Cha In Pyo: 'Parents divorced when I was 13—an era that blamed women'

Contrary to his commonly known 'silver spoon' image, actor Cha In Pyo revealed that he experienced his parents' divorce during his childhood and chose to immigrate to the United States with his mother, who had to raise three children alone. Behind his glamorous life as an actor lay the hardships of his youth, when he had to take responsibility for his family's livelihood in a foreign land.

Appearing on the MBC entertainment program 'Songs That Survived Today - Playlist 109' broadcast on the 11th, Cha looked back on the most difficult moments of his life.

He first corrected the public perception surrounding him as a 'silver spoon celebrity.'

"I am always on the list of silver spoon celebrities. But that is not the case," Cha said, sharing stories from his childhood. "Just as every family has its own circumstances, our family had ours."

According to Cha, his parents divorced when he was 13 years old. Afterward, the three siblings lived with their mother. Although his father made efforts to support his children even after the divorce, the life of a woman raising three children alone at that time was far more difficult than it is today.

In particular, Cha pointed out the gender-discriminatory views prevalent in society at the time.

Recalling the harsh social atmosphere of the era, he said, "The social atmosphere suggested that everything was the woman's fault. They said it was even the woman's fault for being single."

Eventually, one day, his mother presented a new option to the family.

"Let's cross the threshold. Let's go across the ocean to America and live there."

Cha revealed that following his mother's words, he immigrated to New Jersey, USA, at the age of 20 with his mother and two younger siblings. The moment they arrived in the unfamiliar land, he, a 20-year-old young man, effectively became the 'head of the household' responsible for the family's livelihood.

Describing his feelings at the time, he said, "I had no abilities, didn't know English, and didn't know my way around, but I was in a situation where I had to succeed quickly somehow to take care of my mother and siblings. I felt rushed and anxious."

Reality was much harsher than expected.

He went to do painting work, but due to a lack of English and technical skills, he became an assistant rather than a painter. Even when he went to work as a waiter, he was pushed into being a waiter's assistant because of communication difficulties.

Recalling those days, Cha said, "I was pushed away from the things I tried to do. I wondered, 'Am I destined to live an assistant's life?'"

For him, his early 20s in America were literally a 'wilderness.' However, Cha reflected that the experience was not merely a memory of poverty or hardship.

He said, "When I think about when I was struggling, it was when I was adapting to a new environment."

He noted that he felt similar fears not only when moving from Korea to the US with his family, but also when expanding his field from actor to novelist, and most recently, when he stood on a theater stage for the first time.

Whenever he stepped out of a familiar world and into an unvisited place, fear would find him. Ultimately, for Cha, the 'wilderness' of life was less about a specific event and more about the moments when he was pushed outside the world he knew well.

The song Cha chose as his 'survival song' that day was Yoon Bok-hee's "Everyone."

In particular, this song was more than just a musical preference; it was a song filled with personal memories for Cha. Having mentioned "Everyone" in a letter to a friend in the past, he revealed a special connection with Yoon.

Cha shared an anecdote, saying, "She sang the congratulatory song at my wedding to my wife."

A young man who experienced his parents' divorce at an early age, crossed over to America with his family amidst prejudice, and wandered through unfamiliar workplaces. The life of Cha—who later became an actor, a writer, and most recently challenged the theater stage—was ultimately a process of rebuilding himself every time he stepped away from the familiar.

Thus, his choice of Yoon Bok-hee's "Everyone" as his 'survival song' is even more meaningful. Life does not always flow in the direction one desires, but even in moments when pushed onto an unfamiliar path, one must find the strength to walk again. The story Cha shared that day showed the growth of a person that cannot be explained by the simple image of a 'silver spoon actor.'