Former Baseball Star Hwang Jae-gyun Opens Up About Post-Retirement Struggles on YouTube with TVXQ's Changmin

Hwang Jae-gyun, who has transitioned from a baseball career to a broadcasting career, candidly shared his post-retirement challenges and income gap while showcasing great chemistry with TVXQ's Changmin.

On TVXQ Changmin's YouTube channel 'Saego_F5-Dukbap House,' a video titled 'SM's Golden Maknae Arrives Like a Children's Day Gift' was uploaded.

In the video, Hwang Jae-gyun, who joined as a junior in the agency, appeared and engaged in a sincere conversation with Changmin while making dumplings together.

Four months into his retirement, Hwang Jae-gyun confessed, "Broadcasting work, which I've just started, is much harder than the baseball I've done all my life," revealing his deep contemplation about his role as a professional broadcaster. Particularly, while making dumpling dough, he jokingly asked Changmin to buy him clothes when flour got on his pants, and when asked if he didn't have much money, he humorously revealed, "I have no income this year," causing laughter on set. He also admitted to having a stock with a negative 30% return, jokingly cheering for Korea despite the loss, showing his patriotic humor.

Their connection dates back to memories in Busan with Kyuhyun. Hwang Jae-gyun recalled meeting Changmin for the first time through Kyuhyun's introduction while staying in Busan, and shared a funny story where Kyuhyun, after losing a rock-paper-scissors game while drunk, jumped into the sea. Changmin mentioned that Kyuhyun's phone would have detailed records of that time, describing Kyuhyun's meticulous habit of recording who he drank with and how much as peculiar, surprising Hwang Jae-gyun.

The conversation became more intriguing with the story of Kyuhyun losing his phone. Changmin shared that Kyuhyun recently lost the phone during an overseas shoot, joking that it would have been a disaster if it happened in Korea. Hwang Jae-gyun agreed, saying Kyuhyun's entertainment career could have ended, and they both expressed relief that the secrets on the phone remained undisclosed, continuing their playful teasing of Kyuhyun. Additionally, Hwang Jae-gyun, who lost 7kg since his playing days, flaunted his slimmer figure but complained that the idol-sized apron was too small for him, showing his perfect adaptation as an entertainer.

Reporter Chaeryeong Lim, Ten Asia syjj426@tenasia.co.kr