A K-Pop Idol Met His Fan While Working Part Time At A Store To Make Ends Meet—Their Reactions Were Admirable

VANNER is a five-member boy group formed by VT Entertainment. Composed of members Taehwan, Ahxian, Yeonggwang, Gon, and Hyesung, they debuted in 2019 with their album V.

Unfortunately, they did not receive much attention during these past few years. It was only when they participated in JTBC‘s Peak Time that they finally received the attention they worked so hard to gain.

After winning the program, they hopped on interviews where they opened up about the realities of lesser-known singers. One of them was with Korea Herald where they mentioned facing a big financial burden in the past few years. They had to rely on their parents to make ends meet which was a source of guilt for them.

There was a moment when I was close to giving up on my career as an artist. That was when I saw my mom having a hard time financially, helping me out all by herself after my dad passed away. I felt that I was becoming more of a burden to her. But then, I thought I should rather not let go of all the time I’d spent as an artist so as not to disappoint her.

— Taehwan

Hyesung previously explained that it is common for singers like them to not have any income due to the difficulty of breaking into the K-Pop market. They support themselves by taking up part-time work elsewhere.

There are other idols, not just me, who don’t don’t have an income right now. I’ve lived about two years without an income, and I’ve realized that when people live without an income, their thoughts become extreme and have no limits. You know, I just want to be able to afford my bus fare, be able to pay for food, and if I meet up with a friend who’s younger than me, I want to be able to treat them to a meal.

— Hyesung

The members of VANNER all have their own side jobs as baristas, waiters, popcorn makers, and more on top of being K-Pop idols.

They do so to “protect [their] main job” of being singers.

My life would be sustainable if I can just pay for things like coffee or food, but because I don’t have that kind of money, I began to think about quitting being a singer and how I’ve burnt out. So I decided to let things go. Even if people happen to recognize who I am, I decided to work. When people ask me, ‘Why do you work a part-time job?,’ I tell them, ‘I decided to work part-time in order to protect my main job.’

— Hyesung

Though it doesn’t happen often, this sometimes means meeting their fans while they are working at their part-time jobs. This happened to Hyesung when he cleared tables at a restaurant. He said that it made him feel “worried” and self-conscious at first.

Once, I met a fan when working at a store. I was really worried about what the fan would think of me after seeing me off stage.

— Hyesung

Thankfully, the fan was genuine in her support of the K-Pop idol. This gave Hyesung strength, giving him a reason to continue working hard while pursuing his goal of being a singer.

But the fan told me that she likes me for who I am, whether I am on stage or at a store. She said she was looking forward to seeing us back on stage. This kind of genuine support from our fans was the driving force that kept us going, and helped us to not give up on our career as K-pop idols.

— Hyesung