The Real Reason 'Undercover Miss Hong' Star Choi Ji-soo Still Works Part-Time

When viewers first met Kang Nora in tvN's record-breaking drama Undercover Miss Hong, they saw a polished chaebol heiress navigating corporate intrigue with confidence. What they did not know was that the actress behind that commanding performance, Choi Ji-soo, had been working at a photocard factory just days before filming began. On the March 18 broadcast of tvN's variety show You Quiz on the Block, the 11-year veteran actress opened up about her extraordinary journey from part-time worker to breakout K-drama star, leaving both the studio audience and host Yoo Jae-suk visibly moved.

From IMF Baby to Aspiring Actress

Born in 1997 at the height of South Korea's devastating IMF financial crisis, Choi Ji-soo grew up in a household forever changed by economic upheaval. Her mother, a former bank employee, was laid off during the mass restructuring that swept through the financial sector. The family's financial struggles shaped every decision that followed, including the young Choi's dream of becoming an actress.

Despite her passion for performing, attending an arts high school was out of reach. Choi recalled the painful moment when her father told her he could not afford the tuition and uniform costs. Rather than feeling disappointed, she said she worried more about the hurt her father must have felt delivering those words. She eventually convinced her father to support her pursuit of acting, gaining admission to Sungkyunkwan University's prestigious acting arts program.

But university brought its own financial reality. With tuition running approximately 4.5 million won per semester, Choi accumulated nearly 50 million won in student loans by the time she graduated after six to seven years of study. When repayment notices started arriving at age 28, she described feeling like she had become a debtor overnight.

Six Days of Work, One Day for Auditions

To keep her acting dream alive while servicing her debt, Choi adopted a grueling routine that would have broken most people. She worked part-time jobs six days a week, reserving a single precious day for auditions. The variety of jobs she held reads like a catalog of South Korea's service economy: mascot costume performer, logistics warehouse worker, photocard factory sorter, kids' cafe attendant, and restaurant server.

One particularly memorable stint at a K-pop photocard factory had the studio audience roaring with laughter. Choi described spending eight-hour shifts sorting photocards of G-Dragon, whose mint-colored hair became so burned into her retinas that she saw a mint afterimage even with her eyes closed. She joked that the job at least kept her up to date on which idol groups were trending.

But behind the humor lay genuine hardship. Choi revealed that dealing with rude customers while maintaining a cheerful facade was one of the most draining aspects of her part-time work. On the subway home, she would cover her face with a mask and cry silently, unable to let anyone see her frustration. She memorized audition lines during her commutes, transforming every transit ride into a makeshift rehearsal space.

The emotional toll extended to her family as well. Choi broke down in tears on the show as she recalled the morning her mother watched her leave for a factory shift at dawn. Her mother cried seeing her daughter head off to manual labor, carrying the weight of guilt for not being able to pay her tuition. Choi said the hardest moments were not the early mornings or the physical exhaustion, but hearing her parents apologize for something she never blamed them for.

The Lifeline Called Undercover Miss Hong

After a decade of bit parts and extra roles, the role of Kang Nora in Undercover Miss Hong arrived like what Choi described as a lifeline. Cast as the hidden daughter of Chairman Kang Pil-beom, played by veteran actor Lee Deok-hwa, and the top-ranked heiress in the succession hierarchy, it was her first significant role in 11 years of acting.

The pressure was immense. Choi confessed that on her first day of filming, she nearly fainted from nerves. On the way to set, she caught herself wishing she would fall ill so she would have an excuse not to show up, or that her co-star Park Shin-hye would be called away on another schedule. The night before, she had practiced her lines while eating a hamburger, trying to master the casual eating-and-talking scenes her character required. Yet when she finally met Park Shin-hye on set, she trembled uncontrollably.

That initial terror gave way to a deep bond between the two actresses. Choi described the drama as something she never wanted to let go of, saying the script felt like a lifeline she clutched with both hands from start to finish. The opportunity to carry a drama from beginning to end alongside senior actors was something she had dreamed of but never experienced in over a decade of working in the industry.

The drama proved to be a massive success, peaking at 14 percent viewership ratings and cementing its place as one of the most-watched tvN series of early 2026. Choi's portrayal of the curly-haired Nora, affectionately nicknamed the Ppogeuri by fans, earned widespread praise for bringing both comedic timing and emotional depth to every scene she inhabited.

Tears With Park Shin-hye After the Finale

Perhaps the most touching moment of the You Quiz interview came when Choi recounted what happened after the final episode aired. Park Shin-hye, who played the lead role of Hong Geum-bo, called Choi on a video call. But Choi, still emotionally raw from saying goodbye to her character, could not stop crying.

She described the scene with a mixture of embarrassment and affection. While Park Shin-hye smiled warmly on the other end of the line, Choi sobbed from the moment the call connected until it ended. She explained that seeing her co-star's face before she had fully let go of Nora overwhelmed her completely. The contrast between Park's gentle laughter and Choi's uncontrollable tears painted a vivid picture of the deep connection forged during months of filming together.

Still Working at a Restaurant in Jamsil

In what may be the most striking revelation of the interview, Choi confirmed that she continues to work part-time at a large restaurant in Jamsil even after the drama's phenomenal success. Her duties include washing dishes, brewing coffee, pouring beer, and frying chicken. She told Yoo Jae-suk that she had worked the day before the You Quiz recording and would return to the restaurant the day after.

Since the drama aired, however, her restaurant shifts have taken on a new dimension. Regular customers now recognize her, with older patrons joking that a chaebol's daughter should not be working there. Her boss, she shared with gratitude, has told her not to come back and to go succeed as an actress instead.

The good news is that the end of her financial struggle is finally in sight. Choi announced that she expects to fully pay off her 50 million won student loan debt by May 2026, a milestone that drew enthusiastic applause from the studio audience. What took nearly a decade of relentless work between auditions, filming, and part-time shifts is about to reach its conclusion.

A Story That Resonates Far Beyond the Screen

Choi Ji-soo's story on You Quiz on the Block transcended the typical celebrity interview format. In a landscape where K-drama success stories often focus on overnight fame and glamorous lifestyles, her candid account of financial hardship, parental sacrifice, and unwavering determination offered a reminder of the human cost behind the entertainment industry's glossy surface.

Her message to her parents, delivered through tears on national television, was simple but powerful: she thanked them for believing in her dream when everyone else said it was impossible, and promised to work hard enough to someday support them in return. For the millions of young people in South Korea navigating student debt and uncertain career paths, her journey from factory floors to prime-time television is not just inspiring. It is deeply, personally relatable.

With Undercover Miss Hong firmly established as one of 2026's most beloved dramas, and her debt-free future just weeks away, the next chapter of Choi Ji-soo's career promises to be written on her own terms. The restaurant in Jamsil may need to find a new part-timer sooner than they think.