It’s safe to say that actress Choi Ji Su’s latest project granted her the life-altering transition that she had been seeking for so long. Despite making her acting debut about a decade ago, the Korean drama star only found mainstream success in 2026. However, even as this single career move brought her into the spotlight, she has continued to face financial hardships in the background.

Actress Choi Ji Su’s (or Choi Ji Soo) lesser-known story is finally gaining viral fame after she took centre stage as curly-haired Kang Nora, one of the key additions to the supporting cast of the office comedy series Undercover Miss Hong. Although the K-drama originally aired on the South Korean network tvN, it found global love thanks to Netflix securing its streaming rights.

One could say that the career boost scored in the process has helped Ji Su pay off her years-old student debt in full. While it’s easy to attribute the personal milestone to her recently concluded big-shot K-drama outing, her journey to the top has been years in the making.

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With K-entertainment mainstays Park Shin Hye and Go Kyung Pyo leading the cast, Undercover Miss Hong’s captivating justice story was inevitably bound to enjoy notable viewership across domestic and international platforms. The top duo’s solid foundation as high investment-attracting magnets has, in turn, aided the underrated Cho Ji Su’s rise in the headlines.

Having concluded her arc as Kang Nora throughout the show’s 16-episode run in March, Choi continues to gain popularity for her post-drama reality TV appearances. “I’ve paid off all my student loans today,” she proudly announced during a May 29 broadcast, earning loud applause from the panelists present on the show.

Born in 1997, the South Korean star began her acting career in 2017. Over the past decade, her accumulated school loans amounted to about 50 million Korean won. Nonetheless, she remained determined to cover the lofty cost of living and fund her acting education at Sungkyunkwan University all on her own.

This huge commitment pushed Choi to take on numerous part-time responsibilities since she was 20 years old. She ultimately took a leap of faith and auditioned on a day off while working a part-time job six days a week.

Appearing on an episode of the South Korean show I Live Alone (MBC), Choi revealed that it took her nine years to repay her student loans. Despite skyrocketing to global fame with her last acting project, she remained more grateful for her years-long part-time earnings, which the actress ultimately says rescued her from a financial crisis.

K-drama star Choi Ji Su continues part-time jobs after repaying student loans

“I’m still doing it, Choi said on the MBC variety show in late May. She has since confirmed that she had no plans to give up her part-time duties, admitting to having worked part-time at a restaurant and as a babysitter, among other roles.

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28-year-old Ji Su originally lifted the lid on still juggling multiple part-time jobs as a K-drama actress in March when she shared the screen with the team of the buzzworthy K-variety show, You Quiz on the Block.

Contrary to her character’s arc as a second-generation “chaebol” (a large industrial South Korean conglomerate run and controlled by an individual or family) heiress in Undercover Miss Hong, Choi’s actual family had to live through a different reality altogether.

South Korean TV icon and comedian Yoo Jae Suk even hailed the Undercover Miss Hong star as “the king of part-time jobs” during the You Quiz on the Block broadcast. As Yoo shared his thoughts on the star embracing a range of job profiles, Choi surprised everyone by replying that she planned to continue her gruelling part-time work despite finding fame as an actress this year.

“I’ve worked wearing mascot costumes, at logistics centers, and in restaurants,” she said. “I work part-time six days a week, and on my one day off, I go to auditions.”

Ji Su confessed further that her mother “cried a lot” when she saw her working at the factory, eliciting a warm reception from viewers and netizens. Bursting into tears, she sent an emotional video message to her mother on the show, saying, “Thank you so much for supporting my dream even when everyone else said it wouldn’t work out.”

Ji Su even earned a nomination for her portrayal of Kang Nora in the Best New Actress (Broadcast) category at the prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards 2026, affirming this is just beginning of her promising career in the Arts.