Yoo Seung-ho reveals quiet life as a homebody of 9 years

Actor Yoo Seung-ho has revealed his daily life after living alone for nine years. Having grown up constantly under the public eye since his days as a child actor, the fact that he leads an extremely ordinary and quiet life outside of his work—cooking, cleaning, and caring for two companion cats—provides an unexpected sense of relatability.

In a video released on the JTBC official channel on the 15th, Yoo candidly shared his lifestyle while attempting to cook alongside Chef Son Jong-won. The video was filmed in a format where the actor and chef prepared food together for Chuseok, naturally revealing Yoo's down-to-earth side.

“I’ve been living alone for nine years, and since I’m very interested in cooking, I’ve made a lot of meals for myself,” Yoo said. He explained that although his profession involves a repetitive cycle of filming and traveling, he has become accustomed to spending time at home making his own food and doing housework.

In particular, he cited stews and pasta as the dishes he is most confident in. He has become skilled enough to cook most types of soups or stews himself, but he noted that cooking alone for such a long time has actually led to new dilemmas.

He confessed that he has recently hit a 'plateau' in his cooking. Whether he makes fried rice or a stew, the flavors feel similar. Yoo drew laughter when he described his stews as having “one intense flavor that penetrates everything.”

This confession differs from the clumsy admissions of a beginner. As his time living alone grew longer, he moved beyond merely solving basic meals to cooking in his own style, but he reached a point where that familiarity turned into repetitive monotony.

The cooking session with Chef Son Jong-won served as a kind of stimulus for Yoo. While making items like steak and encountering new recipes, he said he regained interest in cooking, which had recently lost its fun. He also expressed his determination to try making the dishes he learned at home.

It isn't just about cooking. The portrait of a holiday scene revealed by Yoo is quite far from the image of a glamorous star. “I really love being at home,” he stated, revealing that he spends his days doing housework, cleaning, cooking, and looking after his two nine-year-old companion cats.

His affection for his cats, in particular, is significant. Yoo's connection with the cats began during his military service. He recalled that he had no special interest in cats before joining the military, but he fell in love after meeting a cat at the time, even shedding tears because he missed the cat back home.

His mention that there are far more photos of cats in his phone's gallery than selfies gives a hint as to his life's priorities. While he is an actor who faces numerous cameras in front of the public, in his private space, he is closer to an ordinary person who records the images of his pets more than himself.

Born in 1993, Yoo made a name for himself as a child actor through the drama "The Thorn Fish" in 2000, and has since shown his growth through various works including the movie "The Way Home," as well as "Remember: War of the Son," "The Emperor: Owner of the Mask," and "My Strange Hero." He has expanded his territory from the image of a child star to an adult actor, moving across various genres and media. The fact that he is in his 27th year since his debut shows just how long his acting career has been.

Recently, he has been appearing in the SBS Friday-Saturday drama "Flex X Cop 2" as Yu Seong-won, the youngest son of a media conglomerate and a sculptor. In the drama, he plays a character with the relaxed demeanor typical of a third-generation chaebol and an artistic side, forming a connection with the character Jin I-su, played by Ahn Bo-hyun, which shifts the atmosphere of the series.

In particular, Yoo's appearance in "Flex X Cop 2" showed significant presence despite being a special appearance. The production team even used the expression "specially appearing a lot, making him special" (teuk-chul), noting that he would appear frequently from the beginning, and indeed, his brief appearances refreshed the mood of the work.

For an actor who has lived a life exposed to the public since childhood, a private living space may be more than just a residence. While he acts out characters on set and maintains his image as an actor before the public, at home, he spends his days at his own pace, cooking, cleaning, and spending time with his cats.

Therefore, Yoo's recent confession has more interesting points than just being consumed as the 'unexpected homebody side of a handsome actor.' The fact that an actor who has been active in the entertainment industry for a long time finds comfort in making food and tending to his life in a familiar space, rather than seeking external stimulation, shows that even a star's life requires the rhythm of an ordinary daily routine.

Above all, Yoo's honest confession that “the taste of stews and fried rice has all become similar” creates a unique contrast with his image as a star who maintains perfect self-discipline. Just as he mentioned finding joy again by learning new recipes, the current life of the 33-year-old actor is flowing in a way that adds small variations to a familiar daily routine rather than seeking grand changes.

While he appears as a sculptor from a wealthy family in front of the camera, once the cameras are off, he is a 33-year-old man who takes photos of his cats and worries about the taste of his stews at home. The most unexpected charm of the veteran actor Yoo Seung-ho may be revealed most clearly in this life, which is far removed from glamour.