“Because the paycheck comes in regularly”: From girl-group member to office worker—latest on former Jewelry member

[Financial News] Ha Ju-yeon, formerly of girl group Jewelry, has revealed that she is living a second life as an office worker after leaving the entertainment industry.
On the 22nd, a video titled “Jewelry’s Ha Ju-yeon’s Lunch Break as She Waits for Payday” was posted on the YouTube channel “Noh Sa-yeon at 35.” In the video, Noh Sa-yeon visits Ha Ju-yeon, and the two talk over lunch.
Ha Ju-yeon met Noh Sa-yeon during her lunch break at the store where she works and spoke candidly about why she chose office life. She said that after wrapping up her entertainment career and leaving her agency, she did not work for a while. “In the entertainment industry, if you’re not working, you’re unemployed,” she said.
“Someone has to call me before I can go, but how long can I keep waiting for that?” she continued. “It’s not like work gets handed to you just because you sit around. I had to earn money to live, so I couldn’t just do nothing,” she said, explaining why she started working.
After putting her Jewelry activities on hold, Ha Ju-yeon’s first job was a part-time position at a café. Later, wanting to learn about another field, she worked as an assistant instructor at a bakery. She said she wrote hundreds of résumés through job-search websites to find work.
But getting a job was far from easy. Her experience as a singer alone did not make it easy to find employment. “At first, I applied to hundreds of places,” Ha Ju-yeon said. “I was younger than I am now, but I still couldn’t get a job. I wondered if it was because I was already a bit older.” She described the difficulties she faced at the time.
After gaining a range of experience and building her résumé, Ha Ju-yeon now works as a manager at a kitchenware showroom. “Office workers keep getting paid, so I got a job at a company,” she said, adding, “As long as the company doesn’t go under, I can count on getting my paycheck regularly.”
Speaking about living as an ordinary person while working at a company, Ha Ju-yeon said, “It isn’t easy to meet people as an ordinary person after living as a celebrity,” but added, “It’s wonderful because I don’t often get an opportunity like this.”
Ha Ju-yeon’s goal is to become rich. “I’ll succeed and become rich. That’s my wish,” she said. “I want to be rich.” Noh Sa-yeon offered her encouragement: “You have a healthy mindset. After living a glamorous life as a celebrity, it’s admirable to see you stand tall as Ha Ju-yeon, an individual.”
Ha Ju-yeon is the daughter of actor Nam Il-woo. She joined girl group Jewelry in 2008 and was active with the group. She left in 2014 after her exclusive contract expired.
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