Kim Se-in opens up about financial hardship and nude scenes

Kim Se-in, once a rising star on the small screen, has opened up about the deep twists and turns of her life that she had kept hidden for a long time. Behind the glamorous life of a celebrity, there was the heavy burden of a breadwinner responsible for her family, and desperate times when she had to make difficult choices just to survive.

Appearing on MBN's 'Scoop World' on the 30th, Kim revealed the reasons she was forced to leave the entertainment industry after being a noteworthy actress, as well as her current daily life living with abandoned animals.

The most poignant part of the broadcast was her confession of having to pursue an acting career amidst severe financial hardship.

Kim revealed that she grew up in a relatively stable environment under her father, a businessman. However, the IMF financial crisis completely upended her family's life.

Recalling those times, she said, "The family situation became seriously difficult around the time I entered high school. I lived with my parents in a place that was like a warehouse, without even a bathroom truly available."

Having grown up as an ordinary student, she was forced to take responsibility for her family's livelihood as soon as she turned 20. Before the dream of being an actress, the reality of survival stood in her way.

"As soon as I turned 20, I started working in the entertainment industry," Kim said. "Whenever I received my appearance fees, I sent all of them to my parents."

She then cautiously confessed to her past decision to perform nude scenes.

"Tens of millions of won was a large amount of money then, as it is now, but at that time, it was money I truly needed," she stated. "I felt that I had to take the lead and shoulder the burden."

Although it was not an easy choice, for Kim, it was not a provocative challenge but a realistic necessity to protect her family. It was a period when her family's survival was more important than her image as an actress.

However, that choice left another wound for her family.

Kim shed tears, saying, "My father blamed his own business failure, saying, 'How could our daughter spend the money she earned like this?'"

Her father, who had to watch his daughter sacrifice herself for the family, also lived with deep guilt and regret.

Kim's life in the entertainment industry was not smooth thereafter. While she dreamed of growing as an actress, her mother's deteriorating health and conflicts with her agency coincided.

She claimed, "During the time my mother collapsed, I also went through hard times in the entertainment industry. An agency official mistreated me by taking me to places like adult entertainment bars."

She further confessed her feelings at the time, saying, "Every single day was like hell. I hated living so much."

Ultimately, Kim let everything go and left Korea. She prepared for a new life as a travel guide in Malaysia, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she had to return to Korea.

In the meantime, another great trial came to her family.

After collapsing from a subarachnoid hemorrhage, her mother has been living in a nursing hospital for 15 years without regaining consciousness. Her father passed away from a heart attack two years ago.

Kim expressed her sorrow, saying, "I think my mother has been trapped in her body for 15 years. She cannot move a single finger and has no consciousness."

Even so, she did not forget her promise to her father.

"Wherever he went, my father boasted, 'My daughter is a celebrity,'" Kim said. "He promised that once we did well and moved to a country house, we would live together raising dogs, rabbits, and chickens."

The reason Kim is currently living in a country house is also because of that promise.

Although it is not a grand mansion, she lives in a rented country house while caring for 15 animals, including abandoned dogs, rabbits, and chickens.

To her, the animals are not just pets, but family members who helped her endure the hard times.

Kim has not completely given up her acting career. While she occasionally continues filming commercials, dramas, and movies, she also works part-time in delivery to make a living.

"I do commercials, dramas, and movie filming, but I have to run hard to feed a large household," she said. "I have to earn even a single penny."

From an actress who once received the spotlight to a person now working in delivery and caring for animals, Kim's goal remains the same: to prove her existence as an actress once again.

She expressed her will to return, saying, "I want to show various types of acting with a healthy body and mental strength."",

Kim's story goes beyond a simple celebrity confession. It is a record of how a person's dream changes in the face of family responsibility and how they find hope again. What resonates more deeply than a story of success is the fact that she did not give up even in her lowest moments. Kim continues to care for 15 lives in a small country house, preparing for her next scene in front of the camera.