Ji Yeon-soo, tears shed while avoiding her son's hug due to the smell of gomtang (beef bone soup) clinging to her

"I'm afraid my child will remember me by this smell..."

Broadcaster Ji Yeon-soo confessed the grueling reality she faces while raising her son alone. In a video released on the YouTube channel 'Ji Yeon-soo's Yeon-soo-rop-da' on the 13th, Ji shared her current life, working at a gomtang (beef bone soup) restaurant to make a living. She broke into tears while sharing the heart of a mother who must keep her distance from her son when returning home after work.

Ji said, "When I open the door after work, my son runs to hug me immediately, but I smell strongly of seokbakji (radish kimchi) and boiled meat." This is because she fears the food smell clinging to her body might leave an indelible mark on her son. She revealed that just before entering her house, she pretends to be on the phone with an acquaintance to press the door lock, fearing her son might remember her by that scent. The sight of her keeping her distance from her son by saying, "Mommy is on the phone!" moved viewers deeply. Her confession that she feels sorry to her child because of the smell she perceives herself, even though her son says it's fine, showed her desperate maternal love.

The fierce survival methods hidden behind the glamour of a racing model

The image of a glamorous star racing model, who won the Grand Prize at the Seoul Auto Salon Racing Queen and appeared on terrestrial variety shows, stands in stark contrast to her current life. Recalling her days as a model, Ji explained the wall of reality. She noted that while many in the modeling industry were over 170cm tall, she only realized later upon entering society that she possessed a standout appearance.

To make a living, she said she had to move through various part-time jobs without discrimination, such as dishwashing at restaurants, cleaning, working at side dish shops, wedding shops, and night shifts at rice cake factories, and she had to erase herself to survive. Her words, "I thought the only way to survive here was to kill myself," revealed a painful reality. To hide her noticeable appearance, she intentionally wore black or gray men's tracksuits, and she revealed that even at her current job at the gomtang restaurant, she wears men's swim trunks so that her body lines are not revealed. The times she endured so fiercely, even wearing clothes bought on Karrot Market to work, were conveyed vividly.

850,000 won monthly child support and the weight of caring for a mother battling cancer

The background of why Ji Yeon-soo had no choice but to jump into the front lines of livelihood lies in economic difficulties and family history. She married Eli, a former member of the group U-KISS, in 2014 and had a son, Min-su, but the two divorced in 2020. They attempted to reunite through an observational variety show in 2022, but it ultimately failed. Amid recent news of her ex-husband Eli's remarriage, Ji is bearing the responsibility of supporting her livelihood while raising her son alone.

The child support Ji currently receives is around 850,000 won per month. When added to the costs incurred from moving to care for her mother, who is battling cancer, it is difficult to maintain a living with just the child support. This is why she endures each day by balancing restaurant work and broadcasting activities. While carrying both the economic burden and the weight of caregiving, she is erasing her past glamour for the sake of her son.

A precious day off with her son wearing G-Dragon socks

The only sanctuary in her grueling daily life is her son, Min-su. Ji recently shared scenes of a day off spent with her son through social media. In the video, although Ji was dressed casually, she looked happy during the time spent with her son.

The two spent a normal mother-and-son time eating fast food and visiting an arcade on their day off. In particular, the socks on her son Min-su's feet caught the eye. The socks featured G-Dragon's face and the phrase 'Love you. G-Dragon'. Even in a reality where she must keep her distance from her son to avoid the smell of gomtang, the sight of her spending time laughing with her son wearing G-Dragon merchandise shows the reason why Ji Yeon-soo endures.