By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
July 15, 2020
In the United States, moving away from home after high school for college or to start working was viewed as a rite of passage. It was a sign that you were independent and could support yourself. Parents could turn your old bedroom into a spare room where they could enjoy their own hobbies.
But still, some western celebrities chose to live with their parents well into their adulthood. “Black Panther” star Michael B. Jordan lived with his parents until he was 31. Granted, it was a mansion he purchased. In 2018, he moved out and bought his own penthouse. Comedian Kathy Griffin stayed at her parents’ house until she was 28. Former E! Entertainment reporter Maria Menounos was still living with her parents when she was 35 years old. And tennis great Rafael Nadal lives with his parents, because — as he told PEOPLE magazine — they “cocoon me from the dangerously distracting hurly-burly that comes with money and fame, and create the environment of affection and trust I need to allow my talent to flower.”
In South Korea, it wasn’t as common for young, unmarried adults to move away from home. In cities such as Seoul, it wasn’t financially practical, with the lack of land and the population density. But sometimes even wealthy celebrities choose to remain at home with their parents for a variety of reasons, including being able to help them financially and having a comfortable place where they can live with people they love and trust. It’s a win-win situation.
As one of South Korea’s most famous and sought after actors, the “Itaewon Class” star certainly has more than enough money to live in his own fancy compound. But the 31-year-old actor prefers to quietly live at home with his parents. But living with your parents doesn’t mean your life has to be on hold. On an episode of “Home Alone,” Park’s “Itaewon Class” co-star, Ahn Bo-Hyun was camping with his friend, EXO‘s Sehun, when he received a phone call from Park. The star wanted to get together with Ahn to hang out that evening and was disappointed that his friend was too far away that evening.
The “Running Man” star has often talked about wanting to get married. But at 44, he says he hasn’t found the right woman yet. However, he moved out of his parents’ home in 2018. Why? On an episode of “My Little Old Boy,” his Running Man castmate Song Ji-Hyo explained that he moved out for his mother’s benefit. Kim gets along famously well with his mom, but no matter how early his call time was, she insisted on getting up even earlier to fix him his breakfast. Now, she can get some of her well-earned rest while enjoying her son’s antics on all his television shows.
Speaking of Song, the talented actress has talked often about life at home with her parents and siblings, including her younger brother, Cheon Seong-Moon, who has appeared on “Running Man” and “Song Ji Hyo’s Beautiful Life,” where he happily shared what it was like living with his famous sister. He said she enjoys drinking (and smoking!) and bullying him, but that overall, she’s a great daughter and a loyal older sibling. Though everyone on “Running Man” jokes about Song being a 40something ajumma, she’s still only 38.
This reality series has done a good job of helping normalize what it’s like for South Korean celebrities who do chose to leave their parents’ homes.
Ahn moved away from his hometown of Busan, not because he wanted to live away from his parents, but because he wanted to pursue a career in acting. And for that, it was more convenient to live in Seoul, where most of the casting calls are. Ahn recently guested on a couple episodes of “Home Alone,” where the actor showed how he still maintains a thrifty lifestyle, even after major roles in K-Dramas such as “Itaewon Class” and “Her Private Life” (where his competition for Park Min-Young‘s affection was Kim Jae-Wook — who earned quite the following after appearing in “Coffee Prince“!).
He starts his day by making a pot of rice. Instead of purchasing those little bowls of rice that you microwave and eat, he makes his own serving size bowls and stacks them in his fridge. (I do this, too! It tastes better than the pre-packaged stuff and is much cheaper.) His mother appeared with him on his second guest appearance on “Home Alone” and apologized for all the suffering he went through, because she and his father were unable to help him financially. It was a bittersweet segment, because Ahn’s choices were based on having to leave behind part of his past for his future.
If you’d like to watch the episode mentioned above, you can catch it on KOCOWA here.
