Korean actor Song Joong Ki broke the collective hearts of fans worldwide when he announced on June 27, 2019 that he would be filing for divorce from his wife of nearly two years, Descendants of the Sun co-star Song Hye Kyo.

Because what is true love when the marriage between Korea's "Golden Couple" ended so prematurely?

Photos that surfaced online recently however, actually support previous suspicions that the pair's marriage might not have been a bed of roses.

From luscious to limp

Koreaboo reported that an anonymous insider revealed that Song Joong Ki had been experiencing hair loss "due to personal stress".

The 33-year-old's hair loss was so severe that even production staff on the set of his upcoming drama Arthdal Chronicles had noticed.

And a photo circulating online seems to provide the evidence.

In the picture, a selfie allegedly taken by a fan in April earlier this year, Song can be seen with a head of rather thin, limp and unkempt hair.

Which is pretty different from how his hair looked in 2012.

Stress from marital woes

Since the photo's circulation, the cause behind Song's hair loss had been the subject of much speculation among fans.

It was the number one trending topic on South Korean online platform Naver.

The screenshot below, when translated, shows "Song Joong Ki Hair Loss Photo" occupying the top trending spot.

https://twitter.com/ttokbokkie/status/1145560292589314048

Many speculate that Song's thinning cap can be attributed to stress from marital woes.

Public statements by unnamed acquaintances of Song stated that the famous actor had been suffering from much distress due to problems in his marriage, according to South China Morning Post.

Staff from Arthdal Chronicles were also worried that Song's marriage might be the cause of his hair loss.

Netizens had similar sentiments as well, with some claiming "it must have been a marriage issue since then that caused his hair loss".

Others commented on "how stressed out he was with such serious hair loss".

Previously, rumours were already swirling that the Song-Song couple's marriage might be on the rocks—the Korea Times reported that the pair had started living separately since September 2018, only less than a year into their marriage.

Some say his hair loss might be genetic

Others however, have disputed the claims that Song's balding is due to his marriage, believing that the condition is genetic.

Some have also passed the news off as no big deal.

A second viral photo of Song reportedly taken in 2013 or 2014 during his military enlistment, apparently showed him with what appeared to be thinning patches on his scalp.

And this screenshot of Song in an episode of Descendants of the Sun in 2016, kind of shows that his tresses aren't that thick on the side either.

Both these photos were taken before Song Joong Ki even entered a relationship with Song Hye Kyo.

Regardless of whether Song Joong Ki's balding can truly be pinned on his marriage problems, there's no doubt that going through a divorce will place undue stress and grief on a person.

Here's a photo of him with long luscious locks from his new drama just to round things up.

Top photo from KPOP Express / FB and Naver