The Moment Kim Min-ji Said She Might Quit Track

She outran him by just 0.1 seconds — but that was the least surprising thing Kim Min-ji revealed on camera.

On April 6, 2026, Kian84 — the beloved Korean webtoon artist and I Live Alone regular — uploaded a new episode to his YouTube channel "Life 84" (인생84). His guest was Kim Min-ji, the sprinter who became a household name after appearing on Netflix's Single's Inferno Season 5. What followed was a rare, unscripted look at an athlete standing at a crossroads: still competitive enough to push a celebrity to the limit in a flat sprint, but quietly letting go of the sport that made her famous.

A 100m Race Nobody Expected

After sharing a relaxed run together to warm up, the two stepped to the starting line for a proper 100-meter race. The result should have been a foregone conclusion: Kim Min-ji is a professional sprinter and hurdler who has competed nationally for over a decade. Kian84, meanwhile, had admitted just days earlier that he had spent time performing a thousand traditional temple bows at a Buddhist temple with fellow I Live Alone cast members Han Hye-jin and Lee Si-eon — leaving his legs barely functional.

But when the dust settled, the margin was only 0.1 seconds. Kim Min-ji crossed the line in 13.95 seconds, with Kian84 trailing by a fraction. The race sent a ripple of surprise through viewers, as the artist's time was far closer to a professional sprinter's than anyone could have anticipated. Kian84 could barely stand afterward — and yet he had come within a hair of beating her.

It was funny, unexpected, and charming all at once — the kind of moment that has made "Life 84" one of the most-watched celebrity YouTube channels in Korea. But what came next hit differently.

The Confession That Left Fans Worried

Sitting down after the race, Kim Min-ji opened up about her career with a candor that felt rare on camera. She is currently competing for the Jindo County Office athletics team, but said she has been training externally alongside friends at Seoul Sports High School because the commute from home is too far. She plans to compete in around six events in 2026.

That sounds like a working athlete. But when Kian84 asked her directly about her future, she did not sugarcoat it: "At most two more years. If things go short, maybe this year or next."

She described her athletic career as barely hanging on — teetering on the edge. For someone who has devoted her life to track and field since her teens, the admission carried real weight.

Even more striking was what followed. When asked why she was considering stepping away sooner rather than later, Kim Min-ji paused before answering honestly: "I think I have lost some passion for sports." She explained that the timing of her entertainment debut — during a period when she was injured and recovering — had shifted something in her. She got hurt, started doing broadcasts while she was recovering, and now keeps getting drawn more toward the entertainment world.

The Nickname That Became a Burden

One of the most revealing moments in the episode came when Kian84 raised her famous nickname. Ever since going viral in 2022 for her visual resemblance to aespa's Karina, Kim Min-ji has been called "Track World's Karina" — a label that initially seemed harmless but has clearly become a burden.

"That nickname is getting a bit uncomfortable," she said. "It was fine at first when it was just playful, but people keep saying it, and it feels like pressure." She has previously expressed that she feels bad for Karina when the comparison is repeated, and has publicly apologized to the idol for any unintended impact the comparison may have had on her image.

What began as a viral moment about her visuals has now overshadowed her actual athletic identity — and at a time when she is already questioning where athletics fits in her life, that pressure only adds to the weight.

Famous After Netflix, But Still Waiting for the Paycheck

Kim Min-ji's appearance on Single's Inferno Season 5, which premiered on Netflix on January 20, 2026, was a turning point. She became the season's most-selected contestant in the Paradise rounds and emerged as a fan favorite, earning over a million Instagram followers after the show ended. She was praised for her athleticism, her visuals, and her direct personality.

But as she told Kian84 with a dry laugh, the fame has not translated into financial stability. "Everyone assumes I am making a lot of money since Solo Hell," she said. "I am not. Work, please." The honesty was disarming — and clearly resonated with fans who had built up assumptions about what a Netflix dating show could do for someone's career.

The reality, she explained, is that most of the opportunities she has been offered are physical — running challenges, sports-themed content, athletic competitions on variety shows. "All the broadcasts I do involve my body," she said. "And I am already looking at the end of my athletic career."

Kian84's Advice and a Personal Revelation

Perhaps the most touching part of the episode was how Kian84 responded to her uncertainty. A veteran of Korean variety television who became the first non-celebrity to win the Grand Prize at the MBC Entertainment Awards in 2023, he offered her a simple piece of advice about making it in entertainment: "Don't worry about what others think. Just do what you want."

It was the kind of guidance that felt earned — from someone who had spent years being underestimated as a webtoon artist on a variety show, only to become one of its most beloved figures. For Kim Min-ji, who is standing at a genuine crossroads, it landed with quiet force.

One other detail stood out from the conversation: she revealed that she grew from 156cm to 173cm in a single year during middle school — a growth spurt so dramatic that her eyesight deteriorated significantly at the same time. It was a small, personal moment that reminded viewers she is still a young woman figuring things out, not just a viral moment or a nickname.

What Comes Next for Kim Min-ji

Kim Min-ji has not announced a retirement date. She is still training, still competing, and still planning to race in 2026. But the episode of "Life 84" made one thing very clear: she is already living with one foot in a new world — and the gap between the athletic career she has known and the entertainment path ahead of her is narrowing.

Whether she ultimately stays in athletics or transitions fully into broadcasting, she arrives at that decision with an unusual kind of self-awareness. She knows what people project onto her, she knows the gap between that projection and her reality, and she is willing to talk about it on camera in a way that most athletes — or celebrities — simply are not.

The 0.1-second race was fun. The conversation that followed was something else entirely — honest, unguarded, and more than a little moving.