In the August 8 episode of Hyeri’s YouTube show Hyell’s Club, Kim Yerim recalled how the end of her drama shoot lined up perfectly with the expiration of her SM Entertainment contract. “When filming ended, my contract ended too. I hadn’t taken any meetings in advance, and I’m not good at multitasking, so I had to rush. It became stressful,” she said.
The singer-actress revealed that the pressure built up to the point where she broke down. “One night, I was drinking makgeolli at a pub and just cried. I thought, ‘What should I do now?’ Since it was my choice, I had to decide everything myself. I usually think of myself as bright and optimistic, so I didn’t expect to stress out that much.”
She sought advice from many people around her before finally settling into her new agency. “My current agency is good. I’m happy there,” she smiled.
The conversation also touched on her YouTube channel, which she openly called a failure. “When I first started, I didn’t think about the direction—I just made it. Fans were disappointed. After moving agencies, I thought I’d try editing myself, but it’s more than just editing—there are subtitles, cuts, effects… I had no idea,” she laughed.
Kim Yerim’s honesty about the challenges of change, the unexpected emotional toll, and her humorous self-reflection left viewers both touched and entertained, showing once again why she remains one of K-pop’s most relatable personalities.