This looks like the swan song pictorial in terms of what Kim Ji Won‘s existing agency lined up for her. She’s in the pages of Arena Homme Korea for November 2021 and I quite like the slightly aloof vibe she gives off complete with the extra straight hair. With this pictorial which came out last week, today came the news that she will for sure not be renewing her contract with Salt Entertainment and will be entering free agency. Then came the reply from Salt that it’s not true and her contract renewal/end discussions hasn’t even come up yet. Hhhmmm. If she does leave, some stars leave their long time agency to start their own one-person agency but I don’t think she’s there yet, plus it’s just so stressful to run a business and be an star in South Korea. TBH Kim Ji Won being with Salt (she signed with them last year in February 2020) never made sense to me because the agency also reps Park Shin Hye and they would absolutely be up for the same projects time and again based on their track record and image they have cultivated in the industry. During her year and a half with Salt, she did Lovestruck in the City which was not the success hoped for but she also has My Liberation Diary airing on jTBC in 2022 on her upcoming projects which is highly anticipated being from the screenwriter of My Ahjusshi and Another Oh Hae Young. But then again, during the same period Salt also got Park Shin Hye in Sisyphus: The Myth which was an even bigger blunder. So Salt, do better and be more sweet to your stars.