Unveiling the Heartfelt Stories of ‘You Quiz’: How Top Stars Like Choi Ji-soo and Hae-rin Share Their Journey to Fame

Daniel Kim 2026.03.18 Views

You Quiz on the Block / Photo = Provided by tvN

[Sports Today reporter Lim Si-ryeong] tvN’s You Quiz on the Block is dedicating an episode to mothers.

Episode 335, airing on the 18th, brings together Ha Ye-rin—the Korea-born lead of the global hit Bridgerton Season 4—“professional part-timer” Choi Ji-soo, short-track legend Choi Min-jeong, and Yeom Hye-ran, a 27-year acting veteran known for performances that consistently move audiences.

Choi Ji-soo, who charmed viewers as Park Shin-hye’s curly-haired sidekick in Undercover Miss Hong, visits You Quiz to discuss how she prepared for the first major role of her 11-year career. She contrasts that character—chaebol heiress Kang Nola—with her real-life history of working virtually every kind of part-time job. Born during the IMF crisis, Choi persuaded her parents to support her acting ambitions despite financial hardship and student loans. She recounts a long list of jobs—from mascot costumes and shifts at logistics centers to work in kids’ cafes—starting at age 20, and reveals that even after her breakout she continued auditioning while working six-day weeks. She shares a bittersweet anecdote about spending eight hours producing a mint‑haired G-Dragon photocard at a factory and opens up about her deep affection for her mother. Expect a candid conversation that alternates between laughter and tears as Choi Ji-soo reflects on the realities behind the “professional part-timer” label.

The program also welcomes Ha Ye-rin, the lead of Bridgerton Season 4, which topped charts in 82 countries, and the granddaughter of veteran actress Son Sook. Ha says she grew up watching Korean variety shows and is a devoted fan of host Yoo Jae-suk; Son Sook, a 63-year veteran of the stage and screen, will join the show to express her pride. Ha, who plays Sophie Beckett—a maid whose romance crosses class boundaries—will describe the audition that made her the first East Asian female lead in the series, the massive 2,400-pyeong (about 85,400 sq ft) set recreating 19th-century British high society, story elements adapted with Korean influences, and behind-the-scenes details from the widely discussed “spring-well clap” walking scene.

Family reactions to Ha’s casting add both humor and heart. Despite battling macular degeneration, Son Sook watched all of her granddaughter’s work; when she mentions a “slightly racy scene,” Ha’s embarrassed response provides a light moment. Ha will reflect on how watching her grandmother’s plays sparked her dream of acting, her training in Korea before stepping onto a global stage, and the sense of responsibility she feels as an East Asian performer. The episode will also highlight the steady support of Ha’s mother and the tender, mutually empowering bond between grandmother and granddaughter.

Short-track gold medalist Choi Min-jeong appears with her mother for the first time on the show. Having started skating at six, Choi looks back on a 22-year career and publicly announces her retirement from the national team after the Milan season. Her mother—who once wrote, “You are already the gold medal of my life”—will read that heartfelt letter written on yellow stationery. Choi recounts dramatic behind-the-scenes moments, including winning a race despite a traffic accident on the day of competition, and the relentless drive that made her one of South Korea’s most decorated athletes. She will also reveal her mother’s sacrifices—selling the family home to fund training, moving 12 times, and driving roughly 250,000 km (about 155,000 miles) over a decade—and present a surprise gift prepared in gratitude. The mother-daughter story, of two people who became each other’s gold medal, promises to resonate deeply.

The episode also features Yeom Hye-ran, an actor directors seek out and viewers often find deeply moving. Yeom will share an anecdote about feeling nervous before the You Quiz taping and, despite being the top choice for leading roles in Chungmuro, admit that she’s the sort of actor who hesitates even to ask directors and writers for their contact details. She’ll recount how celebrated creators—writer Kim Eun-sook and directors Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook—came to her first, and she’ll talk about a lighthearted celebrity circle she belongs to, the “Small Hearts Union,” whose members bond over cringing at their own on-set mistakes. Yeom will trace her journey from studying Korean literature with dreams of becoming a teacher, to working at a publishing house while continuing to audition, to the years of survival jobs she took as a theater actor while questioning whether to continue.

Yeom Hye-ran will reflect on career-defining roles from her debut in Dear My Friends to Goblin, The Glory, and Poksak Sogassuda, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from each project. She’ll recount being moved by Song Hye-kyo on The Glory and discuss the emotional depth she brought to the role of mother Gwang-rye—along with a candid, humanizing confession about her daughter’s real name. Yeom will fondly remember a cheerful mother who ran a rice shop while raising her children and who remains unabashedly proud of her daughter, bringing both laughter and warmth. She’ll also describe how daily friction with her 15-year-old helped her finally understand what it means to be a mother, and she’ll deliver a heartfelt message to her own mother that closes her segment on an intimate note.

tvN’s You Quiz on the Block airs Wednesdays at 8:45 PM.