Friends: Episode 4 Park Ji Hyun's Daily Life

Heart Signal 3's first love Park Ji Hyun is back to reveal her daily life post-graduation and shows us a delicious tofu gimbap recipe on Friends.

MCs: Lee Sang Min, Heechul, Seunghee (Oh My Girl), Shindong

Park Ji Hyun's Daily Life Reveal

7am on a Friday morning. Another brand new house is revealed. Who is the owner of the white-toned kitchenware and plentiful cosmetics? Oho~ It is Park Ji Hyun!

"Hello, I'm Park Ji-hyun. Nice to see you again after a long time," she happily greets the viewers. The famous Signal House entrance scene is shown... "Isn't it the most beautiful first appearance in the world?" asks Sangmin. "She's so pretty," says Heechul. "Like a heroine in a tragedy who's about to collapse..." Then says, "The image of first love as we all know."

Q. How have you been?

"I graduated last fall and decided to go to graduate school. I'm working in the lab. The rest of my spare time is spent on exercising or studying for tests," she says.

Introducing Jihyun's House

Jihyun wakes up at 7:30am and organizes the bedding right away. She cannot stand up straight, bending her back under the low ceiling to get out. Shindong teases, "That's what's difficult about a multi-layer house. You can't fully stand up."

Q. An attic bedroom... Isn't it uncomfortable?

"I really only use the bed when I'm sleeping. More time is spent in the living room. The ceiling is high, so the living room feels more open. There is a sense of stability, so it feels nice. That's why I moved in here," she says.

The Secret to Jihyun's 'Honey Skin'

Jihyun heads downstairs to the bathroom and ties up her hair. Heechul is captivated by her pure beauty, "She's really pretty." Sangmin chuckles and teasingly hits him in the back. She wakes up around 7 or 7:30am, and the first thing is to wash her face gently with only water. Using soap will remove the natural face oils, causing the skin to feel sensitive. After partially drying her face with a clean towel, she applies skin toner twice to fully absorb in the moisture. "The natural pink tone on her face is so lovely," says Seunghee. Jihyun's morning skincare routine is done!

Jihyun's Favorite Breakfast

After taking care of her radiant skin, Jihyun pours out a bowl of granola and prepares a slice of toast. "If I don't eat breakfast, I can't function for the day," she says. For breakfast, she usually eats yogurt, granola, bread, omelet. As seen a year ago at the Signal House, she is really good at cooking.

Jihyun's Egg Scramble Recipe:
On an unheated pan, add in eggs, butter, and a little bit of milk. Mix everything together on low heat, and the eggs will turn out very smooth and creamy!

Shindong praises, "She is a good cook." The creamy egg scramble omelet is plated next to the slice of toast. "This must be [late-night snack] for today!" says Heechul. "I like it all~" Seunghee teases him, "Do you like this [food] or the girl?" Laughter~ Jihyun's breakfast is complete! Bread with strawberry jam and milk is the most basic, but her favorite combo. After spreading jam and taking a bite of the toast, she focuses on her phone... Checking social media?

Jihyun's Unique Morning Routine

Q. What are you looking at on your phone in the morning?

"Once I wake up in the morning, I first check the weather, and then stocks," she says. "When I'm having breakfast, I'm looking at stocks..." followed by laughter.

Wow~ MCs are amazed. Shindong says, "She doesn't look like she would trade stocks." A huge sigh though after Jihyun sees the plunging graphs on the phone...

Q. Is the profit negative or positive?

"Right now... not in such a good condition," she says with a laugh. "Because I'm a bit impatient, I couldn't hold it and sold... The price would rise high as soon as I sold it. It's so hard..."

Her Cute Lunch Box

In the midst of eating breakfast, Jihyun returns to the kitchen to start cooking again...

Q. Weren't you having breakfast?

Jihyun says, "I was cooking side dishes for lunch. Vienna sausages and rolled omelet."

After a spoonful of granola and yogurt, she goes back to cooking again. The omelet is perfectly rolled and transferred onto the cutting board to slice. She cutely pops the leftover ends into her mouth. "Aww... So cute!" says Seunghee. "Mouth so tiny~" Back to the pan as she packs up the nicely grilled sausages. Today's special lunch box is complete!

Multi-tasking Getting Ready For Work

Jihyun busily gets ready for work, and applies a simple daily makeup look. "She doesn't need to wear any makeup," says Heechul. "She really doesn't," says Seunghee. In the midst of applying makeup, she suddenly takes another bite of the egg scramble. Not done eating yet...

Q. Aren't you eating breakfast for a long time?

"It's because I have a lot of things to do in the morning. Wash my hair and dry it, put on makeup, and make side dishes... In the middle of doing things, I'd take a bite..."

Jihyun fights a war (?) in the morning like any other office worker. After a busy morning, it is time to go to work. She gets changed and puts on a face mask. After one last check in the mirror, she finally heads out the door.

Jihyun's Lab Life

Even on the way to work, Jihyun is diligently studying in the car.

"I'm working in the lab at Konkuk University Hospital. The lab I'm in this time is closer to a real lab. We're doing a lot of experiments, also doing animal testing... It's closer to the field I want to be in," she says.

Taking one step closer to her dream. "She's cool," says Seunghee. "Perfect at everything," says Shindong. Shortly, Jihyun arrives at the lab for work. During lunchtime, she takes a self video at the lab enjoying the food with co-workers. Everybody brings a side dish or two to share.

Jihyun's Low Sodium Diet After Work

Jihyun returns home after work and begins to prepare dinner.

Q. What are you getting out of the fridge?

"Both are low sodium meals with very low carbs. I'm less active while in the lab. I thought if I don't tightly manage what I eat for dinner, I'd gain weight. That's why I started to eat this way," she says.

The first dinner menu is mille-feuille nabe. It is very easy to prepare with a store-bought meal kit. She neatly adds a single-serving portion of meat and veggies into a pot, pours in the broth, and covers the lid to bring it to a boil.

The second dish is tofu gimbap. Seeing chicken breast gimbap all over Instagram, she tried to use tofu as a substitute instead and it tasted great.

Jihyun's Tofu Gimbap Recipe:

• Beat an egg, heat sesame oil on a pan, and make the egg garnish
• Season two spoonfuls of low-calorie brown rice with sesame oil and salt
• On a pan, fry the tofu and imitation crab stick
• Spread the seasoned rice thinly on top of the seaweed
• Neatly stack each of the prepared ingredients on top of the rice
• Add a drizzle of sesame dressing on top of the tofu

Jihyun rolls up the tofu gimbap, and perfectly slices it. "Making gimbap is harder than you think," says Heechul. "She's really good at it." After plating the gimbap prettily, she pops the end piece straight into her mouth. The most delicious piece!

After she finishes cooking, each dish is moved to the dining table and neatly placed on top of a tablecloth. "That tablecloth is so important," she says. "Although a small thing, it feels complete. I can put it directly on the table to eat, but doesn't it look a bit pitiful? But if you use a tablecloth and decorate prettily, you'll feel like 'I'm eating for me'... It makes me feel good."

Finally, time to eat~ First, a taste of the savory broth. Then she picks up the napa cabbage and meat, blows on it to cool it down, and takes a bite. Lastly, a piece of the tofu gimbap. The taste of the gimbap is "clean, savory, and a bit sweet," she says with a smile. "And it's healthy." Not a meal to simply fill a meal, but a meal prepared entirely for herself. A small but certain happiness found in time spent alone.

To Jihyun, 'Cooking' Means...

Q. What does cooking mean to Jihyun?

"To me, cooking feels like a comma... I've been busy, but the moment I cook, I don't think about anything else. I only focus on the recipe," she says. "The sound of knives or the sound of bowls, it gives me a sense of comfort. That's why I cook a lot."

Jihyun cites a famous quote from the film Julie & Julia, "Life doesn't go my way, but I'm relieved to know that cooking will come out as it is if I follow the recipe." She can relate to this quote and feels the same way. The joy of 'cooking' will never betray.

A clean spoon. Now that she is full, a feeling of happiness~ After finishing her meal, she cleans up right away. Jihyun's daily life segment wraps up. Catch more of Jihyun on the next episode of Friends... a "Friend-some Day" with Kim Hyun Woo!