A Korean star reflected on her tough times, drawing sympathy from viewers with her difficult past.
On the night of October 10th, MBC’s The Manager (also known as Omniscient Interfering View) featured Lachica member Simeez, who revealed her daily life as both a choreographer and the CEO of a shoe brand.
On the show, Simeez checked work messages piled up on her phone immediately upon waking. While having a salad for breakfast, she organized her to-do list. Not only did she manage tasks as a choreographer, but she also handled the operations of her shoe brand.
A fellow choreographer working with Simeez explained, “She is the CEO of the shoe brand. I know she’s heavily involved in design and also helps a lot with brand marketing.” The brand’s annual sales was introduced as ₩600 million KRW (about $448,000 USD) as of 2022.
Singers who have worn Simeez’s shoes include aespa, IU, and BLACKPINK. The shoes are used on idol concert stages, and Lisa’s shoes at this year’s World Cup opening ceremony were also from Simeez’s brand. Lisa actually wore Simeez’s platform knee-high boots at the opening ceremony performance held at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Simeez revealed that she started her business before graduating college. She said, “The capital was ₩300,000 KRW (about $224 USD). I tried to avoid going into the red as much as possible because I had no money.” She added, “I packed the products myself at home and lived with cockroaches.”
Now, she truly lives the life of a CEO. Inside her home, which has a view of the Han River through the living room window, were various props and furniture, and the studio walls were filled with photos taken with Lachica members.
Panelists who saw this commented, “The furniture and props are stylish.” Junior dancers described Simeez, who juggles choreography and business, as “a workaholic” and said, “We don’t know when she rests. She sends work messages day and night, and she replies all the time. It seems like she doesn’t sleep and just works.”
Simeez, who has been working as the performance director of IVE for three years, also shared her standards for working with dancers while explaining that she takes good care of their pay.
Looking at both skill and character, she said, “I believe performers are the ones who raise the quality of the stage. Since they have to work long-term, character is important, too. In that sense, I want to make sure I treat them fairly.”