'Single's Inferno 4' Star Lee Si-an Joins Kim Tae-ho's New Travel Variety Show

Lee Si-an, who rose to fame on Netflix's dating series "Single's Inferno 4," is taking on her first travel variety show. She joins the cast of ENA's new program "Jimssalabium," a minimalist travel series from producer Kim Tae-ho.

The show is built around a simple twist. Four travelers with different tastes and lifestyles share a single suitcase for a two-week trip across four different landscapes. The concept comes from TEO, the production company led by Kim, one of Korea's most influential variety producers behind long-running hits like "Infinite Challenge." ENA is airing the series.

Lee earned the nickname "beauty full" on "Single's Inferno 4" after packing her suitcase almost entirely with cosmetics. She leaned into that image while introducing herself for the new show.

"Even for a three-day business trip, I need at least two suitcases," she said. "One whole bag has to be filled with beauty items or I can't relax."

She admitted her first reaction to the "one suitcase for four people" concept was disbelief. "Honestly, I thought I heard it wrong. I was completely thrown off," she said.

Still, she saw it as a chance to change. "I've always lived a life packed with stuff. I wanted to try living a little more minimally," she said. "Up to now my trips have been flashy ones, spent fussing over how I look. This time I wanted to travel without any masks, to actually breathe in the air of a country and take that home. That's what pushed me to say yes."

Her usual packing style, she said, is chaotic. "I have chronic 'just in case' syndrome. If I can see it, I throw it in. I don't have any secret packing tricks," she said. "One suitcase for four people felt like a test of who I really am."

The trip itself, though, turned out differently than she expected. "We ended up buying clothes locally or borrowing from each other. That became normal," she said. She credited fellow cast member Wonji, whom she called a travel expert, with keeping the group grounded. "Every time she pulled out some essential survival item, I was amazed. Thanks to her lead, I settled naturally into living as a group."

Lee said the experience reshaped how she thinks about "emptying." "It's not just about having fewer things. It's about willingly giving up your own space for the people around you. That's what care means," she said. "Watching the space I gave up fill with everyone's laughter and memories, that really moved me."

One thing she refused to give up was her beauty routine. "I had this rule that what's inside someone's personal pouch has to be respected. No one gets to touch it," she said with a laugh. "So I got Gabee and Harimu on my side early and built a solid beauty alliance."

She described her role among the cast as a "human buffer." "With calm Wonji I became the serious one. With Gabee and Harimu I matched their energy," she said. She naturally balanced out the group's different personalities, she added.

Lee closed with a preview of what viewers can expect. "Every destination was full of incredible nature," she said. "But behind the beautiful scenery there was always a harsh price. The luggage was light, but the weight of the struggle definitely wasn't. Look forward to that journey."

"Jimssalabium" premieres August 1 at 7:50 p.m. KST.