Park Ji Yeon says she never expected her “Teach You a Lesson” line to go viral as her villain role becomes a global hit
Park Ji Yeon is receiving major attention for her unforgettable performance in Netflix’s “Teach You a Lesson”.
The series, which follows the Teachers’ Rights Protection Bureau as it deals with problems in the education field, ranked No. 1 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 non English shows for 2 consecutive weeks after its release.
Park Ji Yeon appeared in episode 5 as “Woo Jin’s mom”, a difficult parent who makes harsh demands toward a teacher. Her realistic acting quickly became a hot topic, with viewers calling her “the nation’s hated character” and “the model of a difficult parent”.
In a recent interview, Park Ji Yeon shared, “Honestly, it still feels like a dream. I feel dazed. Messages and calls keep coming in”. She added that checking reactions on SNS made everything feel even more unreal.
Although she is not a parent in real life, Park Ji Yeon said she worked hard to make the character believable. She explained that she watched documentaries, read related books, studied posts from mom cafes, and even visited elementary schools during arrival and dismissal times to observe parents.
She admitted that playing such a strong character was not easy. Park Ji Yeon said, “I thought playing a villain would relieve stress, but it was not like that at all”. She added, “I realized villain roles are very difficult. My real personality is completely peaceful”.
Her now famous line, “My child’s father is angry,” also became widely parodied online. Park Ji Yeon said she heard that teachers often hear similar words in real life, so she focused on the emotion and situation each time the line appeared. She shared, “I never expected so many people to parody it like a meme”.
Park Ji Yeon also revealed that her husband, actor Hwang Sang Kyung, helped her practice at home and gave her many ideas while preparing for the role.
She also recommended her university junior Kwon Dong Ho for the role of Woo Jin’s father, saying she trusted him because they had worked together before.
Her popularity has also grown quickly. Her SNS followers reportedly increased from 12,000 to 38,000, and many fans have been leaving playful comments related to her character.
She also said she felt thankful after Super Junior’s Kim Hee Chul left a comment, even though they do not personally know each other.
Park Ji Yeon said she is grateful for titles like “nation’s hated character” because they mean her acting left a strong impression. However, she hopes to show a different side of herself in future projects.
Looking back on her 20 year career, she said this attention feels like a “bonus” and a reward, but she knows it may calm down someday. She added that she wants to keep challenging herself without fear.
Park Ji Yeon ended by saying she wants to become an actress people can trust, sharing, “When I appear on screen and start acting, I hope people do not see actress Park Ji Yeon, but simply see the character”.
