Famous ‘Reply 1994’ Actress Reveals Why She’s Working a Part-Time Job

Actress Min Do Hee, who won hearts for her role in “Reply 1994,” has opened up about how she came to take a part-time job.

Min Do Hee appeared on SBS’s variety show “My Ugly Duckling,” which aired on July 26, sharing a look into her daily life.

Min Do Hee spotted a job posting for a café near her home and called to apply directly. She said, “I have about a year and three months of experience working at a café,” but was turned down because she had no experience working closing shifts. Another spot passed on hiring her because they said they were looking for a long-term employee.

After facing rejection after rejection, Min Do Hee reached out to the owner of a café she’d worked at before, telling him, “There’s a gap between finishing my musical and starting my next project, so I’ve been looking for a part-time job in the neighborhood, but it hasn’t been easy.” The café owner warmly encouraged her, telling her, “You’ll do well wherever you go.”

Watching Min Do Hee actively searching for work, host Shin Dong Yeop said, “It’s not easy to work a part-time job when so many people recognize you. I think it’s really admirable.”

Min Do Hee’s mother explained, “After going through a long slump, her self-esteem had really taken a hit,” adding, “I told her to just go out and try anything, and after she started working, she seemed to come back to life and her confidence seemed to recover a lot too.”

Bareun and Kim Sung Kyun, who worked alongside Min Do Hee on tvN’s drama “Reply 1994,” visited her home. Bareun said, “When Ho Joon hyung heard I was working a part-time job, he cried because he felt so bad,” which caught people’s attention.

Min Do Hee recalled, “We got together on short notice and I came straight from my part-time shift. When he asked what I’d been doing, I told him I’d been working part-time. He’d had a bit to drink, but he cried and said, ‘Why do you have to work a part-time job?'” adding, “Seeing him cry made me tear up too.”

Kim Sung Kyun said, “After that, Ho Joon was really worried because Do Hee wasn’t answering her phone for a few days,” explaining, “He was worried she might have been hurt by the fact that he cried.” Min Do Hee explained, “My phone was broken and I was in the process of getting it replaced, so I couldn’t answer. Once it was set up again, I saw I had so many missed calls. I was so surprised.”

Kim Sung Kyun also asked about her mother’s reaction during her career slump, and Min Do Hee shared, “My mom and I lived together, and it was hard on both of us. She probably had to watch how I was feeling a lot too,” adding, “Normally she would have scolded me, but because things weren’t going well and I was feeling down, she didn’t say anything about it. That was uncomfortable in its own way.”

After watching a clip of her daughter’s confession, Min Do Hee’s mother said, “Seeing her struggle so much without work, I even thought about whether she should quit this career altogether,” recalling, “We were both walking on thin ice.”

Min Do Hee debuted in 2012 as a member of the girl group Tiny-G. The following year, she won widespread love for her role as Yeosu-native college student Jo Yoon Jin in “Reply 1994.” Since then, she has continued acting in dramas including “Naeil’s Cantabile,” “Mother,” “Mirror of the Witch,” “My ID Is Gangnam Beauty,” and “Rookie Cops,” as well as several films including “The Book of Fish.”

Source: (A)