Singer YENA revealed the heartwarming—and viral—reason she bought her parents a home right after receiving her payout.
On the latest episode of JTBC’s variety show Knowing Bros, TV personality Cristina appeared alongside YENA and AND2BLE members Zhang Hao and Han Yujin as guests.
The show first touched on YENA’s contract renewal. YENA shared, "If you count my trainee days, I’ve been with my current company for over 10 years," highlighting their long relationship. Label junior Zhang Hao joked, "When the CEO said YENA re-signed, I thought he was kidding," drawing laughs.
Explaining why she chose to renew, YENA said, "I’m not the type who enjoys moving or adapting to new environments. I really like the people I work with now, and nothing feels uncomfortable, so I thought it was right to stay."
There were bigger offers on the table. When Seo Jang-hoon asked, "Didn’t other companies offer a much larger signing bonus?", YENA admitted, "There were offers." She added, "I told my CEO, ‘Other places are offering this,’ and he said, ‘Then we should do even more for you.’"
YENA also opened up about her devotion to her family. When Kang Ho-dong said, "I heard YENA bought her parents a home after getting her payout," she replied, "Doing things for my parents matters most to me. That’s what makes me happiest, too."
She then revealed the difficult times she faced with health issues as a child. "I was very sick when I was young. It must have been really hard on my parents," she said. "Growing up watching that, I promised myself I’d succeed and repay them one day." YENA previously battled lymphoma, a type of childhood cancer.
"My parents are one of the biggest reasons I couldn’t help but succeed," YENA added. "So I really wanted to repay them." Her parents are reportedly living in a home YENA secured for them in Yangpyeong.
YENA first appeared on Mnet’s survival show 'Produce 48' in 2018 and debuted with the project group IZ*ONE. After the group disbanded, she went solo and released her fifth mini-album 'LOVE CATCHER' this March.