Singer Hwang Garam confessed to living homeless.
On the afternoon of the 30th, Hwang Garam's daily life was revealed on the SBS entertainment program 'My Ugly Duckling' (hereinafter 'My Ugly Duckling').
On this day, the first 'ugly duckling' was Kim Jong-min. He presented the first wedding invitation to PD Na Young-seok and said, "I had a question for you, hyung. I fell into a slump after my military alternative service," revealing the reason he sought out Na Young-seok. Na Young-seok recalled, "I wondered if a human could break down to that extent. There was no expression I could use other than saying it was broken. It felt like a computer error?"
Kim Jong-min asked, "At that time, there was a petition to leave '1 Night 2 Days', right? And I knew the broadcasting station said they had to cut me. The production team never told me that. You were the head at that time. You could have easily let me go, so why did you keep me?"
Na Young-seok replied, "I kept asking myself back then. If any member felt uncomfortable because of you, they would have told you to leave. But no one said that. If I had the chance to speak to the viewers with a microphone, I would have asked, 'If you have a family and one child who can't study, would you tell them to leave?' Because it's family, we started together. It's not that you couldn't do it from the beginning; you helped lift them up."
Kim Jong-min said, "Since I kept holding on, other people left. You left too... From my perspective, I saw the other TV and everyone left to gather on 'New Journey to the West'?" expressing a hint of disappointment.
Kim Jong-min also asked, "Is there anyone among the 'My Ugly Duckling' members you want to work with in the next program?" and Na Young-seok pointed to Seo Jang-hoon, saying, "Actually, I'm interested in someone unexpected... I'm talking about the person sitting there."
Watching the VCR, Seo Jang-hoon said, "He's the best graduate from Yonsei University," feeling pleased, and Na Young-seok revealed his true feelings, saying, "I just find it annoying to see him sitting there. I want to pull him out quickly and make him spin around," causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Then, Kim Jong-min said, "I have a gift for you," pulling out a can of fish sauce Americano. He explained the rules, saying, "If you draw coffee, you are exempt from the wedding gift, but if you draw fish sauce Americano, you have to pay the wedding gift."
Na Young-seok drew the fish sauce Americano. As soon as he took a sip, he exclaimed, "Wow..." making a funny face that elicited laughter.
Afterward, Kim Jong-min visited Kim Seung-woo. He said, "We need the lovebirds to come so we can live like them," asking him to come to the wedding with Kim Nam-joo. Kim Seung-woo replied, "My wife mentioned you. She said your wife's voice was on the broadcast. She said it was very pretty?"
Kim Seung-woo reminisced, "I couldn't propose. I just asked her to take out the sunglasses from the front seat drawer of the car. When I opened the sunglasses, there was a ring," recalling the past.
He also mentioned that he had prepared a 5-carat diamond ring, saying, "I treated 2,000 people to a meal. When I got married, there was a relay truck. It was a live broadcast," showcasing a remarkable scale that surprised everyone.
Kim Jong-min said, "I need to prepare for a second child, but since I'm getting older... I had a male hormone test, and it came out very low. I got a 3, while Junho got 2.7 and Jong-kook got 9. Have you planned for a second child?" asking honestly.
In response, Kim Seung-woo boldly replied, "First of all, love unconditionally."
Afterward, Kim Jong-min met with his next friend to give a wedding invitation, Yoon Si-yoon and Yunho. Kim Jong-min said, "I found out who my girlfriend's first love was. He is tall and handsome. That first love is someone I know! I came to talk about it today," bringing up a somewhat uncomfortable topic.
He added, "It's Yunho! My girlfriend even went to the TVXQ concert," to which Yunho responded, "Thank goodness. I thought it was someone I met," feeling relieved.
Jong-min called his girlfriend and handed the phone to Yunho. When Yunho introduced himself, Kim Jong-min's girlfriend exclaimed, "What? Really? Hello! What should I do... My heart is racing. Yes, I was a Cassiopeia. I was a huge fan of Yunho. I'm so nervous right now... What should I do?" showing her fan spirit.
She continued, "I went to concerts, live broadcasts, and standing events! I can't believe this right now," and Kim Jong-min said, "I'm hearing this for the first time? It seems like you can't hear me," feeling a bit hurt.
When Yunho asked what part she liked about him, Kim Jong-min's girlfriend replied, "He's so handsome, and I thought I would meet Yunho oppa someday." Seeing this, Kim Jong-min blushed, and his girlfriend quickly added, "Of course, now Jong-min oppa is the best," clarifying her statement.
When Yunho said he would congratulate her at the wedding, the girlfriend replied, "Okay, I'll be waiting," feeling excited. Hearing this, Kim Jong-min was baffled, asking, "Why are you waiting for Yunho at the wedding?"
The second 'ugly duckling' was singer Hwang Garam. After waking up in bed, he immediately searched for his name. After washing his face at the sink, he woke up a student he had taught music for 16 years.
Looking at the bills, Hwang Garam said, "Why is the gas bill 120,000 won? And you can't buy small bottles of water. The small bottles are more expensive! And you have to wash right after using the restroom," showing his frugality. When the student said, "You need to buy body wash too," Hwang Garam replied, "I don't use it... I only wash important areas; as long as it doesn't smell, it's fine," shopping frugally.
He said, "It's a total of 250,000 won. I'll pay 150,000 won! I'm sorry. I should pay for everything... but I have too much debt..." revealing his circumstances. When the student asked if he wasn't receiving royalties, Hwang Garam said, "The income from songwriting and composing has nothing to do with me, and I've never settled it. I have to go to my part-time job today! You have to go too, right?" indicating he had no income.
Arriving at a friend's cafe, Hwang Garam immediately got to work. He told customers, "Please visit here often," and showcased his song 'I Am Firefly' as fan service, which excited the fans who recognized him.
When he got home, Garam made kimchi fried rice for dinner. Later, Hwang Garam's mother visited. As soon as she arrived, she said, "Did you do your laundry like this? Let's check the fridge," conducting a surprise inspection.
After tasting Garam's jokbal kimchi fried rice, his mother praised, "It's delicious!" and enjoyed the beef bulgogi, asking, "Did you make this yourself?" She also said, "I brought paper and a pen. There are about 40 people," asking for autographs, and reminisced, "When you first appeared on TV, I thought, 'Is my son an entertainer?'"
She also brought up, "Why were you homeless? I didn't know it was for so long, and I don't know how much we cried together. It broke my heart," recalling Hwang Garam's past of being homeless. In response, Garam said, "At first, it was to save money. The jjimjilbang was unexpectedly too expensive. I slept on the roof of the jjimjilbang, and the wind was warm... I could have stayed in a place like a church, but I felt self-conscious. I washed in public restroom sinks. Back then, a gimbap was 1,000 won. When I was homeless, my weight was 49kg. It was so hard because of the cold," reflecting on his bitter past.
His mother said, "How hard must it have been for you to call and ask for money... When dad moved into our one-room, Garam said he would give all the money," expressing her love for her son.
Hwang Garam said, "People around me were asking why I wasn't appearing on broadcasts while preparing to be a singer. But then my mom said she was having lung cancer surgery. So I regretted, 'I should have prepared a year earlier,'" swallowing his tears.
His mother said, "When Garam became the vocalist for Pinocchio with a competition rate of 300 to 1, I thought it was all set," feeling proud. Hwang Garam replied, "I boasted a lot to those around me, but then COVID-19 hit, and I thought about going home for the first time. I wondered if it was a sign to stop being a singer. The moment I thought of quitting, countless attempts and failures flashed through my mind. After going through such tough times and trying with hope, it becomes harder when it doesn't work out. I don't know how many times I thought, 'Maybe this time it will work out?'" recalling his efforts over the years.
Hwang Garam's mother said, "You said on TV that you were a bug among bugs. I never thought of you that way. I think of you as a star. Thank you for coming this far," shedding tears. Hwang Garam comforted her, saying, "I know I'm not a bug, so I'm a star."
'My Ugly Duckling' airs every Sunday at 9:05 PM on SBS.
[Seo Ye-ji, Star Today Guest Reporter]
