After the first season of the healing variety show 'Bogum's Magic Hair Roll' concluded, many viewers eagerly anticipated a second season. Now, good news about the new season has emerged, with even some spoilers leaking early. Surprisingly, the focus has fallen on actor Park Bo-gum (박보검) himself! Already a licensed barber, Park challenged himself to master advanced perming techniques for the second season. Despite his packed schedule, he dedicated time to intense study, successfully obtaining a hairstylist license, which reportedly has a pass rate of less than 20%. The news has left Korean netizens astonished and impressed, prompting many to engage in "self-reflection."
'Bogum's Magic Hair Roll' is a healing reality variety show themed around "styling hair and comforting hearts." The first season featured Park Bo-gum alongside close friends Lee Sang-yi (이상인) and Kwak Dong-yeon (곽동연). The trio traveled to remote villages, operating a special barbershop where they cut and styled residents' hair while also providing companionship through conversation.
The first season, which aired for 10 episodes starting January 30 this year, achieved a peak viewership rating of 3.7% and was well-received by many viewers. During the show, several celebrities and professionals made surprise appearances, including Park Hae-joon (박해준), Choi Dae-hoon (최대훈), Rain (비), Kim So-hyun (김소현), and chef Yoon Nam-no (윤남로), adding many highlights to the rural barbershop.
With the second season's return, Kwak Dong-yeon, who was the youngest member in the first season, will be replaced by Go Kyung-pyo (고경표) due to scheduling conflicts. Go Kyung-pyo previously starred with Park Bo-gum in 'Reply 1988,' and the two are known to be close friends in real life, leading to much anticipation among fans upon the announcement. The second season is slated to air on tvN in November, with filming officially commencing in late August.
In fact, Park Bo-gum obtained a Korean barber's license during his military service in August 2020, where he served as a military barber. As he had always hoped to use his barbering skills to serve residents in remote areas and elderly individuals with mobility issues, many fans had previously called for a show centered around his barbering talents.
By the time 'Bogum's Magic Hair Roll' season one aired, Park Bo-gum had already acquired his barber's license, but the services he could offer primarily included cutting, styling, and coloring. However, with the latest spoilers for season two, the shop sign has subtly changed from "Haircut × Blowout" in the first season to "Haircut × Perm," immediately catching netizens' attention.
It turns out that to challenge himself with more advanced techniques like perming in the second season, Park Bo-gum dedicated himself to further study during the show's preparation. He even prepared for the hairstylist qualification exam despite his demanding work schedule, ultimately passing successfully.
According to related discussions, this qualification exam is quite difficult, with a pass rate reportedly less than 20%. After the news spread, many Korean netizens couldn't help but exclaim, "That's incredible!" They had initially only been looking forward to the second season but ended up reflecting on their own self-discipline and perseverance, inspired by Park Bo-gum.
The comment section on Korean online communities was flooded with praise. One netizen joked, "If I were Park Bo-gum, with that physique and face, I probably wouldn't live so diligently. He's really cool, I admire him so much." Another couldn't help but quip, "No matter what variety show this person goes on, he always manages to write his own story." Someone else jokingly added, "Please let me hear his success story! His previous failure story was already super interesting."
Seeing the word "Perm" on the season two sign, a netizen also laughed, "He actually did it. The sign itself became a spoiler, which is somehow hilarious."
More netizens directly entered "self-reflection mode," commenting, "After seeing this, I suddenly feel like I should reflect on myself," "Teacher Park Bo-gum truly lives so diligently," "Even top stars work this hard, what am I doing?" "After watching this, I suddenly went to memorize English vocabulary," and "Bo-gum, it's okay for you to live casually, why am I the one living so casually? I need to learn from you."
A netizen who had previously worked with Park Bo-gum shared that in addition to his diligent work ethic, his personality is also very gentle. "He has great character and is very polite, always greeting everyone properly. He was so kind that at the time, I even wondered, 'How can such a person exist?' It turns out he's just a very kind person."
Regarding Park Bo-gum's success in obtaining the hairstylist license, some netizens felt it was entirely consistent with his personality: "If it's Park Bo-gum, I always knew he would do it. Even if the pass rate was only 2%, he'd probably succeed." Others pointed out that he was also filming a movie at the same time, yet managed to prepare for the exam during his work breaks, calling it "the best example of 'diligence.'"
Some also lamented, "The hairstylist license is really impressive. I wanted to get it too, but it seems to require a lot of time." Others learned for the first time how difficult perming is: "The pass rate is only 20%? No wonder some hairstylists are great at coloring but not necessarily at perming." Fans also jokingly asked, "What else can't Park Bo-gum do?" and "It feels like he'd do well no matter what he does, he's truly amazing."
While filming movies and managing his entertainment schedule, Park Bo-gum continues to challenge himself with new skills. It's no wonder that after the season two spoilers were revealed, fans weren't just excited about the show's content, but a large number of Korean netizens collectively fell into a state of "being pushed to work hard by their idol" and self-reflection.
As the second season officially begins filming, the new tricks Park Bo-gum will bring to the rural barbershop, and the new chemistry he will create with long-time friends Go Kyung-pyo and Lee Sang-yi, are now the most anticipated highlights before the show's return.
