From Slump to Revival: How Lee Su-hyun Overcame 2 Years of Hikikomori with Brother’s Support

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Lee Suhyun of sibling duo AKMU revealed that she spent two years living as a hikikomori.

On the 1st broadcast of tvN’s You Quiz on the Block, siblings Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Suhyun appeared to discuss their recent lives and careers.

Chan-hyuk said he now lives with Suhyun after suggesting the arrangement himself. He cautioned that calling her condition a \”slump\” didn’t capture the full depth of what she was going through, noting she’d struggled after moving out without having learned how to live independently.

Suhyun admitted it began as a work-related slump and, as she endured it, the slump expanded into a broader crisis. She said Chan-hyuk’s military enlistment left a very large void.

“I was confident I could fill the gap, but I couldn’t even fill a quarter of it,” she said. “That brought a lot of disappointment in myself. I realized I wasn’t as significant as I thought, and that hurt.”

She recalled thinking her brother’s return would solve everything. “But his artistic color had become so strong that the joy of working together disappeared. I even told him I’d quit AKMU if we had to make music like that. From then, I lived as a hikikomori for two years. I felt like I had given up on my future — I couldn’t see a better one for myself.”

It was Chan-hyuk who noticed Suhyun’s withdrawal. He proposed a small, tangible step for her to take, believing that accepting it might help her return to herself. That nudge helped Suhyun get back on her feet.

Chan-hyuk recalled, “When I imagined Suhyun not being in front of me, I felt I hadn’t done my best for her and that I might regret it. I decided to do what I could while she was within my reach.”

He added, “I thought of it as producing Suhyun’s life. I wanted to help her blossom the way I try to make a song shine.”