Actor Yoon Shi-yoon first gained recognition in 2009 through the MBC sitcom “High Kick Through the Roof.” While he became known through this work, he wasn’t quite what one would call a “star” yet. He earned the title of “star” after appearing in the KBS 2TV Wednesday-Thursday drama “King of Baking, Kim Tak-gu.” He played the lead role of “Kim Tak-gu” in this drama, which achieved an astounding 50% viewership rating, propelling him to top-star status overnight. A 50% viewership rating is now virtually impossible, as changes in the media environment mean even 10% is considered a huge hit. Since “King of Baking, Kim Tak-gu,” Yoon Shi-yoon has been recognized as a star.
Now, Yoon Shi-yoon has joined the cast of SBS’s “My Little Old Boy.” Born in 1986, he is now 40 years old in Korean age, or 456 months old. Given that the show features single men who have passed the typical marriageable age, he certainly qualifies to appear. While he was frequently seen during his time on KBS’s “2 Days & 1 Night,” he has only occasionally made appearances on variety shows since. However, this is his first time appearing solo for about an hour, and more importantly, it’s the first time he has shown his home and private life, which has garnered significant attention.
On “My Little Old Boy,” Yoon Shi-yoon showcased his daily routine. His way of life was quite unique. His star power, combined with his peculiar lifestyle, captivated viewers’ interest and curiosity. His day, as shown on “My Little Old Boy,” began and ended with alarms. He had alarms set for every hour, meticulously dividing his day. Let’s list his activities from waking up to falling asleep, in chronological order:
The Alarm King – Dividing Time by Minutes
7:00 AM: Wake Up. At 7:00 AM, the lights in Yoon Shi-yoon’s bedroom automatically turn on, and an alarm rings. He immediately gets up and prepares a protein shake for breakfast. As he prepares his meal, he promptly tidies up any items he uses. Another alarm rings while he’s making the protein shake.
7:03 AM: Protein/Supplements. He precisely drinks his protein shake and takes his nutritional supplements on time. Then, the alarm rings again.
7:07 AM: Vocal Practice. As an alarm rings for every action, an interview with the production crew follows.
Yoon Shi-yoon: “I usually set alarms to plan my next day’s schedule. I have a monthly plan and a weekly plan as a basic framework, and then the day before, I plan what I need to do and set alarms. I have to set it up like, ‘At this time, do this; at that time, do that.’ There’s only one reason for that: if I don’t set it up, I’m afraid I’ll go out and play aimlessly. I’m so scared of becoming lazy. I’m an incredibly lazy person, so I can’t do without a plan. Really. Truly.”
Production Crew: “Do you get anxious if the timing isn’t kept?”
Yoon Shi-yoon: “I get uneasy. Because the plan goes awry. I think I’m most comfortable when I live according to a plan. I get energy from that.”
He sets alarms daily to avoid becoming lazy and lives as a meticulously planned individual. Even while doing vocal exercises, he immediately washes the cup he used. He lies by the living room window, enjoying the Han River view, and practices vocal exercises while lifting his back and stretching his feet. Another alarm rings. He runs towards the gym.
The Body King – Aiming for 5% Body Fat
7:50 AM: Gym Running. Upon arriving at the gym, he immediately starts running. An interview with the production crew follows.
Production Crew: “You seem to have lost a lot of weight?”
Yoon Shi-yoon: “I’m preparing for ‘Taxi Driver 3.’ I’ve conceived the character to be very gaunt, almost emaciated, so I’m controlling my weight.”
Production Crew: “What’s your current body fat percentage then?”
Yoon Shi-yoon: “Last week when I measured it, it was about 6.5%.”
Production Crew: “What’s your target body fat percentage?”
Yoon Shi-yoon: “5%. They say if you want to get a six-pack, you need to get it down to around 5%.”
Upon hearing this, MC Seo Jang-hoon points out that singer Kim Jong-kook has 9% body fat and soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo has 7%, making Yoon Shi-yoon’s goal seem incredibly impressive. Despite having already lost 10kg for his role, he continues to exercise daily to reach his 5% body fat target. He ran continuously for 30 minutes with high-intensity running.
8:20 AM: Personal Training. Throughout his PT session, he lets out shouts of effort, and his lean muscles are visible. When he exposes his abdomen during exercise, a clear six-pack is evident.

Breakfast in 20 Minutes
9:00 AM: Return Home. After showering, he applies lotion to his upper body. His six-pack and all his body muscles are visible. He seems satisfied as he constantly looks at himself in the mirror while applying lotion. Another alarm rings.
9:40 AM: Breakfast. Due to a 10:00 AM appointment, he has to finish cooking and eating within 20 minutes. His breakfast ingredients are black rice and tilapia (a high-protein fish). He quickly fries the tilapia in a pan, preparing it with practiced speed and precision. After grilling the fish, he sprinkles parsley and garlic flakes to create his first dish, “Grilled Tilapia.” He then starts on his second dish, adding water to black rice and stirring in green tea powder. He greases the pan again and grills low-sodium pollock roe. He then places the grilled roe on the black rice. His second dish is “Low-Sodium Pollack Roe Ochazuke.” He completes his breakfast at lightning speed. After cooking, he immediately soaks the used pan in water and wipes down the gas stove. Now, he begins to eat.
9:50 AM: Breakfast. With limited time, he mixes the fish with rice and eats it hastily with a spoon. Later, he eats the protein (fish) first. He constantly checks the time while eating. Eventually, he gulps down the remaining rice. It makes you wonder why he has to eat like this. After finishing his meal, he immediately washes the dishes. He lives as if 24 hours aren’t enough. He finishes washing dishes in 2 minutes. An alarm rings as soon as he finishes the dishes.
Preparing for Future Opportunities – English and Japanese Lessons
10:00 AM: English Lesson. He conducts an English conversation class over the phone. The conversation is about preparing for a new drama. The interview continues.
Yoon Shi-yoon: “One day, my mom suddenly gave me two absurd English textbooks. I asked, ‘Mom, what’s this?’ And my mom said, ‘You were broadcasting, and your English was just too bad.’ I felt so pathetic. All those staff members were filming me, and I had to create something fun with foreigners. What have I been doing with my life? Why was I so lazy? I really, really regretted it then. I was so embarrassed by myself. I had so many good opportunities, but I missed so many due to language. I believed that an opportunity would come to me again. I absolutely had to learn the language.”
His living room bookshelf is packed with various English books. English study has become another part of his daily routine. The English conversation class lasts for an hour. But the lessons don’t end there.
11:00 AM: Japanese Lesson. This is also a Japanese conversation class conducted over the phone. He is steadily preparing for opportunities that he believes will surely come someday.
Practicing His Main Profession: Acting
12:00 PM: Character Analysis & Acting Practice. Yoon Shi-yoon is in the home theater next to his bedroom. A screen fills one wall. He eats something like a salad while watching the screen. Then he pauses the drama he’s watching and takes a picture. He writes a few notes next to the photo on his tablet. He’s analyzing a character from the drama. He puts down the tablet and acts out a scene exactly as it was. Then he takes more notes. He repeats these actions. He is serious and passionate even when practicing his main profession of acting. The alarm rings again.
Restricted Rest
1:00 PM: Gaming. This time, he moves to his gaming room, which contains a tablet gaming console, retro gaming console, and comics. This is his first break of the day. But suddenly, the monitor turns off while he’s happily playing.
Yoon Shi-yoon: “If I start playing games, it never ends, so I have to set a time limit. After 15-20 minutes, the monitor turns off.”
Even his gaming time is pre-planned. Yoon Shi-yoon’s break lasts exactly 15 minutes. It’s a life of self-control, avoiding laziness. After finishing his game, Yoon Shi-yoon heads to the closet in his gaming room.
The Planner – Preparing a Month’s Worth of Outfits in Advance
His clothes are neatly organized by color and type. He takes out clothes one by one from the closet and places them on the living room table. He also brings out his accessory box. He’s planning his June outfits. His May calendar displays photos of his outfits. He pre-plans his daily outfits with photos, even for his days off.
Production Crew: “Are you interested in clothes?”
Yoon Shi-yoon: “No. I was even chosen for ‘Worst Fashion’ before. As I turn 40, I want to try changing my style. I think I need to challenge myself with clothes that aren’t my style even in my daily wear. But I’m not interested in clothes, I’m not good at dressing, and I lack confidence, so instead, I discuss it with my stylist and prepare a month’s worth of outfits in advance, and I wear them according to the plan.”
His phone contains outfits he discussed with his stylist. Today is the day to try on his pre-planned June outfits, which include both broadcast costumes and daily wear. For June 1st, he chose an all-black outfit for a date with his mother. After trying it on, he takes a verification photo, completing his Day 1 outfit. The next day, he wears a striped shirt and beige pants. Yoon Shi-yoon chooses the accessories himself. He tries on sunglasses and a pearl necklace. Then he adds another pearl necklace and chooses a pearl bracelet as well. He seems satisfied with the “too much” pearl-laden outfit. The next outfit is a black jacket with white pants. He then puts two pearl necklaces around his neck.
Production Crew: “What’s your favorite accessory?”
Yoon Shi-yoon: “Pearls! I think pearls are good. They make me feel healthy. I like a slightly retro feel, and pearls are exactly that. I love pearls. Haha.”
Pearl necklace with a black jumper. Pearl necklace with a white shirt. Pearl necklace with a leather jacket. Pearl necklace with a blue shirt. His accessory box is full of only pearls. He’s a man who is serious about pearls. After checking the outfits, he writes something. He records each outfit he just tried on in the calendar on his tablet. Seeing this, MC Seo Jang-hoon comments that Yoon Shi-yoon’s daily routine is like someone working in a company.
Yoon Shi-yoon: “I can wear white clothes in Singapore too, so I should wear this as an airport outfit.” “For readings, mostly suits.” “I should go to the baseball game in a white t-shirt.” “For the first rehearsal…” “When going to grandma’s house…” “When meeting mom…”
By trying on outfits, taking verification photos, and recording them on his tablet calendar for a month, his daily wear coordination is complete. The June outfit plan is finished. Choi Jin-hyuk’s mother, seeing this, comments that he’s probably the first celebrity to plan a month’s worth of clothes. After finishing the June outfits, he takes something out of a drawer. He then places a t-shirt on it and folds it. It’s a tool for folding clothes into 6 pieces. When folded from the sides and top/bottom, the t-shirt is neatly folded like clothes sold in a store. He carefully folds several clothes one by one and neatly organizes them back into their original places in the dressing room. He also maintains consistent spacing between shirts and finishes with a fabric spray.
The Car Wash King – Even Cleans the Fuel Cap
After organizing his clothes, he drives somewhere: a self-service car wash.
Yoon Shi-yoon: “Washing my car stabilizes and makes me feel good. When I touch this big machine, it feels like I’m communicating with the car somehow. I go to wash my car at least once a week.”
Upon arriving at the car wash, he puts on a car wash jumpsuit. Then he takes a shopping bag full of car wash supplies out of the car. Just by the number of car wash items, you can feel his expertise. He puts on a car wash apron over his jumpsuit and then puts on headphones. The captions explain that he wears headphones to block out noise that might disturb his car wash. He’ll also listen to music. MC Seo Jang-hoon, observing him, says that Yoon Shi-yoon does everything with sincerity.
He takes out car wash supplies from the shopping bag, and they just keep coming. He immediately organizes them by purpose in neat rows. Cleaning brush, compressed sprayer, pre-wash detergent, car shampoo, tire cleaner, tar remover, oil film remover, car polish, car polish 2, interior coating, leather conditioner, tire shine, ultra-microfiber towel, ultra-microfiber towel 2.
He begins washing the car by spraying high-pressure water, maintaining a 45-degree angle to spray the entire car. He periodically adjusts the nozzle to avoid touching the car. He exudes an expert aura. The high-pressure water wash removes the dirt. He sprays water in circles on the tires. Kim Hee-chul’s mother, watching him, says he looks like a car wash employee, and Lee Dong-gun’s mother says she would believe it if he said he was an employee.
The next step is to spray cleaner on the tires to remove contamination and then thoroughly scrub them with a dedicated tire brush. He has two tire brushes: a thin brush for detailed work that can clean even inside holes, and a wider brush for general cleaning. He’s a man serious about tires. MC Seo Jang-hoon says even professional car washes wouldn’t do it this thoroughly.
The next step is pre-washing to remove contaminants and loosen stubborn dirt. Then he sprays snow foam, a fine bubble detergent to loosen the dirt even more. He skillfully sprays it, filling the car evenly with snow foam.
The next step is car shampoo. When high-pressure water is added to the detergent, the bucket quickly fills with foam. He uses a detergent-soaked towel to manually wipe off the dirt loosened by the snow foam. He meticulously cleans even inside the fuel cap. MC Seo Jang-hoon says he’s never seen anyone clean the fuel cap before.
Yoon Shi-yoon: “I like cleaning. When I see something dirty, I get really excited if I can clean it. I love it so much. Steaming with hot water, melting things, and then wiping them to make them clean, that feeling is so good.”
Car wash time is his ultimate healing time. He sprays with high-pressure water one more time. Seeing the stubborn dirt wash away so refreshingly is satisfying. He’s drenched in sweat. Now it’s time to wipe off the water. He uses a dedicated ultra-microfiber towel, wiping it in one smooth motion without scrubbing, and the water instantly disappears. The water is removed in one go. The front and rear windows all sparkle cleanly. However, he then re-wipes the clean glass with foam. He’s using a professional car wash machine, an oil film remover, to wipe away any accumulated oil film on the glass.
Finally, the last stage of the car wash is polishing the car. He sprays polish and wipes it with a towel. To perform a final check, he places a paper cup on the bumper, and it slides off smoothly. He smiles with satisfaction. And so, the 2-hour car wash is complete. However, the video only showed the exterior car wash taking 2 hours. If he cleaned the interior too, it would probably take another 2 hours. The gleaming white car looks like a brand new car, but it’s actually 12 years old. He’s managed it incredibly well. Anyone would think it’s a new car. By the time the car wash is finished, it’s already evening.

The Cleaning King – Even Cleans the Bathroom After Washing Car Supplies
8:00 PM: Return Home. Upon returning home, he pours all the car wash supplies into the bathroom and begins cleaning them one by one. The celebrity mothers watching the VCR each comment, asking when he ever rests. He even cleans the detergent containers. After a long time, he finishes cleaning the car wash supplies. But this isn’t the end. He takes out bathroom cleaning supplies. He cleans the bathroom again, which got dirty from cleaning the car wash supplies. He starts by spraying bleach on the floor and then cleans the mirror, toilet, sink, and bathtub. He sweats profusely but continues cleaning without stopping. After spraying water and wiping off the moisture, the bathroom floor sparkles. MC Seo Jang-hoon, watching him, says this is why he loses weight, and that he could run less and eat more. After finishing the bathroom cleaning, he finally takes a shower.
The Self-Control King – Just Smells the Whiskey
After showering, he places only three finger foods on a plate on the living room table. He also brings out whiskey. This is probably his dinner. He then brings out a glass and a torch. He takes a dome-shaped bottle with a perforated bottom and sprinkles wood chips on top. He puts the whiskey inside the dome and lights the wood chips with the torch, filling the dome with smoke. This is smoky pairing, infusing the whiskey with a smoky aroma by burning wood chips. When he removes the dome, smoke remains in the whiskey glass. He pours whiskey into the glass and smells it. He smells it once, takes a bite of finger food. Smells it again, another bite of finger food. He doesn’t drink it; he just keeps smelling it. He uses a dropper-like tool to take a tiny bit of whiskey and puts it on his tongue. After doing this a few times, he discards the whiskey and tidies up the area.
Yoon Shi-yoon: “Robert Downey Jr. said he only smelled whiskey during filming, and I found it had an effect too. I just enjoy the smell and don’t drink it. When managing weight, alcohol is much more important than food. If you drink, it interferes with all your muscles and body fat in proportion to how much you drink. This time, I’m not being as strict with food, but I’ve been controlling alcohol for 6 months. And for the first time, my body fat has gone below 10%.” “I’m so scared of becoming lazy. I believe I’m in a very good environment at a young age, receiving good love, more than I can handle. So when I become lazy or live a dissipated life as a young man, I feel a great sense of guilt. I’m an incredibly lazy person, so I can’t do without a plan. Really.”
Perhaps to avoid becoming lazy, he immediately washes the whiskey glass and other items he just used. Even though he only smelled it, he used three cups. He quickly finishes washing the dishes, and finally, darkness falls upon the house.
The Abstinence Box – Self-Control Until Sleep
He takes something out of the bookshelf.
Yoon Shi-yoon: “There’s something called the ‘abstinence box’ for my phone; I just put it in and lock it. Especially before bed, looking at the phone screen can make it harder to sleep due to dopamine. Before you know it, it’s 2 AM, and I’ve only looked at a few things. So I just put my phone in the box and lock it up.”
In the morning, the alarm rang from his phone inside the abstinence box on the bookshelf. And before going to bed, he seals his phone in the abstinence box again. This is how he practices self-control and discipline. At 10:00 PM, he puts on an eye mask and goes to bed. It’s a day packed tightly for 15 hours, from waking up to going back to sleep. This is something that cannot be done with ordinary willpower and effort. It’s the most diligent day in the world.
Yoon Shi-yoon: “I want to keep pushing my lazy self while also comforting myself and moving forward.”