The Parents Of TREASURE's Jihoon Had The Most Unexpected Response To His Confession About Wanting To Be A K-Pop Idol

Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine TREASURE‘s Jihoon as anything but a singer. His skills on stage, hosting experience, leadership abilities, and entertainment acumen make it seem like he was destined to be a K-Pop idol.

This may not have turned into reality, however, had he not had the support of his parents pre-debut. Jihoon talked about this part of his career journey in an interview with Hey News.

In this show, he listened to the concerns of a mother whose daughter, a big fan of his, opened up about being anxious of her future. The TREASURE member then shared his own similar experience, talking about the time he was on the fence about pursuing singing and hesitating to tell his parents about it.

It took Jihoon two whole years to open up about his dreams to them. Though he grew up in a very supportive household, the idea of throwing himself into the volatile entertainment industry with a low success rate felt risky.

When I first chose my career as a singer…first of all, my house is very free. Now that I think about it, I don’t think my parents have ever compared me to anyone [such as by saying] ‘Someone is good at this but why can’t you do the same?’ I’ve never heard this before. Even though I grew up like that, when I first dreamed of becoming a singer, I was in seventh grade. I couldn’t tell my parents that I wanted to be a singer until ninth grade.

— Jihoon

He was passionate about singing and dancing yet the uncertainty remained. He was not sure that his parents would approve of his career path and he himself was still debating on the pros and cons of such a big decision.

I was worried that my parents might object to it. ‘And do I really want this?’ That’s what I thought.

— Jihoon

Finally, the time came when he could no longer avoid the discussion. Jihoon’s parents casually broached the topic about his ideal career while they ate dinner, and he could only mumble his thoughts in fear of rejection.

I had to go to high school when I was in ninth grade and it’s connected to my career path. My parents asked me at dinner time if there’s anything I wanted to do. I didn’t say it with confidence. I said I wanted to be a singer.

— Jihoon

To his complete surprise, both his mom and dad were happy for him. Not only that, they also proactively supported his wish to become a singer.

My parents loved it and helped me a lot.

— Jihoon

They even scolded him not for not confiding in them sooner, saying, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” and “It would have been nice if you went to a vocal or dance academy in advance.”

With their support, Jihoon soon moved to Seoul and entered an arts high school. He was accepted into YG Entertainment, made it through their survival program YG TREASURE BOX, and became a strong pillar of TREASURE.