Kim Taeheon, a former member of ZE:A, recently revealed that he has closed his Chinese restaurant and is now preparing for a new chapter in his life.
In a video uploaded to the YouTube channel 'One Mic' on September 9th KST, titled “Left the Chinese restaurant behind… Reconnecting with a ZE:A member in Dongincheon,” Kim shared his honest thoughts on the transition.
Now living near Dongincheon, Kim said, “I closed the Chinese restaurant I was running. I’ve decided to take a break from the food industry for now. I’m currently living just three minutes away from my new workplace.”
After his time with ZE:A, Kim faced financial difficulties, working various jobs including delivery and loading/unloading at a logistics center. He later entered the food industry and opened a Chinese restaurant last year, receiving warm support from fans and the public alike.
Since closing the restaurant, Kim has been working at a construction site. “It’s a job given to me by someone I know, so I see it as an opportunity to reset mentally. I use machinery to scrape the ground or dig with a shovel. I was supposed to go to work on the day of filming, but the weather’s been rainy, so I couldn’t,” he explained.
Reflecting on his time as an idol, Kim said, “As an idol, our managers took care of everything. I didn’t really know anything about society. I wondered what kind of job would let me learn, and that’s how I started doing construction work. I used to be busy early in the mornings, so I’d see the construction workers and talk with them. Sometimes when we’d travel for work and stay four days on site, we’d share a drink and talk. I learned so much about life through those moments.”
After relocating, Kim could no longer commute to the construction site, so he began working again at a parcel logistics center. “Even there, there are people working two jobs. I met many good people and had deep conversations over a meal or a drink. I really learned a lot about the world,” he said.
Kim concluded with a heartfelt message: “At the end of the day, you do whatever it takes to survive. Just two years ago, I didn’t even have a thousand won—or even a hundred won—in my bank account. Running the restaurant was really fun, though. Even if it was hard, I had to smile for 8 to 9 hours straight. After a month, my face started going numb. I imagined every guest who came in as a fan, and I was genuinely so thankful.”
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