[CELEB] Jeong Eunji returns to the small screen with her best friend duo

Television

Published: 14 Feb. 2022, 15:46 Updated: 17 Feb. 2022, 11:14

[CELEB] Jeong Eunji returns to the small screen with her best friend duo

The poster for tvN's ″City Girls on the Climb″ (2022). Actor and singer Jeong Eunji is on the far left. [TVN]

The stars of the hit Tving original series “Work Later, Drink Now” (2021) — Jeong Eunji, Lee Sun-bin and Han Seon-hwa — are back.

Except this time, the trio aren’t drinking until they see the sunlight. Instead, they are hiking up mountains in tvN’s new television show, “City Girls on the Climb” (2022).

The show premiered on Friday and is expected to air a total of four episodes. The first episode earned a viewership rating of 2.9 percent, according to data from Nielsen Korea.

TvN revealed this special show was Han’s idea.

The three friends start off the first episode by eating and of course, having drinks, and it is revealed that Han is a fan of hiking.

“I visited Cheonggye Mountain [in Gyeonggi] for the first time at a time when I felt very lonely and tired,” Han said. “Even when people recognized me, they made me feel comfortable. It’s one of my favorite memories. The mountains were my friends.”

Whereas the other two, Jeong and Lee, are not big fans.

Jeong said that she has “never hiked a mountain in Seoul before” and Lee said “I’ll probably lie down a lot. Please don’t ditch me.”

The episode proceeds to the trio heading over to Janggun Peak on Mount Taebaek, Gangwon, known for its snow-capped peaks. During the round-trip of five hours in the cold winter temperature of -17 degrees Celsius (1.4 degrees Fahrenheit), Lee starts crawling within 40 minutes of hiking.

From left, actors Jeong Eunji, Lee Sun-bin and Han Seon-hwa pose for a photo during the filming of Tving original series ″Drink Now, Work Later.″ [TVING]

YouTube clips of “Work Later, Drink Now" have been viewed more than 60 million times during a month and a half since its release, Tving said in December, so it's no surprise that fans received the new series well.

Luckily, “Work Later, Drink Now,” which centers around three young women enjoying their friendships, romance, careers and alcohol, is set to return with a second season, the streaming platform announced the same month.

Part of the series success was attributed to the actors’ chemistry on set and their characters’ relatability.

In particular, Jeong, who has always maintained an honest, down-to-earth image ever since her debut, highly contributed to the show’s success.

She debuted in 2011 as one of six members of girl group Apink. Since its beginning, the group has been popular among the public for its bubbly, pure image. In 2012, Jeong made her acting debut on the megahit television show “Reply 1997,” which aired on tvN. She played straightforward and sassy 18-year-old Sung Shi-won, who was a devoted fan of boy band H.O.T. She received praise from critics and viewers for her genuine acting and for her accurate portrayal of the fan culture of boy bands in Korea in the 1990s.

She subsequently took on acting roles in television series like SBS’s “That Winter, the Wind Blows” (2013) and KBS’s “Cheer Up!” (2015) and “Work Later, Drink Now.”

Jeong is known for her strong, high-pitched singing voice. She has had a successful singing career with both Apink and as a solo singer — Apink’s “My My” (2011), “Mr. Chu” (2014) and her solo song “Hopefully Sky” (2016) are examples.

“City Girls on the Climb” is available to view on Tving, which is currently only available in Korea.

Jeong Eunji

Date of birth: Aug. 18, 1993
Zodiac sign: Leo
Birthplace: Haeundae District, Busan
Debut: April 2011 as member of girl group Apink
Agency: IST Entertainment

Singer and actor Jeong Eunji debuted as a member of girl group Apink in 2011 with the EP “Seven Springs of Apink.” It has hit songs like “My My” (2011), “Mr. Chu” (2014) and “Dumhdurum” (2020). Jeong launched her acting career in 2012 with the tvN hit television series “Reply 1997” (2012), and subsequently SBS’s “That Winter, the Wind Blows” (2013), KBS’s “Cheer Up!” (2015) and Tving’s “Work Later, Drink Now.” She has proven popular with her solo career as a singer as well, with the song “Hopefully Sky” (2016).

This information was confirmed by IST Entertainment on Feb. 14, 2022.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]