Ayolyi and her boyfriend Kim Hyeong-bae [Ayolyi's Instagram]
Ayolyi and her boyfriend Kim Hyeong-bae [Ayolyi's Instagram]

Model and influencer Ayolyi, whose real name is Kim Min-young, 34, announced she has found new love four years after her divorce — and has now shared the full story of how she met her boyfriend, a Korean medicine doctor.

A video titled "Spilling the tea on our first meeting" was posted to her YouTube channel Sunday afternoon.

In it, Ayolyi described in detail how she first encountered her current boyfriend, Kim Hyeong-bae, a Korean medicine doctor. She said she had spotted an attractive doctor on YouTube one day and showed the clip to her staff, who encouraged her to visit his clinic.

"I think it was around spring last year," she recalled.

At the time, Ayolyi was living in Bundang, and when she looked up the clinic's location, she was surprised to find it was also in Bundang — and close to her home.

A few months later, feeling she had put on some weight, she dressed up and visited the clinic for a diet consultation. "I had gained weight. I'm normally 45 kilograms, but at the time I was 48 or 49," she said. "I suddenly thought of that clinic and decided to go."

"I had a really serious diet consultation," she added. "The question that stuck with me was something like, 'Do you have constipation?'"

Before she left, the clinic director told her, "I've been a fan of yours for a long time." She thanked him and headed home.

Kim later sent her a direct message on Instagram. "He messaged me asking if I was taking my medicine properly and told me to come back for a second round of medication," she said.

She explained that she lost 3 kilograms on the medication and, feeling she did not need to lose more weight and being busy preparing for a move, did not return to the clinic for three or four months.

The relationship took off in earnest after Ayolyi relocated to Gangnam.

"The apartment felt empty and a little lonely," she said. "I could see the Han River, so I took a photo and posted it to my story. Then another DM came in — 'Hope you're doing well, Min-young. Our views look really similar.'"

As it turned out, Kim lived in the apartment building next door, just a five-minute walk away.

"That's how the flirting turned into a relationship," Ayolyi said. "I can't believe a day has come when I'm smiling and talking about my love life again. I never thought this day would come."

Ayolyi married racing driver Seo Ju-won in 2018 but divorced in 2022. She currently runs a YouTube channel with around 770,000 subscribers and works as an entrepreneur in fashion and beauty.


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com