Seo Hyun-jin Opens Up About 15 Years of Obscurity and the Tearful Words That Still Haunt Her
Actress Seo Hyun-jin has captured hearts once again — not through a role on screen, but by sharing the deeply emotional struggles that defined her early career.
About 15 Years of Obscurity and Painful Family Moments
In a now-viral clip from tvN’s You Quiz on the Block, the star of Another Miss Oh opened up about her years of uncertainty in the entertainment industry. Host Yoo Jae-suk introduced her as someone with 24 years in the business, tracing back to her start as the main vocalist of the girl group M.I.L.K under SM Entertainment.
“We only promoted for about a year,” Seo said, matter-of-factly. “We appeared on terrestrial TV just four times.”
After M.I.L.K quietly disbanded, Seo was left without direction. What followed were 15 long years of rejection and anonymity. “Even now, I cry when I recall what my mom once said,” she admitted. “At one point, my parents said, ‘Maybe there’s a reason why it’s not working out.’ I felt the ground shake beneath me. If I couldn’t trust this, then what could I trust?”
Seo, once a gifted student of traditional Korean dance at Gugak Middle and High School, had switched paths abruptly. With time still left on her contract with SM, she began auditioning for acting roles — most of which ended in disappointment.
Seo Hyun-jin’s Relentless Pursuit of Acting
Despite the rejections, Seo Hyun-jin didn’t give up. She immersed herself in acting classes and honed her skills relentlessly.
“I had to do part-time jobs and study acting hard,” she said. Her coach once had her rehearse all 13 characters from High Kick Through the Roof, preparing her with unshakable discipline for any opportunity that might come her way.
That opportunity finally came in 2016, when she was cast in Another Miss Oh. Her nuanced performance earned her widespread acclaim — and the Baeksang Best Actress Award. But even then, Seo remained humble and cautious.
“I just did what I’d always done,” she said. “But suddenly people started saying I was good. It made me wonder, could they just as easily say I’m bad again?”
Reflecting on one of the most poignant lines from Another Miss Oh, she added:
“I still hope for myself, that I do well, that I stay precious.”
Seo Hyun-jin’s story is not just one of success — it’s a testament to quiet perseverance, deep self-reflection, and the power of never giving up even when no one else is watching.