In a new episode on Kim Jung Nan’s YouTube channel, Kim Ji Hoon shared a raw and honest account of why he stepped away from the spotlight.
The two reminisced about their past drama Why Did You Come to My House, with Kim Jung Nan joking, “You used to be such a pretty boy. What happened—did the military turn you into a beefcake?” Kim laughed but admitted, “No, I just got older and started tasting how bitter life can be. It changed me.”
That bitterness, he explained, came from being typecast. “Everyone only saw me as the weekend drama guy. I wanted to do other roles—films, different genres—but those offers never came. I kept turning down the same kind of parts, and eventually just stopped working. It went on for nearly three years.”
He recalled a heartbreaking moment that pushed him over the edge: “There was a drama I really believed in. I was waiting to hear back, thinking I had a shot. Then one morning, I saw a headline—someone else had been cast. I lost it. I just couldn’t take it anymore.”
Things got darker from there. “I burned through all the money I’d saved. But the real killer was the lack of hope. Not knowing if or when anything would happen again. And my health started collapsing too. I had headaches so bad I thought I had a brain tumor—just touching my head hurt. That’s when I realized: the worst thing for your body is stress.”
He continued, “At first, I told myself, ‘Okay, let’s travel, read, work out, watch films, make good use of this time.’ But after a few more disappointments, even books didn’t register. I couldn’t absorb anything. Movies didn’t make sense. I hit a wall.”
So he did the one thing that did work: gaming. “It was the only thing I could do where I didn’t have to put in effort—and it actually helped. During the time I spent gaming, I could forget everything. I ended up playing almost nonstop for a year. It was like my antidepressant.”
Kim Jung Nan asked whether he was able to date at all during that time. Kim grinned and said, “Actually… yeah, I did,” breaking the tension with a laugh. “You really did everything,” she teased. “But honestly, I think you went through a completely normal journey. Every actor needs that kind of downtime. That’s why your acting is better now.”
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