Ji Seung-hyun reveals he lived on parents' allowance during Descendants of the Sun era

Actor Ji Seung-hyun told KBS 2TV's Shin Sang Chulsi Pyunstorang on June 18 that he survived on pocket money from both sets of parents during the filming of Descendants of the Sun in 2015.

He was in his 10th year as a working actor. Every project except Descendants of the Sun fell through that year, leaving him with zero income. "I thought about quitting acting and opening a restaurant," he said. He scouted locations and developed a snack menu he named Godeun Tteokbokki, concept and menu names already locked in.

(Descendants of the Sun filmed in 2015 and aired in 2016.)

Singer Young Tak visited Ji Seung-hyun on the show. High school seniors and juniors with a two-year age gap, they'd never met before. Young Tak had his own rough stretch: three failed debut attempts, a stint as a vocal trainer to pay the bills, and a song called Niga Wae Geogi Nawa released as what he described as a last-ditch effort. "It was a time when I was struggling with the last straw, trying hard," he said. A year after the song's release, with a small but real response building, he decided to make a music video. He sent Ji Seung-hyun a cold DM asking him to appear.

Ji Seung-hyun wasn't sure he could help. But Young Tak's nerve got to him. "Young Tak showed a lot of courage. That touched my heart."

On the episode, Ji Seung-hyun prepared food for Young Tak himself.