The thought of a K-Pop idol having a part-time job must be one of the weirdest situations to imagine but it is a reality for some! While many believe fortune comes along with the glitz and glam, you would be sadly mistaken and surprised by the truth.

Noawadays, many idols have been spotted working part time jobs and barely performing on stage as much as they were before. Some may believe this is due in part to the Coronavirus pandemic (which is quite true), however, many idols simply do not make money due to the debt they accrue within their companies and lack of fame, promotions, and overall sales.

Fans often believe if a group makes a comeback, they should already be getting paid – but YouTube views and streaming K-Pop on Spotify won’t cover all the bills! To begin with, K-Pop production costs for a song alone can cost over $3,000 and there is still the MV to film, stylists to pay, choreography to create, backup dancers or models to use, and other variables for how make a music video viral in K-Pop.

Recently, an idol was spotted working at popular cosmetic store ‘LUSH’ in Seoul and many netizens were shocked and concerned after the idol came forward on V-Live to make a post about the matter. VANNER member Hyesung explains that he was often recognized by fans who would then ask why he was working as a part-timer? The idol deeply worried about the situation and felt embarrassed, considered his pride, and many other factors during these situations. However, through his bravery, he cleared things up on V-Live and expressed how he needed money to survive and also avoid depression. Click the picture below to see the full video on Naver’s V-Live app!

In the live, Hyesung confessed how he just wanted a little money so he can live his life well again, as he had not been making any money for more than 2 years.

“I believe that many idols, like me, currently are not making any earnings despite promoting as idols. For me, I have been living without any earnings for about 2 years, and what I have realized is that when a person is living without any earnings for himself, your thoughts end up in a very extreme place. And so I started thinking. All I really want to do is to pay for my bus fare. Pay for my meals. And if I end up meeting a friend for the first time in a long time, and they are a friend who is younger than me, then maybe I can buy them something. Just coffee. Food. Just enough money for those simple things would maintain my welfare, but when I find that I don’t have that, it turns into an ultimatum. I need to quit being a singer and an idol, I am tired of this, I need to live my life. When I realized that I was having such thoughts, I came to the conclusion that I need to just lay my pride down, and get a job to meet those few requirements. It doesn’t matter if sometimes, people recognize me. If anyone asks me why I’m working there, I just need to answer that I am not making any money right now, and if I’m not even working part-time, then I can’t continue being an idol. So I am working to protect my main role. That’s is why I am working part-time at ‘LUSH’, everyone.

I was supposed to start the live at 9 PM, but honestly, I was really worried. So I spent quite a few minutes just hesitating. But I’m glad now that I was able to communicate honestly with you all.

“I will continue to work hard as VANNER. All I can ask is that while you all are living your lives if you happen to see VANNER on TV, or you hear a song by VANNER somewhere, if you could just say, ‘Oh yeah, it’s VANNER’, or ‘I remember VANNER’. If you could just remember us like that, I would be grateful.“

Now, fans are moved and touched by the idol’s honest appearance and the efforts he truly puts forward into becoming a K-Pop idol. “How to become a K-Pop idol” is a question everyone always asks but they never know the amount of effort and hardships that really go into it. Now, many can see that it doesn’t just involve blood, sweat and tears and how to become famous like BTS. In order to fuel your dreams, you need to consider all options.

Fans left messages of support for VANNER and began sharing their recent MV on various forums. Hopefully, the group VANNER can continue to grow and find their moment in the spotlight soon. Don’t forget to support the group and watch their MV for “Form” down below.

What do you think of idols with part-time jobs? Is it something that should be accepted and allowed in order for idols to have stability while supporting their dreams or should they remain focused on their companies? Share your thoughts in the comments!