On this day, people look at BTS as a whole and SUGA in particular as the most successful icons in an idol’s career. At the status of a global K-pop superstar, it is clear that SUGA has gained both wealth and fame — things anyone would desire, especially young idols who are yearning for them.
However, few understand that behind the glamour of success are the hardships that SUGA himself and the group had to overcome. In fact, standing at the peak of fame can also be the very moment one is most likely to fall. Meanwhile, the struggles of the early days are not necessarily a bad thing.
This is also soмєтнing veteran actor Kim Nam Gil agreed with him on, after drawing lessons from nearly 30 years of pursuing acting. Officially debuting in the кσяєαn entertainment industry in 1999, actor Kim Nam Gil has sustained a successful career for many years with well-loved works such as Queen Seondeok, Pandora, The Fiery Priest, Through the Darkness, and more.
The actor is a friend of Jin, and through the eldest member of the group, SUGA and Kim Nam Gil had the chance to converse with each other. Both SUGA and Kim Nam Gil are celebrated veterans in their respective fields. Therefore, they both have extensive experience and the ability to offer advice to younger artists.
Not only that, there is a common point between the two: both had very difficult beginnings and had suffered α¢¢ι∂єитs. While SUGA’s story of a motorcycle α¢¢ι∂єит while doing part-time delivery work to earn money for his pursuit of music — which left his shoulder and pelvis injured with lasting aftereffects — is widely known, not many people know about Kim Nam Gil’s story.
Kim Nam Gil shared that after being recruited by MBC as an actor, he suffered a serious car α¢¢ι∂єит, was hospitalized for nearly six months, and had to use a wheelchair. This α¢¢ι∂єит happened more than 20 years ago, and it still haunts him to this day. Difficulty in memorizing lines is the lingering aftereffect of that α¢¢ι∂єит, and it has clearly had a serious impact on his acting.
Although this incident changed how Kim Nam Gil expected his career to begin, he now feels grateful for the early setback, admitting that if he had shot straight to stardom, he might have become arrogant. Instead, he came to cherish every moment on set thanks to the struggles he had to overcome to achieve it.
SUGA deeply understands this mindset because he also went through similar situations. He pointed out that most idols want to become top stars right from the beginning of their careers, instead of enduring the tough phase of struggling for money and recognition like he and Kim Nam Gil did.
However, from the perspective of someone experienced, SUGA warned young artists that such thinking is not right. He advised them that if success comes too easily at the start, they must be even more careful: "I often tell younger artists. Everyone wants to make it big from the start, of course. No one wants to be an unknown artist, we want to make money too. But I tell them to be careful when things start to go well. Because now, you'll always be compared to your former work".
Kim Nam Gil also agreed with this view, observing that idols and actors seem to share many similar concerns. The actor later shared: "I totally relate [Singers and actors worry about the same things] to soṃệẗḧing you said as I was watching you talk on SUCHWITA before. You said you were so happy when one thing did really great but the next one didn't do so well, which got you down. Then the next one did well. When you talked about that I felt that singers are just like actors too".
Clearly, both stars showed that the glamour of the entertainment industry is very alluring, but if it is too easy to obtain, one may fail to appreciate it and lose themselves. Therefore, even when facing hardships, that time is precious so that future successes can be cherished even more.
When success is achieved, the road of challenges still continues — it is not the final destination. The higher one stands at the peak of their career, the more difficult the challenges become. To sustain success, the most important thing is to keep striving, developing, and creating. Young artists must have a serious awareness of the value of their careers.
