On June 7, actress Park Ji-yeon shared behind-the-scenes photos from Episode 5 on social media, revealing that she appeared as Woo-jin’s mother.
Reflecting on the project, she wrote that the series tackles meaningful issues and that she approached the role with extra care, while encouraging viewers to support the drama. The photos showed the actress smiling while holding the script and posing alongside child actor Choi Ja-woon, who played her son in the episode.
Released on Netflix on June 5, Teach You a Lesson follows the activities of the Teacher Rights Protection Bureau, an organization established to confront the growing problems facing South Korea’s education system. In Episode 5, Park Ji-yeon portrayed Lee Ji-young, an overprotective parent whose relentless complaints make a teacher’s life unbearable. Her character bombards teacher Choi Ji-seon, played by Song Si-an, with excessive demands, malicious complaints, and false child abuse accusations.
The episode struck a nerve with viewers due to the realism of the character’s behavior. Lee Ji-young constantly sent unreasonable messages to the teacher, demanding special treatment for her child and criticizing everything from classroom discipline to personal appearance. She also monitored the teacher’s social media accounts, interfered in her private life, and even spread false rumors in local parenting communities, pushing the teacher to her emotional breaking point.
Among those who reacted strongly to the episode was Kim Hee-chul. Commenting on Park Ji0yeon’s social media post, the Super Junior star jokingly wrote, “I almost cursed here too,” before adding, “I watched it while swearing the whole time.” His humorous response quickly gained attention online, with fans interpreting it as proof of just how convincing Park Ji-yeon’s performance was.
Song Si-an, who played the victimized teacher in the episode, also joined the conversation, leaving a supportive comment that read, “Love you,” highlighting the cast’s close friendship off-screen.
Audiences echoed Kim Hee-chul’s reaction, flooding social media with comments praising Park Ji-yeon’s ability to bring the frustrating character to life. Many viewers admitted they felt genuine anger while watching the episode, with comments ranging from “My husband was furious after watching this” to “I nearly exploded from frustration” and “That performance raised my blood pressure.”
While her character became one of the most disliked figures in the series, the overwhelming response has only reinforced Park Ji-yeon’s reputation as an actress capable of delivering powerful and memorable performances.
Her portrayal of Lee Ji-young has emerged as one of Teach You a Lesson’s most talked-about episodes, proving that sometimes the most effective villains are the ones who feel frighteningly real.
Sources: Daum | 마이데일리
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