Ji Ye-eun Says Thyroid Cancer Made Her Rush Her December 12 Wedding

Actor Ji Ye-eun says her thyroid cancer is why she decided to marry early: "When I was sick, I thought, I don't know when I might die." She made the remark on the October 16 episode of SBS's What Can I Do for You, Genie: Secretary Jin, ahead of her December 12 wedding to choreographer Bata.

For years, Ji has been open about work dominating her life, and her comments fit a pattern of public candor about her health. Last September she paused activities for health reasons and returned to SBS's Running Man after three weeks. In May, on the Netflix variety show Yoo Jae-suk Camp, she disclosed that she had undergone thyroid cancer surgery.

A wedding that surprised even the bride

In the episode, Lee Seo-jin and Kim Kwang-kyu act as one-day managers for Ji and Ji Suk-jin, who perform together as the duo Chungju Ji's. They travel to Chungju for a fan signing and a music festival. When the duo's "Milkshake" plays in the car, Ji Suk-jin reveals that Bata choreographed it, and tells how he unintentionally got in the way when the two were still in the early stages of dating.

Asked about the wedding, Ji said it still doesn't feel real. Lee urged her to take it slowly. She replied that marrying young is trending again and that wearing a wedding dress while young is appealing. Lee's reply, "Isn't it just putting it on and taking it off?", drew an angry protest from her and laughs from the crew. Later, when he asked if December would be cold, she answered, "I'm young." She also told him he seemed never to have truly been in love.

Kim joined late, got Bata's name wrong (he called him "Tako"), and offered his own doubts: life is long, and a same-age couple would fight a lot. In her interview with the production team, Ji shot back, "What do they know? They haven't even lived it," adding that she thinks Lee in particular will never marry.

What illness changed

Beneath the jokes was a candid explanation. "I'm happy when I have work, but I came to think work isn't everything," Ji said. She had spent a long stretch without jobs and resolved to live only for work, but illness shifted that. In May she recalled being told that even 0.1 cm can allow spread, and that her cancer had been fairly extensive, which made her more grateful.

She said she is still getting regular checkups. Lee reassured her, saying people who go through something like that young tend to live healthier because they manage their health better.

Ji and Bata, both born in 1994, confirmed their relationship in April.

Bata takes cooking lessons

Bata is set to appear on MBC's Omniscient Interfering View episode 420, airing at 11 p.m. on the 17th, alongside Inkyu, with whom he leads the dance crew We Dem Boyz. He says he has been taking cooking classes because he wants to make healthy food for Ji, and that being a good husband has long been his dream. He cooks cabbage pancakes and pasta, dishes he says he often makes for her.

He also recounts how he proposed and how he visited Chungju to meet her parents, and thanks her for trusting him with her life. Inkyu offers to sing at the wedding with a guitar instead of the usual crew celebration dance, calling the dance predictable. Bata's response to that is notably less gentle than his tone when talking about Ji.