Hwang Jung-eum: 'Ad offers came in every time I woke up' during Hi Kick, earned W4b in 6 months

Actor Hwang Jung-eum said that during her time on the MBC sitcom "High Kick Through the Roof," new advertising offers kept coming in every time she woke up. Her bank balance grew from 500 won to 4 billion won ($2.98 million) in just six months.

Hwang posted a video titled "The Day I Learned Working Out and Mukbang From Julien Kang" on her YouTube channel "Hwang Jung-eum" on Wednesday.

In the video, Hwang met her former co-star Julien Kang to learn how to work out, and remarked on the passage of time, saying, "I used to have amazing stamina. I was 26 back then."

Julien Kang asked, "Why did you always look so cheerful even when things were tough, Jung-eum?"

Hwang admitted, "Back then I had only 500 won in my bank account, but after 'Hi Kick,' it grew to several billion won." She added, "Honestly, even before I started making money, I loved 'Hi Kick' so much." Julien Kang agreed, saying, "It was so great."

Hwang also expressed gratitude, saying, "When I was going through a hard time, Julien and his wife invited me over, so I brought all my kids along. Julien had Wangsik and Kangsik work out with him. I was so thankful. He worried about me so much."

Julien Kang said, "I think of Jung-eum as a friend, so I kept asking because I was worried about how she was feeling."

Hwang expressed her affection, saying, "We did a drama series together, and we made so many memories on it. The show turned out well, and we got along so well that we have a real camaraderie, like war buddies. We have memories of tackling it together like a battle. Even if we only see each other once every five years or once every ten years, it still feels like we see each other all the time."

While eating ramyun for a mukbang segment later, Hwang said, "This reminds me of the old days, filming 'Hi Kick' and then rushing off to shoot a ramyun commercial." Julien Kang added that he too landed many ads thanks to his mukbang scenes in the show.

Hwang recalled, "Ad offers genuinely came in every time I woke up. It felt like such a blessing back then, and I was truly grateful. Even now, thinking back on it makes me happy."

At the time, Hwang reportedly filmed as many as 15 commercials, and her sales over that six-month span reached the 4-billion-won range.