Former 4Minute's Nam Ji-hyun Opens Up About Past Struggles on Set

Former 4Minute member Nam Ji-hyun recently shared her experiences of facing challenges on set.

On October 3rd, the YouTube channel 'Hwang Bo-ra Variety' released a video titled 'Hwang Bo-ra's First Workout in 40 Years with 4Minute?!'.

In the video, Hwang Bo-ra visited Nam Ji-hyun's barre studio, where she is currently working as an actress and barre instructor. When asked why she started teaching, Nam Ji-hyun explained, "I had a lot of free time, so I wanted to use it efficiently."

During the 50-minute class, Hwang Bo-ra struggled with trembling thighs and a lack of overall strength, providing some comic relief. She joked about her 'mom muscles' from lifting her 15kg son daily, but admitted that after three years without exercise, she almost swore from the effort.

The two first met on the set of 'Love, Again'. Hwang Bo-ra recalled, "Were you 28 then? I thought you were an actress," only later realizing Nam Ji-hyun was a member of 4Minute.

Nam Ji-hyun also updated fans on the current lives of the 4Minute members, who officially disbanded in 2016. "Last year, the members came to my studio to help promote it. I was so grateful," she said. "Sohyun is acting, Jiyoon is singing, Gayoon is writing a book, and HyunA is happily married."

When Hwang Bo-ra commented, "Only one member is married," Nam Ji-hyun confessed, "I thought I'd be the first to get married." Hwang Bo-ra humorously added, "I think you'll get married next year. You're so pretty now. You used to be chubby," causing laughter.

Reflecting on her 4Minute days, Nam Ji-hyun shared, "The company had no money, so all five members had to sleep in one room. Even if we fought, we had to share a room, but luckily, everyone was nice, so it wasn't a problem. Still, there were some mismatches." She added, "It felt like we compressed 20 years of experience into a short time. The environment was just like that back then."

Nam Ji-hyun also recounted a difficult moment during her first drama shoot, where she was insulted by the director. "He said, 'Hey, ugly, come forward,' so I decided to take it positively and responded, 'Here comes the ugly one,'" she revealed.

When Hwang Bo-ra expressed admiration, Nam Ji-hyun continued, "The director later apologized, saying he didn't know I was from 4Minute and thought I was a rookie actress. He said he wanted to build my courage."

Reported by Kim Eun-jung for TenAsia, eun@tenasia.co.kr