6th Grade Trot Singer Lee Su-yeon's Grandmother: "We Save All the Money Su-yeon Earns"

On the 18th, Lee Su-yeon, the singer who took 3rd place on MBN's 'Active Singer 3', appeared on KBS 2TV's 'Fun-Staurant' alongside her grandmother.

Lee Su-yeon prepared a meal for her grandmother using a recipe she learned from Jang Min-ho. When Jang Min-ho asked about the reason she started her granddaughter on the path of a singer, the grandmother revealed the story of how Lee Su-yeon lost her father when she was 7 years old.

Lee Su-yeon said, “I remember my dad being a prankster. Other than that, I can't remember anything, but they say everything is just the same.” The grandmother shared, “When she sleeps, she looks so much like him that I can't forget his face. Her way of walking, the way she talks, and how she laughs heartily—it's all so similar. My son was very affectionate and felt like a daughter. Grandfather might feel left out, but I relied on my son more. That's why it was harder for me. People tell me to bury the pain in my heart when someone passes, but I can't. For about two years, I lived with depression, social anxiety, and the constant worry of 'how to care for Su-yeon' while I was feeling so ill myself.”

She further explained the reason her granddaughter entered the world of singing: “Su-yeon is the laughter virus in our house. But after her father passed, Su-yeon tried to comfort me in her own way, though I couldn't hear it at the time. Once, while I was doing laundry, she was singing 'Launch the Ship' and she just laughed. That's when Grandfather thought about perhaps sending her to Seoul.”

Jang Min-ho remarked, “I think Su-yeon has a special talent for interpreting songs. Actually, it was like that even when she sang my song.” He was referring to Lee Su-yeon's passionate performance of 'You Know My Name,' a song he wrote while longing for his late father.

Jang Min-ho asked, “When a child sings a song with such lyrics and cries, how did the grandmother feel?” The grandmother tearfully replied, “When I am alone at night, I play that song and cry my eyes out. I think I cried for about three hours. Perhaps it's because of the lyrics. Whenever I fall deep into my emotions, she comes and hugs me. In a way, she has changed. There are many times when Su-yeon is more mature than me. I endure each day by looking at Su-yeon; one day becomes a year, then three years. That is how I hold on.”

The grandmother added, “Grandfather says we must live tenaciously and healthily to support Su-yeon until she is 19. Currently, Grandfather's hands are not in good condition because he has worked too much.” She also revealed that they are saving every single won of the income Lee Su-yeon earns without spending a single penny.

Lee Su-yeon is a 12-year-old in the 6th grade of elementary school.