, the harmony completed by two longtime best friends who have watched over each other for years promises a wave of emotion.

Hye-eun Yi surprises everyone by confessing that, thanks to her father, who was the head of a musical-theater troupe, she stood on stage from the age of five. “Is it not cute when little kids do something? I also sang quite well and danced nicely, so they put me on stage and the response was tremendous. What was created then was the Baby Show” she explains, describing the concert ‘Baby Show’, which gathered talented children aged 5 to 7. Moreover, she adds that trot legend Ha Chun-hwa and samulnori master Kim Deok-su were also members on the ‘Baby Show’ stage, leaving everyone with mouths covered in surprise.

Meanwhile, as Jeon Young-rok recalls Hye-eun Yi at the height of her prime, he says, “We literally swept money into sacks like this. It overflowed so much we had to press it down with our feet,” sharing a behind-the-scenes story that even pocket money was given out in fistful bundles, sending the set into laughter.

However, Hye-eun Yi also shares a heartbreaking story behind the glamorous peak years: she had no choice but to become the family breadwinner from her second year of high school. She says, “Because my father had guaranteed a junior colleague, after settling all the debts, only 300,000 won remained at the time,” and “At the suggestion of my uncle I came to Seoul and began to sing in earnest,” recounting how she had to take responsibility for her family until her songs became hits.

Marking the 51st anniversary of her debut, Hye-eun Yi is staging an intimate theater run in Daehangno through August 2 this year, following last year. MBN’s issue-maker talk show ‘Kim Juha's Day & Night’ is a new-concept issue-maker talk show that puts forward ‘day and night, coolness and passion, information and emotion’. It airs every Saturday at 9:40 p.m.