“I’m Happy For Being Able To Eat Two Instant Noodles At Once,” Top Idols Who Went Through Great Financial Hardship
Unlike their colorful stage, these stars used to suffer in the past
Recently, Kim Tae-heon, a former member of the group ZE:A, confessed about his difficulties in life. In particular, in the latest episode of MBN’s “Exclusive World,” which aired on July 11th, ZE:A’s rapper member Kim Tae-heon appeared to share his recent status.
In this episode, Kim shared, “There was nothing left. The glamour of when I was active as an idol. There was nothing left. So I retired.” He said that he had been working as a day laborer since the disbandment of the group. “I couldn’t pay for my phone plan and my credit card was blocked. I had to boil water with gas to shower,” he said, shocking the audience.
Kim Tae-heon revealed he has been working at a Chinese restaurant for three months now, saying, “I’m happy to be able to eat two instant noodles. When I was having a hard time, I could only eat one.”
Eunhyuk, a member of Super Junior which is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary, also had a difficult childhood. Eunhyuk appeared on a show in the past and shared, “When I was young, my house didn’t have a bathroom. That’s why I had to use the bathroom at a nearby train station and our family moved around a lot.” Even so, he said, “I had no complaints despite my difficult life at the time. But I didn’t like to see my parents having a hard time,” showing his affection for his family.
Eunhyuk drew attention with his frugal appearance, buying a house for his parents after making his name known as Super Junior, while at the same time driving around in a compact car for nearly 10 years.
Hwanhee of the group Fly to the Sky also confessed that he had a hard time after leaving SM Entertainment. “It was a time when many idol groups debuted, so we tried to find a place where we could show our music well,” Hwanhee said, recalling when he left SM after a five-year contract.
“There were too many offers. Any company that promises to give us a lot of money seemed like a scam. We didn’t think about asking a lawyer to look at it, so we didn’t sign a contract with a new agency. My bank account balance was gone and it was so hard,” he confessed.
“At that time, a lot of people thought I made a lot of money. When I met my friends, I always paid, but that became a habit. At that moment (financial difficulties) came, and I thought, “It’s hard for me, too,” he said. “At some point, I didn’t want to go out and let my friends pay, and I didn’t want to be beholden to them, so I didn’t want to go out of my house. I think there were a few crises like that,” he recalled.
