Actor Hwang Jung-eum. [Newsis]
Actor Hwang Jung-eum. [Newsis]

Actor Hwang Jung-eum has drawn attention after fans questioned whether she went braless at a recent gathering.

In a video posted to her YouTube channel on Wednesday, Hwang appeared wearing two layered sleeveless tops, prompting viewers to wonder whether she had forgone a bra underneath.

The video was titled "The Day I Treated Unni Jiyoung and Oppa Subin."

It showed Hwang meeting fellow actors Bae Su-bin and Kim Ji-young — her co-stars from the drama series "Secret" — in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, where the three reminisced about filming the show more than a decade ago.

"I've fallen in love with Itaewon. I've been getting to know the area — it's been five years since I moved here," Hwang said as she opened the restaurant door, adding with a laugh that there was a story about her bringing a woman along when she went to meet a boyfriend there 13 years ago.

Kim Ji-young was surprised by Hwang's appearance, asking why she had gotten so tan. Hwang replied that her voice had been giving out, attributing it to raising two sons on her own. "My condition hasn't been great from raising two kids by myself," she said.

Hwang told Bae Su-bin that she had leaned on him a great deal during filming. Bae responded that he had watched her recent YouTube videos but noticed she had not mentioned him, saying he had quietly hoped his name would come up.

Hwang then recalled advice Bae had given her at the time. "You told me, 'You're such an instinctive actor. If you add reason to that, you'll become an even better one,'" she said. Bae added that Hwang had performed so intensely back then — "like riding a blade" — that he had no choice but to be drawn in.

Fans who watched the video turned their attention to Hwang's fashion. Known for her distinctive style in several hit productions during her peak years, she drew curiosity about how the 40-something single mother of two dresses today.

Comments on the video included: "You didn't go braless to the gathering, did you? I was startled at first," "I thought she might be braless from the walking scene at the beginning," "The style is really disappointing," and "Is she wearing two tank tops layered?"

In an earlier video, Hwang had attempted an idol-style makeup look inspired by Blackpink's Jennie, only to face harsh criticism — with viewers saying it looked like a punishment, calling it outdated, and suggesting she had deliberately gone for an old-fashioned look.


jshan@heraldcorp.com