Ha Ji Won Spoils Her Agency Junior, Park Ki Woong, With Business Trip Buffet On Set Of K-Drama ‘Monster’

Ever since she made her acting debut as a simple unnamed student in New Generation Report: Adults Don’t Understand Us, Ha Ji Won has become one of the most-beloved Korean actresses not just in South Korea, but internationally. With a career spanning two decades, Ji Won is best known for her roles as Lee Ji Eun in Secret, Gil Ra Im in Secret Garden, and Empress Ki Seung Nyang in Empress Ki. She is so well-established that even if Ji Won were to be part of a flop, it wouldn’t damage her image or her career. Case and point: The Time We Were Not In Love (also known as The Time That I Loved You, 7000 Days). That K-drama was plagued with so many negative incidents, including plagiarism accusations and numerous production crew changes, it was often considered the biggest failure of 2015.

Now at 38-years of age, Ha Ji Won is considered the “Unni” or “Noona” of many Korean actors and actresses younger than her. Reportedly, Ha Ji Won has taken the role well, as she recently sent a business trip buffet to the set of Monster for the cast and crew, but to specifically spoil her agency junior, Park Ki Woong.

The business trip buffet was reportedly sent to the set of Monster, a K-drama currently airing on the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) on Mondays and Tuesdays, on Friday, July 29, as reported by AllKpop. Park Ki Woong posted pictures of the business trip buffet, a gift from his “Noona,” on his official Instagram, as shown below.

From what we can discern from the Instagram pictures above, Ha Ji Won’s business trip buffet consisted of two parts. The first was a drink cart that served tea, smoothies, lattes, and other beverages. There was emphasis on the coffee in which the cups say “Gunwoo’s Coffee.” For those who don’t get it, the first name of the character Park Ki Woong plays is Gun Woo.

As for the second part of the buffet, there were two tables laden with food. It is very hard to discern what kind of food was provided but they all seem to be easy finger-foods anyone can eat, ranging from sliced fruits and vegetables, small sandwiches, and the like. It is possible hot soup, noodles, and hot dishes were also served as there were hot plate foods also in view.

However, the coolest (and possibly the funniest) part of the business trip buffet was a banner featuring Park Ki Woong in the foreground and a smaller picture of Ha Ji Won in the background. There is a text bubble above Ji Won that reads, “This is Noona’s treat!” Of course Ki Woong thanked his “Noona” too.

“Thank you! Senior Ji Won! Our affectionate noona who sent sunscreen for our staff members and a buffet to give her junior strength.”

Park Ki Woong is part of the main cast of the K-drama Monster. Starring Kang Ji Hwan and Sung Yu Ri, Monster is the story of a man from the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, specifically known as the IMF Crisis in South Korea. Lee Guk Cheol (Ji Hwan) lost everything, including his inheritance, to his greedy uncle, Byun Il Jae. He becomes a lowly beggar but through opportunities, Guk Cheol obtains a new identity, Kang Ki Tan, in which he seeks to take back what is rightfully his and enact his revenge. Along the way, he faces opposition in the form of Do Gun Woo (Ki Woong), the illegitimate son of a chaebol chairman, and Oh Soo Yeon (Sung Yu Ri), a young woman who seems similar to a girl he developed feelings for in his youth.

Currently, 36 of 50 episodes of Monster have aired. The viewership ratings are steady with about 11 percent average for the Seoul National Capital Area and 10 percent average for the nation.

As mentioned earlier, Monster airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9:55 p.m. KST on MBC. For those who do not have access to Korean channels, Monster can be viewed for free, with ads, on DramaFever and Viki pending region.

[Photo by Wally Santana/AP Photo]