Former 4minute member Kwon So-hyun opens up about life as a PD

In a YouTube vlog released on the 23rd, former 4minute member Kwon So-hyun revealed she has spent six months working as a PD at Cube Entertainment to support the group LIGHTSUM. The actress shared how she struggled with anxiety and constant comparisons to others during her time as a popular idol.

Kwon So-hyun, an actress and former member of the group 4minute, has chosen a path different from her previous entertainment activities. Now in her sixth month as an office worker working as a PD at Cube Entertainment, she candidly shared the anxieties and concerns she had hidden behind the glamorous stage. Her self-assessment—that she is "not incredibly pretty, nor is my skill incredibly good"—reflects the pressure she felt while living as a celebrity who had to be chosen by the public for a long time.

On the 23rd, a video titled "Going Home | 6-month office worker vlog" was released on Kwon So-hyun's YouTube channel. In the video, she shows her daily routine of commuting to work while buying coffee. She works at Cube Entertainment, where she previously was active, and her current title is PD. She shared the daily life of an ordinary office worker, including appearing to work even on days when other employees were off.

Speaking in front of the camera after work, Kwon So-hyun revealed that she has been starting her corporate life for six months. There were two reasons why she began working a separate job at an entertainment company while continuing her activities as an actress. One of them was the desire to be of even a little help to the members of the group LIGHTSUM, who are artists under the same agency.

Kwon So-hyun also spoke of the psychological pressure she experienced during her time as an idol. She explained her past worries, saying, "I kept comparing myself to the gaze of those around me, the recognition of friends who debuted at the same time as me, being loved, and public popularity; I kept comparing myself even within the same members." She noted that in an environment where one must constantly be conscious of public interest and recognition, she repeatedly compared herself to others.

She revealed that she only felt regret after those times of being gripped by such anxiety had passed. "After the time of being anxious passed, I felt it was such a waste," Kwon So-hyun said. This suggests that the worries she took for granted or found difficult to escape during her active years returned to her as emotions that consumed precious time after time had passed.

Her confession drew even more attention given that 4minute was a group that gained public popularity. "Although it is said that 4minute did well, I never thought that I did well," Kwon So-hyun confessed, adding, "I lived a life with high levels of anxiety." It appears that the group's success and the individual sense of achievement did not necessarily coincide. Her confession shows that even when receiving great love under a team name, there can be differences in the recognition and satisfaction felt by each member.

Kwon So-hyun did not hide her strict self-evaluation. "I felt that I was mediocre in everything," she said. "My face is not incredibly pretty, my skills are not incredibly good, and I am not incredibly good at dancing or singing. I thought I was a very mediocre person." She revealed the difficulty of being confident in her own strengths in an environment where, as a professional standing before the public, one is constantly evaluated on appearance, skill, and recognition.

However, this does not mean Kwon So-hyun gave up on her potential. She stated that she repeatedly asked fundamental questions, such as, "Is this work really right for me? What is something I can do well? What kind of person do I want to be?" She explained that she contemplated not only whether she could continue her career as a celebrity but also what kind of work would give her satisfaction and how she wanted to live.

The opportunity for a new start came when she encountered production-related projects at the company. Kwon So-hyun explained that while she was contemplating whether there was a field where she could better demonstrate her abilities and feel more alive, she obtained the opportunity to learn production work. Rather than staying only within the familiar field of acting, she decided to explore her capabilities anew by directly participating in the process of creating content. Her desire to help the members of LIGHTSUM also contributed to this choice.

Kwon So-hyun's current status leaves food for thought regarding how success in the entertainment industry is viewed. While her history as a member of a popular group comes to mind first for the public, the individual herself has constantly compared herself to others and doubted her own value. Her adding a new identity as an office worker can be seen as a process of rediscovering a life and work that suits her, beyond a simple change of occupation. Attention is focused on Kwon So-hyun's next steps as she builds new possibilities in the production field after spending time competing to be chosen on stage.

Read the original (Korean)