Lee Junyoung looked back on his early days with U-KISS and got incredibly honest about his career struggles on the episode of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' that aired on the 8th.
Lee Junyoung joined U-KISS as a new member back in 2014. To get ready for the stage with the rest of the group, he had to quickly memorize the choreography and lyrics for over 20 songs right before his debut. But it turned out that hard work was nothing compared to what came next. As the group's domestic promotions started to decline, he was forced into a long hiatus. He admitted:
"When I watched the big year-end award shows, my friends were up on stage receiving cheers from the crowd. I kept wondering, 'We are in the same line of work, so why am I just sitting here instead?'"
With U-KISS on a long break and no individual schedules coming in, he wasn't making any money at all. To get through the tough financial times, he secretly started working the night shift at a convenience store right near his house.
The hardest, most heartbreaking moment came one night when he unexpectedly ran into his own manager. He recalled:
"My manager came in to buy cigarettes, and I was so embarrassed. I never wanted him to find out. I couldn't say a word, and I just cried my eyes out."
It gets even more emotional. He later found out that after his manager drove him home that night, the manager was so heartbroken that he cried in the car too.
Despite having to work a part-time job just to make ends meet, Lee Junyoung refused to give up on his dreams. During that tough hiatus, he decided to try acting. Without any connections, he had to find scripts on his own and teach himself how to act from scratch. He confessed:
"Becoming an actor wasn't easy either. I failed more than 100 auditions. But I endured because I believed I just had to keep moving forward. I survived by telling myself, 'You can't let yourself get exhausted. You have to keep going.'"
And thank God he did, because his hard work completely paid off. He gradually built a strong acting career, starring in hit dramas and movies like 'Mask Girl,' 'When Life Gives You Tangerines,' 'Weak Hero Class 2,' and more. To top it all off, his latest drama 'Reborn Rookie,' recently wrapped up with a nationwide viewer ratings of 13.6%. Following this project, he is officially set to enlist in the military on the 21st.
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