On the Sept. 16 episode of SBS’ "Invitation from Bachelor Again", a “Queen of Queens” special, Lee Ji-hye, Son Dambi and Kim Ddoldol appeared as guests.
Introducing himself as someone who followed an elite academic path, Kim said there was a reason he studied so hard. “I knew I was different starting in fourth grade,” he shared. “Instinctively, I thought I shouldn’t say it out loud. I figured I had to hide it―so I even signed up for taekwondo and worked to excel at school so no one would look down on me.”
“I entered middle school ranked No. 1 in the whole grade,” he added. “From then on, I never missed being first in my class.”
Speaking about his given name, Banseok, he explained, “It carries a Christian meaning. My family is deeply religious, and my grandfather named me hoping I’d be the foundation of the family.”
“Because I felt I might one day do something that would be seen as a huge disappointment, I tried to front-load my ‘filial piety’―so I became the model son,” he said, noting that he studied hard and lived the life his parents hoped for.
Later, as he started streaming, he went public about his identity―something his parents learned through his broadcasts. “I got the order wrong,” Kim admitted. “I should’ve told my parents first. But at the time we barely talked. I avoided conversations, worried my truth would slip out. Then viewers began to question and attack me in comments, and in a burst of anger I came out.”
“I thought, ‘Why should something so personal be used against me?’ So I said it,” he continued. “At home, everything exploded―constant calls, even showing up at the house. I was scared and didn’t meet them. My mom suggested I get treatment, which felt like a betrayal. I cut contact for six months, reconnected with my mom after that, but I didn’t see my dad for four years.”
Kim kept creating content and living on his own terms. “Relatives told my dad about me, and after four years, we finally met,” he recalled. “He looked at me and said, ‘You seem to be doing well these days. I’ve gotten old, haven’t I?’ And he really had aged.”
“My dad said he’d worried I would be living a miserable life. Seeing me happy, he was relieved,” Kim said. “That’s when I realized: in the end, my parents are on my side.”
Recently, he even handed his dad a credit card. “He’s been bragging about it to Mom,” he added with a smile.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)