Cho Jung-seok jokes about 80 billion won guarantee on SBS variety show

Actor Cho Jung-seok jokingly negotiated a 75 billion won guarantee during a casting segment on the SBS variety show 'Master Hang-jun'. The episode featured Jang Hang-jun attempting to cast Cho for a fictional project titled 'The Man Who Lives with the Royal Elephant'.

In the third episode of the SBS cinematic talk variety show 'Master Hang-jun,' directed by Lee Dong-won and Kam Yu-min, with writer Kim Myeong-jeong and co-produced by VIVO Content Lab, actor Cho Jung-seok appeared to share various stories, ranging from his marriage to Gummy and life as a father of two daughters to a wardrobe malfunction during a musical performance and his high school days.

Cho Jung-seok revealed that his household consists of "three Cho Jung-seoks and one Gummy," noting that both his 7-year-old and 9-month-old daughters look exactly like him. During a discussion on parenting with Jang Hang-jun and Kim Poong, Cho shared how he plays "Cinderella" with his eldest daughter. In this game, Gummy plays the role of the clock, making "ding-dong" sounds when the daughter tells her it is 12 o'clock. Cho mentioned that he uses intense ad-libbing to satisfy his daughter's playfulness, even receiving a command from her to "come back to being Daddy, zap!" after getting too immersed in his monster acting.

Cho also shared a humorous anecdote from his time playing the role of Roger in the musical 'Grease,' where he experienced a startling moment when his pants slipped down to his thighs during a performance.

The highlight of the episode was Jang Hang-jun's attempt to cast Cho Jung-seok for his next project, jokingly referred to as 'Wangsa-nam 2.' Jang claimed the project would be based on a true story from the Joseon Dynasty, similar to his previous hit that drew 16.93 million viewers. His description grew increasingly absurd, proposing a historical drama featuring palanquin car chases and zombies, even claiming that his wife, Kim Eun-hee, is writing the zombie scenes. The project was eventually revealed to be 'The Man Who Lives with the Royal Elephant,' a "nose-romance" about the special bond between Korea's first elephant and a human, which Jang boasted had received 200 million dollars in investment from the United States.

During a script reading segment, Kim Poong appeared as "Poong-kkiri," transforming into the elephant 'Wang-ko.' Cho Jung-seok sat on Kim Poong's shoulders, shouting, "Let's go, Wang-ko!" and even delivered a serious emotional performance while saying goodbye to the elephant, "You are Joseon's first elephant!"

When the "Master crew" presented him with a contract, Cho Jung-seok jokingly added a clause stating his guarantee would be 80 billion won. During the intense negotiation, Cho "reduced" the fee from 80 billion won to 75 billion won, prompting Song Eun-i to laugh, saying, "That's like shaving off an entire apartment in Gangnam!" After leaving the secret studio, Cho remarked that he felt he had "stuck his nose in" regarding the audition. To meet Cho's high guarantee, Jang Hang-jun jokingly suggested, "Let's hire a detective to find some dirt on him."

Separately, Jang Hang-jun was honored with a Presidential Citation at the 2026 Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards held on the 29th. Following the success of his previous work which drew 16.93 million viewers, the recognition as a "Master" has heightened expectations for his future activities.

Following the broadcast, social media users reacted enthusiastically, with comments such as, "It was hilarious when Jang Hang-jun slandered Cho Jung-seok's guarantee as 780 million won and Cho countered with 790 million won," "The idea of 'The Man Who Lives with the Royal Elephant' sounds more interesting than I thought," and "The funniest part is that Cho Jung-seok is the prince at home while Gummy plays the clock."

'Master Hang-jun' is a cinematic talk variety show about Jang Hang-jun attempting to cast top actors for his autobiographical film, featuring the witty back-and-forth between the "Master" and various stars. It airs every Thursday at 9 PM on SBS.

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