Singer Haha expressed his struggles in the restaurant industry.
On the 20th, the KBS2 show 'Boss's ears are donkey ears' featured chef Jeong Jiseon visiting the restaurant of his first independent disciple, chef Jinmo.
That day, chef Jinmo revealed, "The basement is Haha-hyung's studio," surprising everyone. Chef Jeong Jiseon stated, "Haha-hyung is a regular customer at our establishment. He is also close with Go Eun. The kids really like him," and chef Jinmo provocatively added, "There is one menu that is tastier than yours, chef," which made chef Jeong Jiseon get defensive.
Afterward, the two went downstairs to meet Haha. Chef Jeong Jiseon remarked, "Go Eun said that you have been crying a lot lately," to which Haha responded, "I don't know. I watched a public service advertisement and saw myself crying and thought there was something wrong with me," admitting that he has been going through menopause.
He said, "I feel hot flashes and have extreme mood swings. Honestly, I was surprised to see this. There is a flyer, which gets drenched on rainy days and sticks to the ground. Looking at it reminded me of myself. This flyer looks so powerless. Seeing it being stepped on and torn made me feel choked up. That's when I realized this is menopause."
In response to the question, "Are you having a hard time?" he replied, "It's less about being hard and more about feeling choked up. Watching the kids grow up makes me feel choked up. I feel choked up when it was really good, and I feel choked up when I'm sad. There's an overwhelming mix of emotions. I just feel sad," showing his emotional state by saying, "I feel sad even now."
In particular, Haha remarked, "This is real in the restaurant industry. If I finish this properly, I will never do this again. I would rather die than do it again. I have wrapped up operations at two directly managed locations recently," revealing that he has closed two establishments.
Haha started his meat restaurant business in 2014 and began a partnership with Kim Jong-kook in 2017. However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy became difficult, leading to the eventual closure of the restaurants.
Chef Jeong Jiseon empathized, saying, "These days, all self-employed people are having a hard time," and Haha shared, "There are no answers. There was one in Myeongdong, but there wasn't a single ant around. I endured for two years without revenue. Just think about the monthly rent. I cried every day. Many of my younger siblings and friends around me have closed their businesses. It's really tough."
He added, "I felt sorry for Jong-kook. When I said, 'Hyung, I'm sorry,' he replied, 'What are you sorry for?' Honestly, I was moved. I said, 'Thank you for understanding me like this,' and he replied, 'I had already thought this money was gone seven years ago.'" He also chuckled when he recalled, "I get calls asking, 'Is your restaurant booked?' and I find myself thinking, 'Your restaurant?'"
He also expressed, "I feel like I am just holding on." In particular, Haha suggested to chef Jeong Jiseon, "Let's randomly throw out ideas. Since I run a pork belly restaurant, how about collaborating on Dongpo pork? With Jong-kook there, we could occasionally do pop-ups. Wouldn't that be fun? Please think about it," to which chef Jeong Jiseon replied, "I think it would be fun," raising expectations.
[Photo] OSEN DB, KBS2
[OSEN]