'Reply 1994' star reveals yearlong cafe job amid career slowdown
Min Do-hee / Captured from her YouTube channel
Actress Min Do-hee has revealed that she is ending her yearlong part-time job at a cafe, saying the experience helped her regain confidence and purpose during a difficult period when acting opportunities were scarce.
On Wednesday, Min shared her story through a Youtube video. In the video, she opened up about why she began working at a cafe and reflected on her daily life as a part-time employee.
"It has already been more than a year since I started working part-time," Min said. "To be honest, I never expected to work there for this long."
She said she initially felt nervous and embarrassed about taking the job, but now views the experience positively.
"When I first started, I was anxious and self-conscious, but now I think it was one of the best decisions I made," she said. "I think starting anything is the hardest part."
Min also spoke candidly about the circumstances that led her to seek work outside the entertainment industry.
"It was a period when I didn't have any work and felt very discouraged," she said. "I was constantly feeling down."
The actress said the cafe job helped her realize what she needed most at the time. "I was in a very low place, but through the job I learned something," she said. "What I needed was to be needed by someone."
She added that before taking the position, she spent much of her time isolated at home.
"I was almost living in seclusion before," she said. "Working at the cafe gave me energy. It felt good to be recognized as someone who was useful."
Min said she recently decided to leave the cafe after receiving new acting opportunities.
"Recently, I've started getting schedules again, so I think I'll be quitting the part-time job soon," she said. "I don't know if I'll end up doing another part-time job someday, but I don't regret the time I spent there."
Min debuted in 2012 as a member of the girl group Tiny-G. She rose to fame the following year through her role as Jo Yoon-jin in the hit tvN drama "Reply 1994," which earned her widespread recognition.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.