A year after moving to Apgujeong, comedian Hong Hyun-hee looks for a house with a yard

Comedian Hong Hyun-hee and her husband Jason are searching for a rural house to rent while keeping their current apartment in Gangnam, Seoul.

A video titled "Looking for a House" was posted Thursday on the couple's YouTube channel, Hong Hyun-hee and Jason's HongSsun TV.

In the video, Jason said he had initially been skeptical when Hong suggested finding a small country house of around 23 to 26 square meters. "When Hyun-hee said, 'What if we looked for a place with a yard?' I thought, 'How often would we even go?'" he said. "But then I was at a filming location in the countryside and it was just so refreshing." He added that spending time in nature seemed to be helping their son develop language skills faster and watch less screen time. "Playing in nature through all four seasons — wouldn't that be more fun?" he said.

Hong agreed, saying a recent trip to a pool villa had reminded her how different it feels to play outdoors. "I want to grow crops and eat them. I want to play with my son. Having a house with a yard in nature — that's been a dream of mine," she said.

The couple traveled to Yangsu-ri in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, to scout properties, and a real estate agent showed them a luxurious two-story duplex. The jeonse deposit was 200 million won ($129,000), while the monthly rent option required a 70 million won deposit plus 800,000 won per month.

Jason noted that hotel stays during peak season can run 400,000 won a night, and Hong said a pool villa costs at least 1 million won, making the monthly rent seem reasonable to both. However, they felt the property was too large for just the two of them to manage.

"I'd be happy with a single-story house with a yard and a small vegetable garden," Hong said.

The couple visited several more properties but could not find a rental that met their requirements.

"Maybe I should ask 'Save Me Holmes' (an MBC entertainment program) for help. I'll find something before the year is out," Hong said, expressing her disappointment.

Hong and Jason married in 2018 and have a son named Junbeom. The couple currently lives in a jeonse unit at Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments, where sale prices range from 8 billion to 9 billion won and jeonse deposits from 1.6 billion to 1.8 billion won.

paq@heraldcorp.com