HoYeon Jung Says She Felt 'Lost' After the Success of 'Squid Game'

Less than three months ago, Squid Game debuted on Netflix, breaking records and becoming a huge hit for the streaming service. Everywhere, there was only talk about the South Korean series and how it won over the audience with its electrifying plot. The success was undeniable and surprising, even for the production's cast. HoYeon Jung, who plays Kang Sae-Byeok, already had a successful career as a model, but the series' fame changed her life and left her feeling like she was getting lost in the middle of it all.

Squid Game was her debut as an actress and today she has 23.8 million followers on Instagram, having earned the title of most-followed South Korean actress on the platform. All of this in a very short time, considering that it had 400,000 followers before the production's release.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress and model was asked if she had foreseen the size of success that the series could bring. “I think [I knew] a week after it opened. I couldn’t follow the speed of the growth of the Squid Game success because since COVID, I think everything is faster and even online, it happens just so quick,” explained the actress to the publication.

But, all this sudden fame affected Hoyeon Jung a lot. "I lost [six] pounds in a week when it became successful,” she revealed. "I couldn’t eat — it wasn’t stress, I just didn’t know this feeling. “What’s going on out there, who am I?” I was kind of losing myself."

This feeling has softened over time and, according to Jung, she is now more at ease with the Squid Game fans, “so I can slowly get used to this success with people,” she explained.