In a TV show, THIS K-pop idol narrated his sad history, revealing how his remaining and only family member went "missing" eight years ago.
Recently, former ZE: A's main rapper, Kim Taeheon, appeared on MBN's "Special Exclusive World," a current affairs and culture program.
Here, he revealed his current status after leaving the K-pop scene and opened up about his unfortunate family background.
In particular, he started by narrating that he lost his father when he was eight years old, leaving them massive debts. When he was around 15 years old, he lost his mother then to breast cancer, leaving him and his only sister behind.
When he debuted and rose to fame as ZE:A, he was able to pay his father's debts with his settlement fees and also opened a store for his sister.
While they initially maintained a good relationship, things started to change in 2016, a year after he entered the military for his mandatory service.
"I suddenly lost contact with my sister. When I was in the military, my sister said something had happened, so I took a leave of absence and went to see her.
But when I was discharged from the military, I have not been able to contact my sister since then."
The main reason Taeheon can think of why his sister disappeared was due to guilt after losing their money.
"I think it’s because of the money. We lost contact after the store went under, and it’s been 8 years since then."
From being a store owner, Taeheon went back to their financially-ill lifestyle. He's been living in a studio-type apartment and is working at a restaurant in Seoul. Before that, he also did construction and logistic services in hardware to make a living.
Despite this, a percentage of his hard-earned money goes to his search for his older sister. He also clarified that while he initially asked for help from the police, it was an isolated case since his sister declared that she didn't want to meet her family.
Due to this, he couldn't obtain any information because of the department's obligation to protect her personal information.
Before the broadcast ended, Kim Taeheon said:
"My older sister is more important than money. I wish she would stop playing hide-and-seek now. I miss my older sister.”
Meanwhile, Kim Taeheon debuted as the main rapper of the boy group ZE:A in 2010. Despite initial popularity and wealth, he suffered financial difficulties when his exclusive contract expired and his group activities stopped.
READ MORE: Where Is ZE:A Now? Members' Status Amid Group's 9-Year Hiatus in Music Scene
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
