Shocking throwback: Actress Jeon So-min revisited her school-day connection with Super Junior’s Eunhyuk — and revealed the hurtful nickname that still makes her uncomfortable.
On the March 24 broadcast of MBC FM4U’s Kim Shin-young's Hope Song at Noon, Jeon So-min and Kim Do-yeon guested and shared a range of stories. During the show, a listener mentioned that Jeon So-min and Eunhyuk were classmates in both elementary and middle school, asking whether their talent stood out even back then.
"Eunhyuk was definitely different from a young age. He was very popular in elementary school and even performed in a school dance group," Jeon recalled. She added, "His vibe was a little different from mine."
But there was also an awkward, bittersweet moment. Remembering a reunion with Eunhyuk at a TV station, Jeon said, "We were happy to see each other after a long time, but he called me by a nickname I’d forgotten." She explained, "Because my name is Jeon So-min, people shortened it to 'Jeon-so,' and then friends started calling me 'jeotso' — which means 'dairy cow.' Hearing that again out of the blue felt really unpleasant, and things got a bit awkward."
Their shared past has made headlines before. When they appeared together on SBS’s variety show Running Man in 2017, fellow Super Junior member Yesung joked, "Eunhyuk told me Jeon So-min had a crush on him back in school." Jeon denied it, saying, "He was just super popular," but Eunhyuk playfully fired back, "Her nickname then was 'dairy cow poop.'"
Jeon quipped right back, "So you didn’t like me? Didn’t you even give me a Christmas card?" turning the moment into laughs with their trademark bickering chemistry.