[Sportschosun reporter Lee Ji-hyun] Bobby Kim, a veteran singer in his 32nd year since debut, has revealed that he took a part-time job at a café to earn money for baby formula after becoming a father later in life.
A video titled "A 53-year-old father earning money for baby formula through a café job" was recently posted on Bobby Kim's YouTube channel.
From the start of the video, Bobby Kim showed clear signs of caring for a baby. After showing the inside of his mouth, he said, "I got a canker sore from taking care of the baby." He then confessed, "I also developed a circular patch of hair loss here. You can't really see it now, but it was no joke."
He went on to share the difficulties of becoming a father later in life, saying, "My wife is actually having a harder time, but maybe because of my age, I get skin problems and my hair is falling out, too."
Born in 1963, Bobby Kim married a non-celebrity 15 years younger than him in 2022 and welcomed his first daughter last year, three years after their marriage.
The biggest change after becoming a father was his sense of responsibility. Bobby Kim said, "I still perform at events and occasionally appear on television," but added, "I have a family now. Once you have a baby, you have to earn twice as much as you do now. From now on, I'll do whatever comes my way."
In the end, Bobby Kim chose to take a part-time job at a café. He made a video call to his young daughter, Hyemi, and repeatedly said, "Daddy is going to work hard, Hyemi. Are you listening? Daddy is really going to work hard," reaffirming his determination.
After arriving at the café, Bobby Kim gradually learned how to take orders and process payments. He became flustered by the point-of-sale system, which was more complicated than expected, including discounts for takeaway orders and point accumulation. "This is harder than I thought," he said.
When the owner, acting as a customer, ordered an iced Americano, Bobby Kim asked him to "speak slowly," only to be told, "You shouldn't say that to a customer."
He could not hide his instincts as a singer, either. While listening to the music in the café, Bobby Kim asked, "Can't you play my music? It would make the café atmosphere more sophisticated." He then requested his signature song "Whale's Dream," drawing laughter.
When there were few customers, he went out onto the street to solicit them. Raising his voice, Bobby Kim called out, "This is the world's best coffee shop. Classy Bobby Kim is here," and even succeeded in bringing an actual customer back with him.
Above all, Bobby Kim thought about his daughter throughout the workday. Even while cleaning the café, he said, "Hyemi, you know Daddy really loves you, right? Daddy is showing it through his actions." Even when he was being corrected while learning the job, he joked, "Hyemi, are you watching? Daddy is working hard even while being corrected by this young café owner."
After completing the shift, he also received his actual wages. The café owner handed him an envelope, saying, "Our hourly wage is 11,000 won, and you worked four hours, so that's 44,000 won." He added, "Use this for the baby's formula. Take care of the baby yourself and let your wife get some rest, too."
Holding the 44,000 won, Bobby Kim shouted happily, "Hyemi, did you see that? Daddy earned this." He then headed to a supermarket to buy formula for his daughter with the money he had earned himself, continuing his day as a father later in life.
Meanwhile, Bobby Kim is known to have earned a steady income from music throughout his long career as a singer. In particular, he composed his signature song "Whale's Dream" himself.
In 2019, he appeared on KBS Cool FM's "Park Myung-soo's Radio Show" and was asked whether he had earned any income during his roughly four-and-a-half-year hiatus from broadcasting. He replied, "The most royalties came in during 'Whale's Dream,'" and said that he had lived on royalties.
By contrast, he explained that he did not receive much in royalties from another signature song, "That Thing Called Love," because he did not write it himself.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
