Lee Seo-jin gives realistic advice on stocks to 'rising star' RESCENE: "Don't do it"

Actor Lee Seo-jin gave realistic advice like a senior in the entertainment industry to the girl group RESCENE, who are garnering attention through a chart reversal. He warned that just as much as the popularity they worked hard to gain, managing money after the first settlement is important, stating, "If you do something like stock investment poorly, you'll be ruined." While it may sound like a simple joke in a variety show, it drew attention as he continued to advise the idols, who have just begun their activities, to be careful with income management and financial fraud.

In the SBS Friday variety show 'My Secretary,' which aired on the 2nd, Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-kyu acted as daily managers for the members of RESCENE—WONI, MINAMI, LIV, MEI, and ZENA—who have an average age of 20.6. As a program that closely manages a star's day, the two not only took care of schedules but also listened to the young members' concerns and realistic interests.

Currently, RESCENE is spending busy days writing a so-called 'chart reversal myth.' Their popularity has surged to the point where they receive as many as 100 casting calls a day and have 40 schedules in a single week. However, the current attention was not guaranteed from the beginning. Rather, the members confessed that immediately after their debut, they didn't even have enough opportunities to stand on stage.

WONI revealed, "There is a story, but we are a small company. We started with nothing, and the CEO gathered us one by one," adding, "I thought it was natural to stand on stage after debuting, but even after debuting, there were no opportunities to stand on stage. We released songs but couldn't even do music shows." Ultimately, RESCENE did not just wait for large-scale broadcast stages. They promoted themselves by visiting everywhere from elementary school sports days to events in front of community centers, and gradually drew public attention as various YouTube content and 'Yaho' gained word-of-mouth popularity.

Lee Seo-jin was particularly interested in RESCENE's situation where they have not yet received a settlement. In the entertainment industry, 'popularity' and 'actual profit' do not necessarily correlate, and especially in the case of rookie groups, the structure is not such that a stable income is generated immediately upon debut. This is because it can take a considerable amount of time until settlement depending on various costs incurred during activities and contractual relationships.

Lee Seo-jin emphasized, "Once you receive your settlement, you must save money steadily," and "If you do something like stock investment poorly, you'll be ruined." He continued with realistic advice, saying, "There is no need to even know about stocks. Even if you receive a settlement, do not spend it on frivolous things and be frugal." This is interpreted as a warning to be cautious about investing excessively or consuming based only on the words of those around them during a time when they do not yet have much economic experience, rather than unconditionally negating financial products themselves.

When WONI asked, "Is money really everything?", Lee Seo-jin replied, "Money is everything," without a moment's hesitation, drawing laughter. However, it did not end as a joke. He gave specific warnings as a senior, saying that after receiving the first settlement, they must be careful of people targeting their money and various scams, such as rental fraud and the management of personal seals, which are realistic problems that can occur.

In particular, when large sums of money suddenly come to young celebrities who do not have much social experience, they can be vulnerable to approaches that exploit their lack of financial knowledge or contract experience. Lee Seo-jin's advice led to a realistic message that in the glamorous life of the entertainment industry, 'protecting money' is as important as 'earning money.'

Support for RESCENE's efforts also followed. At the end of the broadcast, a surprise Gold Button event was prepared to celebrate WONI's YouTube channel reaching 1 million subscribers. The 'My Secretary' team prepared a surprise camera by disguising the Gold Button as a ramen pot coaster, and RESCENE, who realized late that it was a real gift, showed an emotional reaction.

Kim Kwang-kyu also cheered for RESCENE's growth after spending the day with them. He said, "Don't they say to row when the tide comes in? But I thought these friends were literally rowing continuously. The tide just came in at that timing." This means they are not just a group that luckily hit a chart reversal, but a team that continued to seek out stages and endured until the opportunity came.

Ultimately, RESCENE's current popularity is difficult to explain solely by luck that happened one day. The time they spent visiting people directly and not refusing even small events even when there were no stages became the foundation for the chart reversal. Now that the 'tide' of public interest has begun to come in, connecting the popularity to sustainable activities and practical growth has become another task.

'My Secretary' is a program where Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-kyu perform the role of managers by closely accompanying a star's day. In Season 2, it expanded its scope beyond simple schedule management to looking into the private concerns and lives of stars. With Seo Jang-hoon scheduled to appear in the next episode, attention is focused on what kind of realistic concerns and unexpected advice from another star will be revealed.