Cha Hwa-yeon: 'The best thing I ever did was divorce'

Actress Cha Hwa-yeon candidly revealed that "the best thing I ever did was divorce," as she opened up about her decision to halt her acting career during her prime to focus on managing a large household and raising children. Her unexpectedly honest remark left Lee Young Ja and Se-ri Pak momentarily speechless.

On the 57th episode of tvN STORY's "Table Tales," which aired on the 24th, Cha appeared alongside her daughter, Cha Jae-yi, to discuss her life as an actress, her marriage, and her life following her divorce.

Cha had stepped away from the entertainment industry at the age of 29, when she was enjoying peak popularity, to focus on her home. For the next 20 years, she remained distanced from acting to concentrate on housework and childcare.

In particular, the scale of domestic labor she had to shoulder while managing events for a large extended family was immense. "Back then, I would set the table for 70 or 80 people. We had many guests. I did all the cooking with just one housekeeper," Cha recalled.

In her daughter Cha Jae-yi's memory, her mother was the "center of the household." Cha Jae-yi testified to the significant labor her mother endured, saying, "My mother would sit there wearing a *hanbok* and spend the whole day frying pancakes and making sikhye. She would marinate galbi, make sujeonggwa, and even make garnishes by drying persimmons. All the food was delicious."

During the conversation, when asked about the best choice she had made in her life, Cha provided an unexpected answer.

"If I think about it now, the best thing I ever did was divorce."

At Cha's decisive statement, Lee Young Ja and Se-ri Pak could not hide their startled expressions. When Lee analyzed her as being "the type of person who pours everything into something and then quits," Cha reflected on her life, replying, "You're right. I didn't even realize it myself. Thank you for telling me."

Lee, mixing in her signature humor, said "Congratulations" before shifting the mood by asking, "Is the reason you're telling us to get married quickly because you're living so well alone that it's annoying?"

While expressing satisfaction with her divorce, Cha did not view marriage itself in a purely negative light. Rather, based on her experience, she stated, "It's good to try marriage once. You learn about life."

Regarding current relationships, she expressed the view that there is no need to limit them strictly to the format of a married couple. She explained, "You still have to date. Not deep romance, but friends or someone you can lean on."

Her reason for wanting her daughter to marry was in the same context. Cha said, "It's okay to live alone, but it would be good to have one person you can rely on," adding, "A family is a fence."

Furthermore, she expressed her wish for her daughter to build healthy relationships that suit her, rather than simply following her own life path. Her words, "Don't live like me; I hope you meet a good person and build a family," contained realistic advice from someone who has personally experienced married life.

Cha, who stepped down from her peak position at the young age of 29, returned to acting after a long hiatus of approximately 20 years. Since then, she has maintained her presence as a veteran actress in dramas and films, enjoying a second heyday.

Her statement that "the best choice was divorce" can be read not merely as a declaration of her views on marriage, but as a confession from an actress who sacrificed her own life for her family for a long time, re-evaluating her choices in the latter half of her life. It was a moment that revealed Cha's realistic outlook on life—acknowledging the value of marriage while viewing individual independence and emotional companionship as separate matters.