Actress Seo Hyun-jin is drawing widespread attention after opening up about the emotional toll of her early career and the painful words from her mother that still move her to tears.
Appearing on a recent episode of You Quiz on the Block, the Another Miss Oh star shared a candid account of her struggles following the disbandment of her former girl group, M.I.L.K. Seo, who debuted as the lead vocalist under SM Entertainment, said the group's activities were short-lived.
"We only promoted for about a year," she said. "We appeared on terrestrial TV just four times."
After M.I.L.K quietly disbanded, Seo was left with no clear path forward. The years that followed were marked by rejection and self-doubt.
"Even now, I cry when I recall what my mom once said," she admitted during the interview. "At one point, my parents said, 'Maybe there's a reason why it's not working out.' I felt the ground shake beneath me. If I couldn't trust this, then what could I trust?"
A gifted student of traditional Korean dance, Seo had studied at Gugak Middle and High School before transitioning into entertainment.
She eventually began auditioning for acting roles while still under contract with SM. Most auditions ended in disappointment.
"I had to do part-time jobs and study acting hard," she said.
Seo credited her acting coach with pushing her to improve. At one point, she was tasked with rehearsing all 13 characters from the comedy series High Kick Through the Roof, an exercise that demanded versatility and stamina.
Her perseverance paid off in 2016 when she was cast in Another Miss Oh, a turning point that earned her critical acclaim and the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actress.
"I just did what I'd always done," she said. "But suddenly people started saying I was good. It made me wonder, could they just as easily say I'm bad again?"
Despite being so successful, Seo is very much a normal person. Thinking back to a line from Another Miss Oh, she shared a thought that's become her mantra: "I still hope for myself, that I do well, that I stay precious."
Seo Hyun-jin's tale has captured the hearts of fans of all ages as an example of resilience and quiet determination amidst lifelong uncertainty.
