Veteran actor Shin Ji still calls out 'I'm home' to late wife

Veteran actor Shin Ji, 91, has opened up about missing his wife, who died last year, speaking with quiet composure about life without her.

Appearing on the YouTube channel "Jjanhan Hyeong," which released the episode Monday, Shin said he never imagined he would end up alone. "I never thought it would turn out this way — just me by myself," he said. "And then one day, it did."

He went on to describe how he has coped. "It's not like I can follow her in death. I'm still breathing, so I have to eat," he said. "I've found a way to endure."

Shin said he often thinks of friends who are also living alone. "I wonder how they managed," he said. "Even now, I don't really feel like she's gone. I just think she's stepped out somewhere."

He smiled as he added that he still announces himself when he comes home. "When I walk in the door, I say, 'Honey, I'm home,'" he said.

Shin said he has made peace with the loss. "It's something no one can avoid," he said. "That's just what life is."

His wife, the late Ha Jeong-suk, died in July last year. Shin married her in 1974, and the couple have one son. He is currently appearing onstage in a production of The Merchant of Venice alongside Jo Dal-hwan and Lee Sang-yun.