I don’t track even my favorite stars birthdays and only notice when the day gets celebrated by fans as a reminder that time keeps chugging along. This particular birthday feels so melancholy and hopeful at the same time, with July 16th being K-actor Kim Woo Bin‘s 28th birthday and his own agency posted a birthday greeting for the star. Nothing else is taking place as the actor is on hiatus while undergoing chemo for nasopharyngeal cancer, already a very scary and difficult prospect but made all the more hard to comprehend still seeing as he’s just turning 28 and is really so young to be thus afflicted. The recovery rate for early detection of this cancer is reportedly quite high so I remain hopeful he will make a full recovery, though any battle with cancer will leave its mark and only time will tell when and to what capacity Kim Woo Bin returns to acting. The movie he was filming Wiretap has officially halted production until he can return to the set.

Prior to falling ill, Kim Woo Bin was also one of the most popular and prolific CF models in Korea, both due to his acting exposure and his model build and good looks. Most of the endorsement companies have reportedly decided to continue his contract but a few have already decided to terminate citing Kim Woo Bin’s hiatus.