From Construction Worker To Rising Star: Heo Nam-jun Reveals His Humble Beginnings And Hard Work

The charming breakout actor Heo Nam-jun, who is currently capturing the nation’s heart as the leading man of the hit SBS weekend drama My Royal Nemesis, has shocked fans by opening up about his incredibly hardworking past. On the June 24, 2026, broadcast of tvN’s flagship variety program You Quiz on the Block, the 31-year-old rising star sat down with hosts Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho to share a collection of funny, humble, and gritty stories from his days working odd jobs before finding fame in the television industry.

Heo Nam-jun Talks About His Farming Roots / You Quiz on the Block

Working 7 Days a Week in Heavy Construction

During the broadcast, Heo Nam-jun proudly shared that he has always preferred jobs that required high physical energy, revealing that he used to work full-time at a massive apartment reconstruction site:

“Back then, I would force myself to wake up at 4:00 AM every single morning to head to the job site. I had always worked out and thought I was in pretty excellent physical shape, but after my very first day on the reconstruction site, I woke up the next morning feeling like my entire body was completely broken into pieces.”

Despite the brutal physical exhaustion, the actor’s incredible work ethic shocked the show’s hosts: “Most workers usually take the weekends completely off, but I deliberately chose to work seven days a week straight for three continuous months without a single day of rest. The crew paid me a daily wage of 130,000 KRW, which meant I was taking home 910,000 KRW a week. I remember feeling so incredibly happy holding that money.”

Heo Nam-jun Talks About His Farming Roots / You Quiz on the Block

The Hilarious Footwear Struggle and Driving a Combine Tractor

In complete contrast to his success in construction, Heo Nam-jun laughingly confessed that his short stint working at a high-end luxury shoe department store was an absolute disaster:

“I still feel so incredibly sorry toward the store owner. Whenever a customer pointed at a pair of shoes and said, ‘This looks nice,’ I was supposed to quickly run into the back storage room and grab their correct size. But the inventory system was so deeply confusing to me that my self-esteem completely dropped. I worked there for over a month and still couldn’t figure it out. One time, it literally took me almost the entire day just to locate a single pair of shoes, and the customer ended up getting tired and walking away.”

The actor added that he found serving at high-volume barbecue restaurants and casual beer pubs to be a much better fit. “I simply realized early on that I prefer jobs that use physical body strength over complex headwork. I love just turning my brain off and physically moving around to complete clear tasks,” he joked, making the entire studio burst into laughter.

The rising star also revealed his deeply humble countryside roots, sharing that his father currently runs a full-scale farm out in the rural county of Hoengseong in Gangwon Province. “Because it’s my family’s business, I naturally know how to do a fair amount of heavy farm work. If my dad leaves me out in the fields, I can easily drive a massive combine tractor while soaking up the sun,” he boasted proudly.

Closing the interview on a sweet note, Heo Nam-jun shared how much his family’s attitude has shifted since his drama My Royal Nemesis turned into a massive prime-time success: “In the past, whenever I visited, my dad would playfully complain, ‘What could you possibly be so busy with?’ But nowadays, his tone has completely changed. He tells me, ‘Don’t come all the way out here. You’re far too busy, why waste your time coming down?’ Seeing myself finally succeed and watching my parents be genuinely happier than anyone else is truly the absolute best part of this entire journey.”