“People write these moving messages about being a fan, and then the last line is, ‘Can you lend me money?’ I still get several of those a day,” Jo shared. “They ask for anywhere from a few million to tens of millions of won. At first, I actually helped a little, but I realized that wasn’t the right path.”
Lee echoed the experience: “They’ll say, ‘Please save me just this once.’ I’ve helped before, too. There are people out there who try to take advantage of celebrities,” she said.
Requests like these remain common, with bad actors hiding behind the anonymity of social media. Verifying stories is tough, and even when messages turn out to be scams, tracking the senders is difficult ― enough that some stars end up shutting down their accounts altogether.
The day’s theme was “Traits of People You Should Cut Off.” Jo advised steering clear of anyone who talks about money too casually or doesn’t pay back by the promised date. When MC Lee Sun-min asked if they’ve ever been stiffed, both Jo and Lee said yes. “I’ve lost so much I could’ve bought a building,” Lee said wryly.
On handling toxic ties, Lee added, “Relationships should be give-and-take. If someone’s too selfish, it’s okay to cut them off. I used to think you had to be very clear with a yes or no, but now I don’t think you need to spell it out. Let the distance grow naturally.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Jo revealed for the first time that in college she once downed 2,700cc of beer ― about 2.3 liters ― in just three gulps to impress an upperclassman she had a crush on. The duo also teased plans to bring Park Mi-sun onto New Woman soon, noting they’ve already been working on content together.
New Woman is a podcast-style YouTube series led by Lee Kyung-sil and Jo Hye-ryun, with comedian Lee Sun-min serving as MC. New episodes drop every other Tuesday at 6 p.m. KST on the Rolling Thunder YouTube channel.
[Photo: YouTube channel Rolling Thunder]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)