Hyo-yeon “Joo Woo-jae, we were friends…” Studio buzz “Did you really go your separate ways and not see each other?” (‘Hangout What Now?’) [Comprehensive]

[TV Report = Reporter Nam Geum-ju] Girls' Generation's Hyoyeon confessed to an unexpected friendship with Joo Woo-jae.

On the 20th, MBC's 'How Do You Play?' featured a meeting with Yoo Jae-suk, Heo Kyung-hwan, Joo Woo-jae, Haha, and discussion about the next short-form drama project.

That day, Yoo Jae-suk was scheduled to meet with HyoRiSu (Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung), who had suggested the other OST for the short-form drama, 'The Night the Stars Rain Down.' HyoRiSu gathered first in the waiting room. Hyoyeon, who arrived last, made everyone laugh by saying, "Sorry. I got a protagonist disease." Yuri checked with main vocalist Hyoyeon, asking, "Can you hit the high notes?" and Hyoyeon boldly replied, "I can't go up." Sooyoung then calmly said, "Should we replace Hyoyeon with AI?"

When Hyoyeon appeared in the studio, she said, "I want to say hello," but they were completely out of sync. Sooyoung emphasized that she was the youngest because she was born in 1990, saying, "Our first digits are clearly different. One year makes a big difference," drawing a line between herself and the other two. When Haha said Hyoyeon's speaking style had changed, Sooyoung revealed, "Hyoyeon has caught celebrity syndrome lately," making everyone laugh. Yoo Jae-suk also said, "How long has it been since your debut, and celebrity syndrome is only arriving now?"

In the meantime, Hyoyeon revealed her surprising closeness with Joo Woo-jae. Hyoyeon introduced him, saying, "He was a friend before," and, "He was my meal buddy and drinking buddy," causing a stir around them. People nearby murmured, "You mean your ex-boyfriend?" and Sooyoung was shocked, saying, "I've never seen Hyoyeon have a meal buddy or drinking buddy before." The two had worked together on a past program. Heo Kyung-hwan and Haha also suspected, "Looks like there's something going on," and "Did you not see each other after breaking up?"

HyoRiSu brought up Yuri's female lead story and slowly entered business negotiations. When they heard about auditions, Hyoyeon casually said, "I'm fine with a male role too." Yuri suggested, "How about making the HyoRiSu OST and the lead role into a package?" and added, "She looks pretty, but is kind of funny sometimes?" When Joo Woo-jae thought of Jeon Ji-hyun in the film 'My Sassy Girl,' Yoo Jae-suk immediately said, "She doesn't fit us, does she?"

Then Yoo Jae-suk revealed that Haha had suggested assigning it to Taetiseo instead of HyoRiSu. HyoRiSu then jumped up from their seats, saying, "Let's go." Yoo Jae-suk mentioned Girls' Generation's past activities and said, "These days, Girls' Generation is trending in the algorithm, and I've started paying attention to Hyoyeon. When we did 'Kissing You' with the candy, Hyoyeon and I really didn't match," he said. Hyoyeon admitted, "I was very hurt, and I wanted to smash all the candy," adding, "Still, I worked hard."

When the discussion came up about Sooyoung having few parts in the 'Kissing You' stage, Hyoyeon said, "Among idols, and within our group, she was the tall one." Sooyoung replied, "I do feel like I was born in the wrong era," adding, "These days there are many tall people like Jang Won-young. If I debuted now, wouldn't I be the center?" But Hyoyeon and Yuri did not agree, saying, "That's not true. She's trying too hard," and "She's too lanky, and it doesn't look good."

After that, HyoRiSu held a high-note battle and even started a dance showdown. The three showed off their impromptu dance skills, just like in variety shows from the past. Sooyoung showed off refreshing dance lines as 'Sooyonce,' and Hyoyeon transformed into Usher, turning the set upside down. Haha and Yoo Jae-suk said, "Are Taetiseo watching?" but Joo Woo-jae said, "They don't watch much." Heo Kyung-hwan added, "Then you should change it to 'Will you watch?'"

In the end, Yoo Jae-suk chose HyoRiSu as the OST leads, and HyoRiSu quickly divided up the parts and worked out the choreography on the spot. Sooyoung suddenly shouted, "Coachella," drawing laughter. But soon after, HyoRiSu captured the stage with their stable skills.

Reporter Nam Geum-ju / Photo = MBC 'How Do You Play?'