I had to take a break from recapping episode 10 of ‘My ID is Gangnam Beauty’ to report about this. Kim Jung-hyun who’s currently starring as the male lead in MBC melodrama ‘Time’ will reportedly be leaving the drama due to emotional and physical exhaustion. Additionally, the actor had been suffering from an eating and sleeping disorder as a result of the drama. With his departure from the drama, the production crew has decided to just entirely write out his character Soo-ho than have another actor replace Kim Jung-hyun himself.
Upon reading the news, I was so shocked. SO SO shocked. I never thought anything like this would ever happen or could even be possible. A part of me doesn’t want to believe that Jung-hyun will be dropping out of the drama when it’s only aired halfway into the show. We still have eight episodes left. Putting aside the fact that he’s playing the male lead in the drama, Kim Jung-hyun was phenomenal in his role as the cruel, harsh, and conflicting Soo-ho who learned to become more humane after meeting female lead Ji-hyun (played by Seohyun). He was truly so so good and his portrayal of the character was honestly one of the best things about the drama.
However, I can also see why he decided that leaving would be the best decision for him. Jung-hyun’s become so involved with the character that he even got into an attitude controversy during the drama’s press conference for his supposed method acting. Furthermore, Kim Jung-hyun is amazing as Soo-ho, but the character itself is also such a demanding character that requires a lot. I can see why Jung-hyun suffered from playing such a character and why he would need to leave to give himself a break.
It’s just unfortunate that he left because I really enjoyed him in this drama and he was one of the best things that’s resulted from it. I’m just glad that even though the production crew is cutting his character off a lot earlier than expected, it will still make some kind of sense narratively as Soo-ho suffers from cancer in the drama. He was never going to actually make it out alive to the end anyways so killing him off would be still logical and make sense in the drama. There’s not much plot-wise to worry about the drama, but what I am worried about is Kim Jung-hyun himself and how the rest of the drama will pan out. He truly was outstanding and amazing in this drama and I remembered being so excited upon watching the teasers to this drama when they first came out. You can tell Jung-hyun devoted a lot of time, work, and passion into his portrayal as Soo-ho which I think got to him and unfortunately concluded in his exit from the drama.
Though he’s gone, I’ll remember and appreciate Kim Jung-hyun’s portrayal of Soo-ho in this drama for a long time. It was like none other and once again proves just how talented of an actor he is. I also would be lying if I said that I wouldn’t miss his character or his acting in the drama once his character is written out. I think his disappearance will also be noticeable and obvious (he was our male lead), but hopefully the drama will be able to work its way around Kim Jung-hyun’s exit. Here’s to hoping Kim Jung-hyun will receive the necessary help and break he needs and recovers safely.
MaryMeKpop 
2 responses to “Kim Jung-hyun to leave drama ‘Time’ due to health issues”
Hey, I just binged through all of your recaps of Time, and I just wanted to say thank you so much for taking the time to accurately write down everything that happened in the drama, while also giving your insightful and thought-provoking opinions and criticisms! I originally started watching this drama because of Seohyun, but I soon discovered that Kim Jung Hyun was an acting force to be reckoned with; Suho was such a compelling character, and his absence will surely be felt by all who follow this drama.
One thing that I had heard through the grapevine, however, was that enough episodes were filmed with Kim Jung Hyun that he will only be gone for the last two episodes. While I have no idea if this is true, I have also heard other rumors that he will still be featuring in some episodes. Have you heard the same? And if so, how do you feel about it? I personally think this is relieving to hear, since it would be really hard for the writers to continue the story without Suho.
Hi Jaemi im,
Thank you for your kind words! I’m glad that you enjoy my recaps 🙂
As for Kim Jung-hyun’s departure from the drama, I’m uncertain as to how many more episodes he will appear in until he’s gone entirely (I haven’t watched the two newest episodes yet). I’m assuming that we’ll probably see him in a few more episodes (maybe 3 max?) since those episodes were probably filmed ahead of time before he decided to completely leave from the drama. I haven’t heard anything else much regarding his departure. I would of course love for him to appear in as many episodes as he can, because I’m not so sure in which episode the drama will cut him out from. I’m assuming that with his character departure, we’ll probably just focus on the investigations as well as on Ji-hyun and how she copes after losing three loved ones. It’ll be interesting to see which route the drama takes and I don’t think the drama should change too dramatically, but it’ll definitely feel empty without Soo-ho in the drama 😦