The Summit of Entertainment: My 2003

In 1998, Kim Hyun-woo debuted as one of S.M. Entertainment's most promising public trainees, but his stiff personality and the company's botched promotion caused him to fade away as quickly as a shooting star. In 2001, disheartened, he enlisted, steeling his resolve in the military and unexpectedly gaining the ability to “see the future.”

By 2003, he had transformed completely after returning from military service. He boldly terminated his contract with S.M. and walked onto the set of the variety show X-Man with an idea far ahead of its time. A classic game segment called “Of Course” was born, and overnight he went from a washed-up idol to the brightest new star in variety entertainment.

But this was only the beginning of his legend.

In variety entertainment, he went from a regular on X-Man to the heart and soul of Infinite Challenge, eventually earning the title “Yoo Jae-suk's successor.” In music, he became a god-tier behind-the-scenes hitmaker, creating Kim Jong-kook's “A Man” and Baek Ji-young's “Like Being Shot by a Bullet,” then taking Girls' Generation from “Into the New World” to the heights of “Gee.” His name even appeared on the winners' lists at the Grammy Awards in the West. In business, his MOP Entertainment brought together future stars like IU and T-ara. He also quietly became S.M.'s second-largest shareholder, took control of a television network, and built a vast entertainment empire.

And it all began one autumn day in 2003, when he took off his sunglasses and stood once more outside the S.M. building. This is a story about being reborn, wisdom