Actor Heo Sung-tae, 49, recalled a difficult period when he took temporary jobs after quitting his job at a major corporation to pursue acting.
Heo appeared alongside professional Go player Lee Sedol on KBS 2TV's "Problem Child in House," which aired Tuesday.
During the show, Heo looked back on his decision to leave a major corporation at age 34 and pursue an acting career. He said his mother and older brother strongly opposed the move.
"My older brother was in the military, and he said, 'I wanted to be a singer, too. Should I become one?'" Heo recalled. "We fought tooth and nail. He asked if I was crazy, and I shot back that he was crazy. My mother even hit me while crying. She told me to perform five acting scenes, so I did. That's how badly I wanted to become an actor."
Comedian Kim Sook sympathized with Heo's mother, saying that having a son work at a major corporation was a source of pride in the neighborhood. Lee then asked Heo how he made a living after quitting, and Heo replied that he took temporary jobs.
"I had to stay up all night, so I arrived at 7 p.m. A Samsung employee told me, 'Ajeossi (middle-aged men), don't fall asleep. Sit here, and the restroom is over there,'" he recalled. "It reminded me of when I was an assistant manager at LG Electronics."
He said being addressed as "ajeossi" rather than by a professional title was painful, as colleagues at his former company had always used formal titles when speaking to one another.
"He was just doing his job, but I felt the way I did, so I cried all night," Heo said. "I think that was when I realized the reality of my situation. I had fallen this far. I was nobody."
He also said he took other temporary jobs, including packing toys, loading and unloading delivery trucks, and working as a designated driver.
Heo worked in overseas sales covering Russia at LG Electronics for 10 years before switching to acting in 2011 at age 34 through the audition program "Miracle Audition." He resigned after advancing to the show's main competition. He made a minor appearance in the 2012 film "Masquerade" before gaining recognition for his role as Ha Il-soo in the 2016 film "The Age of Shadows."
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