CHUNG HA reveals she has no house or car despite being a star

Singer CHUNG HA has opened up about her reality, which has not changed much from her 20s even after turning 30. Although she is a star loved by the public for her glamorous performances and hit songs, she confessed that there was a significant gap between the image of her 30s she had imagined and her actual life.

On the SBS show 'My Little Old Boy' broadcast on the 6th, CHUNG HA appeared and spoke about her feelings upon turning thirty and what she wants to achieve in the future.

Revealing that she turned 30 this year, CHUNG HA said, "When I was very young, I thought that by the time I turned 30, I might be married, have a house and a car, and be an adult with plenty of dating experience."

However, now that she has actually entered her 30s, it is quite different from the future she expected. CHUNG HA confessed, "It feels like only the numbers have changed, but I am in the same state," and hearing this, Seo Jang-hoon elicited laughter while simultaneously posing a realistic question.

Seo Jang-hoon asked, "In your 20s, you probably thought that by your 30s you would have a house, a car, and dating experience, but I heard you say that even after becoming 30, you have none of those."

CHUNG HA jokingly asked, "Can I cry for a moment?" before honestly admitting her situation.

In fact, CHUNG HA's confession is interesting in that it is difficult to reduce the economic situation of a famous celebrity simply to the question of 'how much money they earned.' While celebrities are easily consumed by the public through images of abundance, such as glamorous outfits, expensive vehicles, and large houses, the actual formation of an individual's assets and lifestyle can vary greatly depending on their choices and environment.

In particular, CHUNG HA debuted in the entertainment industry at a relatively young age and has been active for a long time. After making a name for herself through the first season of Mnet's 'Produce 101' in 2016, she promoted as a member of the project group I.O.I, and later established her own independent position after transitioning to a solo singer.

Since her solo debut, she has been evaluated as a female solo singer who possesses both performance skills and vocals, releasing consecutive hit songs such as 'Why Don't You Know', 'Roller Coaster', 'Gotta Go', and 'Snapping'. In particular, 'Gotta Go' became a representative song for CHUNG HA, serving as a turning point that expanded her field of activity from an idol-turned-soloist to an independent artist.

For CHUNG HA, who spent most of her 20s in intense entertainment activities, the number '30' can hold more meaning than just an age. This is because it is a point where she clearly views for the first time the difference between the stable life she imagined when she was young and the time she has actually lived as a celebrity.

The answer CHUNG HA chose from Seo Jang-hoon's forced-choice question also drew attention. Seo Jang-hoon asked her to choose between being a 'cool homeowner in Kangnam' and 'dating her ideal type of a thousand years'.

After thinking for a moment, CHUNG HA chose "a house under my own name."

She prioritized having a space owned under her own name over a glamorous romance.

This does not need to be viewed merely as simple real estate greed. Since a celebrity's life involves high activity and frequent movement, and their professional stability differs from that of an ordinary office worker, securing a residential space that they can control can signify psychological stability and independence beyond mere economic assets.

Furthermore, the expression 'under my own name' encapsulates the direction of life that CHUNG HA desires. It means she wants to have a space prepared under her own name, rather than a house obtained through marriage or family assets.

CHUNG HA's choice also aligns with the changing way the younger generation views marriage and homeownership. In the past, getting married and preparing a house when reaching a certain age was considered a natural life cycle, but now, many pursue economic and residential independence first, regardless of marriage.

Especially for someone like CHUNG HA, who has already experienced social success in her 20s, the things she thought would 'naturally come once she became an adult' do not necessarily follow. Success and stability, fame and the completion of a private life, each follow different timetables.

Although CHUNG HA built a successful career as a solo singer after her activities with I.O.I, what she showed to the public in that process was mainly her image on stage. There was relatively little known about what kind of life she was preparing for off-camera.

The image of CHUNG HA revealed in this broadcast creates a strange contrast with that star image. While she is a top solo singer showing highly polished performances on stage, in her private life, she is close to an ordinary person sharing common worries, such as, "I thought I'd have a house and a car by 30, but I still don't have them."

This does not mean her 20s were a failure. Rather, it reveals that despite achieving significant success in her field, her personal life goals are still a work in progress.

Ultimately, CHUNG HA's appearance on the show addresses a question deeper than 'why a celebrity has no house or car'; it asks how realistic the belief is that everything will be perfectly settled by the age of 30.

In her 20s, CHUNG HA imagined 30 as a state of completion. But the 30 she actually encountered is a time where, despite the change in numbers, there is still much to achieve and many new beginnings to undertake.

And the thing she wants most right now is not a romance with her ideal type, but a house bearing her own name. The realistic desires of CHUNG HA, hidden behind her glamorous star persona, make her next decade even more intriguing.