Actress Kang So-ra reveals writing martial arts novels and 16kg weight loss

During a recent appearance on the tvN variety program "You Quiz on the Block," Kang So-ra shared how she lost 16kg in two months to pursue acting and previously serialized a martial arts novel titled "Flying Swallow Divine Sword" during her middle school years.

Pre-debut photos of actress Kang So-ra have drawn attention, revealing a youthful appearance that differs significantly from her current image. Her journey includes stories of losing 16kg in just two months to pursue acting, as well as a surprising past of writing martial arts novels during her school years. The actress's intense challenges to become a performer and her immersion in writing during her student days have captured public interest.

During the 365th episode of the tvN variety program "You Quiz on the Block" aired on the 21st, Kang So-ra appeared to discuss her journey from childhood to her debut as an actress. Although she has established a firm position as an actress now, she did not dream of acting from the beginning. She explained that her career aspirations changed whenever her interests shifted.

“When I was into animation, I dreamed of being a cartoonist, and when I liked movies, I wanted to be a translator,” Kang So-ra recalled. “Later, as I became interested in stage plays, I even hoped to become a director.” Having shown curiosity in various fields, she considered being a director until high school, before setting a new goal of becoming an actress ahead of university entrance exams.

However, the path to acting did not open as easily as expected. Kang So-ra revealed that before her weight loss, she visited an acting academy but did not receive active encouragement from them. She shared the situation at the time, stating, “The acting academy didn't even bother to tell me to join, suggesting instead that I should just continue with my studies.”

Instead of giving up, Kang So-ra decided to demonstrate her willpower through action. She lost 16kg during a two-month summer vacation, after which the acting academy finally encouraged her to take on the challenge. She explained, “Seeing my determination, they told me, 'Give it a try.'” Photos released during the broadcast showed her youthful face with more volume in her cheeks than she has now, offering a glimpse of her appearance before her debut, which stands in contrast to her current sophisticated image.

Another field Kang So-ra was immersed in before becoming an actress was writing. She revealed that she began writing a martial arts novel titled "Flying Swallow Divine Sword" in elementary school and even serialized it on the internet after becoming a middle school student. Beyond a simple hobby, she was deeply involved in creation, building entire worlds and stories.

However, her passion for writing eventually clashed with her studies, leading her to stop the serialization. “The serialization was halted. It stopped because the site was undergoing maintenance, and although I thought about resuming it, I felt like I wouldn't be able to study at all if I did,” she said with a laugh. She further confessed, “When I was serializing, half of my brain was focused on that, so I couldn't focus on my studies, so I gave up writing.” This revealed a personality that becomes so immersed in a single thing that it becomes difficult to do anything else.

She also meticulously organized materials to write her novels. “I started writing bit by bit in elementary school and uploaded them in middle school,” Kang So-ra explained. “Because I had read a lot before that, whenever I encountered an unfamiliar Chinese character term, I would look it up and use it.” She recalled making notebooks to organize the martial arts worldviews and related terminology. It was notable that she devoted significant interest and effort to reading and writing stories from a young age.

After her debut as an actress, she was even offered the chance to revive and publish the novels she had written in the past. “After I debuted, they suggested reviving them since I had the memories,” Kang So-ra said. “But it was not possible to do it alongside my acting career.” While she experienced both possibilities of acting and writing, she ultimately focused on her activities as an actress.

From gaining the opportunity to challenge acting through a two-month weight loss to immersing herself in the world of creation by writing martial arts novels during her school years, this broadcast showed the hidden times of challenge and immersion behind the familiar image of the actress. Beyond the interest in her past photos, Kang So-ra's growth process of exploring various possibilities to find the path she wanted is receiving renewed attention.

Read the original (Korean)