Lee Sanghyun, a former K-pop idol turned office worker, has published a book titled "Resume of a Failed Idol" (망한 아이돌, 망돌의 이력서), in which he reflects on his days as a performer and his life after leaving the stage.

This is neither a typical career success story nor a tell-all about the entertainment industry. Instead, it chronicles the journey of a young man full of dreams and how he rebuilt his life after those dreams fell apart. We often treat failure as a stain to be erased. But the author does not erase failure. He rewrites it - with new words and a new perspective.

Lee Sanghyun debuted in 2014 as QL, a member of the boys band BTL. The entire process - from trainee to debut - took eight years, though the group itself lasted less than two.

"Looking back, I realize how many auditions I went through. Probably more than 200. There were days when the lines were so long that people stretched from the underground parking lot to the lobby and even onto the sidewalk outside the building. I remember waiting four hours, singing for about 30 seconds, and then hearing just one word: "Next".

Lee Sanghyun finally made it onto the stage of his dreams, but the moment was brief. Due to company issues, the group disbanded, leaving him with the stigma of a “failed idol” and forcing him to face a harsh reality. The moment he thought he had achieved his dream turned out to be only the beginning.

Lee describes the painful experience of self-deprecation - calling himself a "failure" - as well as his return to ordinary life and his re-entry into the job market. He first joined the PR and marketing team at hy (formerly Korea Yakult) and later took a position at a major S Group conglomerate, where he now works on artificial intelligence.

"What I saw was not a miracle, but the entrance to a tunnel leading into darkness. And only at the end did I realize where that path was taking me".

For the author, the story of failures and hardships began long before. In high school, he spent every weekend going to auditions and failing each time, but he never gave up. Meanwhile, he was an outcast in middle school, and in high school his GPA fell into the so-called 5th rank. South Korea grades students on a 9-point ranking system called naesin (내신), a cumulative score that heavily influences college admissions. All students in a grade are placed into nine ranks based on academic performance. The top 4% get rank 1, the next 7% rank 2, and so on, down to rank 9 (the bottom 4%). A 5th-rank grade means Lee’s performance in high school was below average — considered a weak result in the Korean context.

He scored 450 on the TOEIC, a test of business English. A score of 450 roughly means: “He understands simple phrases and short letters, but cannot speak fluently or read business documents.” At major South Korean corporations (Samsung, Hyundai, LG), the minimum TOEIC score for an intern often starts at 700–800. A score of 450 is generally regarded as “failing” for a corporate office job.

Nonetheless, Lee Sanghyun got into a university — and not just any, but his most ambitious choice: a university in Seoul. Several sources mention that he attended Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech). Lee credits his experience as student council president for helping him get in. But even as a university student, he kept going to auditions and training. When the chance to debut finally came, he stepped onto the stage he had worked so hard to earn after nearly eight years as a trainee.

The group’s name, BTL, stood for "Beyond the Limit". Unfortunately, despite the promising name, their story was short-lived. Due to internal problems with the agency, the group effectively stopped activities less than a year after debut. The contrast between that bold name and the sad end is deeply dramatic.

Watch their debut music video for the lead track “Too-G” (투지/鬪志)

The group officially released only two albums: "Beyond The Limit" and "Gold Moon". The mini-album "Gold Moon" was practically never released outside Hong Kong.

In 2016, the group was officially disbanded.

"Of course, life was not smooth even after my idol debut. Before I could fully taste the sweetness of my dream, my activities were suspended due to company circumstances. Then came a period when I was tied to an exclusive contract with no future guarantees - a time when I had to accept that my dream was over, and a time when I had to start over from scratch. I felt even more deprived than before.

It echoed the countless trials I had been through in the past. But this time, I felt like I was sinking much deeper. Repeating all of that didn’t guarantee a comeback. First of all, I had to endure it all because I couldn’t break the contract. That’s when I became certain: I can no longer give my life to this".

When dreams collapse, a person stands at a crossroads: either cling to the past and give up, or move forward without hiding their wounds. The author chose the second path. He returned to university, prepared for employment, and kept challenging himself - even after failed job interviews.

With a 5th-rank school record, a TOEIC score of 450, and a gap in his resume, employers should have passed him over.

But Lee Sanghyun did not devalue the time he had spent. He neither hid nor exaggerated his idol experience. Instead, he began to highlight the skills he had gained in the industry: discipline, teamwork, and resilience. With his modest credentials, he managed to build a successful career at a large corporation.

In a 2021 interview, after he had already started his corporate career, Lee shared his work philosophy:

"I believe that an idol’s ‘showmanship’ — the talent for winning over an audience (관종 끼) — can be used as an advantage to break down the old bureaucratic culture and improve communication between the MZ generation and senior management".

This shows that he did not simply adapt; he found a way to apply his unique talents in a new environment.

"I needed to connect my resume to what I had developed through my idol experience, not to the fact that I was an idol. During interviews, I realized that no matter how brilliant an experience is, if it’s presented without context, it becomes a weakness rather than an advantage. I had to reframe it to convey the message: this experience can lead to such-and-such contribution to the company. That was the foundation I discovered for myself", Lee writes.

This approach helped the young man find a job that allows him to use his skills and qualities. Moreover, it didn’t stop him from joining the survival show Peak Time in 2023 alongside other former BTL members, proving that his connection to music and the stage is not completely severed.

Furthermore, judging by his social media, Lee Sanghyun has gotten married and the family is expecting a child.

In an article for Topclass, a reporter notes:

"If you think about it, everyone has at least one or two ‘periods of failure’ in their lives. For some, it might be a dream that didn’t come true; for others, a relationship they held onto for too long and then had to let go. Between the lines of this book are emotions that only those who have been through something similar can truly understand.

What lifts a person is not dazzling success, but the time spent moving forward until the very end. The author prepared his next stage during his darkest period. The courage that allowed him to endure the aftermath shines brighter than a single debut. ‘Resume of a Failed Idol’ is a record of his comeback and a quiet encouragement for everyone who has lost their bearings in life".

A representative of Apple Books, the publisher, noted: "This book delivers a realistic message: life goes on even off the stage".

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4