Former Yoo In Na manager leaves YG Entertainment to pursue acting

He came to Seoul with dreams of becoming an actor, but reality was harsh. He faced frustration without filming a single project and eventually returned to his hometown. The job he chose to return to Seoul was not as an actor, but as a manager. After spending four years with Yoo In Na and working as a manager for stars like Cha Seung Won and Son Na Eun, Song Hyeon Seo has finally decided to leave his stable job and choose the path of an actor once again. Behind his choice lies a dream he could not let go of for 10 years.

On the 27th, a video titled 'A Day in the Life of a 30-Year-Old Actor Chasing His Dream While Working as a Chauffeur for a Multi-Billion Won CEO, Former Manager of Yoo In Na' was released on the YouTube channel 'Bin Peipeo'. Song Hyeon Seo introduced himself as a "10-year veteran actor who started acting in 2015" and shared the process of how he came to dream of acting and the ups and downs of his life.

After completing his second year of university, he took a leave of absence and moved to Seoul, asking his mother, "Please give me just two years." He boasted that he would not ask for financial help, but reality was not as easy as he thought. After about two years, his mother said it was difficult to watch her son continuously spending money, and only then did Song Hyeon Seo realize that his choice was also becoming a burden to his family. He recalled, "I felt so immature that I cried for a long time," and eventually returned to his hometown a week later.

His harshest period was when he failed to appear in even a single work for eight months. He returned to school in Gwangju, but his heart could not leave Seoul. He confessed about that time, "There was no vitality at all. I couldn't adapt and just drank alcohol," adding, "I lived with immense frustration." Unlike how chasing a dream sounds romantic, there are times in reality where it is difficult to endure with only talent and effort. For Song Hyeon Seo, that time was a scene of youth constantly wavering between dreams and livelihood.

While contemplating employment, he experienced professional life through field training at the Korea Rural Community Corporation, but eventually concluded, "This won't work." While looking for a way to return to Seoul, he thought of becoming an actor's manager. He believed that if he worked by an actor's side, he could maintain a connection to the entertainment industry. After applying to several agencies, he joined YG Entertainment and worked as a manager in the field, managing Cha Seung Won first, followed by Yoo In Na and Son Na Eun.

Among them, the four years spent with Yoo In Na remained the most special memory. Song Hyeon Seo mentioned that he often had meals at Yoo In Na's house and that she enjoyed socializing with her manager and staff. His words, "She treated me really well, like an older sister," reflected a human trust that went beyond a simple professional relationship. The experience of observing an actor closely for a long time may have paradoxically been a time that reaffirmed why he dreamed of being an actor.

However, during his time as a manager, he did not inform the company that he was an actor. This was because he judged that pursuing acting secretly would not be honorable. He stated, "I thought they might feel a great sense of betrayal when they found out later," and expressed that he decided he should quit being a manager and do it properly if he were to restart his acting career. Ultimately, Song Hyeon Seo made the decision to leave the stable shelter of YG.

"I wanted to leave the company and start proudly by declaring my intention to become an actor," he said. "I felt that I could only focus on the work if I burned my bridges." He emphasized that he has never once regretted his choice. The profession of an actor is a path where results are not guaranteed, and for someone who has experienced a long hiatus, choosing that path again means taking on another layer of uncertainty. Nevertheless, he returned not because he was certain of success, but because even if he fails, he wanted to take responsibility for his dream until the end.

Looking only at his history as a 10-year actor, it may not seem glamorous. However, Song Hyeon Seo's time contains a complex trajectory of an aspiring actor, a frustrated youth, an office worker, a star's manager, and a person who has become an unknown actor again. Someone's dream is not always achieved in a straight line. One may turn back, give up, choose another path, and then return to the starting point. What matters may not be how quickly one arrives, but whether one has the courage to turn their steps back toward the place they truly desire. For Song Hyeon Seo, leaving YG is not an end, but a starting line to restart the actor's dream he left unfinished 10 years ago.