Japanese entertainer Takuya Terada delivered a deeply moving first-ever on-air confession about his family and what he's been holding inside.
On the latest episode of KBS2's variety show Mr. House Husband 2, the newly joined "New House Husband" Takuya visited his family home in Ibaraki, Japan. At his Japan home shown for the first time on TV, he greeted his two younger sisters with warm hugs and natural skinship, showing an affectionate sibling bond. Watching this, Seo-jin Park joked, "This is the first time I've felt disappointed," adding laughs at the picture-perfect sibling vibes that felt nothing like typical bickering siblings.
Even in the cheerful mood, Takuya's expression wasn't entirely bright. He opened up about the pressure of his family seeing him as a "superstar doing great in Korea." "I never lied, but there's a gap between what my family expects and who I really am," he admitted. "My life isn't as flashy as they think, and I feel stuck in between."
Takuya confessed he hid nearly 15 years of obscurity and the loneliness he felt in Korea because he "didn't want to make them worry and wanted to remain the cool older brother." When he first came to Korea, he lived in a place barely the size of a bathroom, hunted for cheap clothes, and said the allowance he received from his agency to "maintain appearances" was only 200,000 won—drawing sympathy.
The broadcast also revealed his complicated family history for the first time. After his parents divorced when he was young, Takuya went through multiple moves and school transfers. He explained that the father he currently lives with is his stepfather. He added that his first younger sister shares the same biological father as him, while his youngest sister was born to his mother and stepfather.
In particular, Takuya shared his final memory of his biological father—whose face he can now barely remember—bringing a hush over the studio. "I hid in the car trunk and cried, 'Please take me too.' That's my last memory with my father," he recalled. "He told me, 'You stay here,' and then left."
Takuya said he had always been careful about mentioning his biological father because his current stepfather treated him like his own son. Still, he admitted, "I'm curious about what kind of person my father is. I want to show him how I grew up," revealing he's open to meeting him.
Later, over drinks with his younger sister, Takuya broke into tears when she told him, "Just keep going until you make something of it." "I want to get even a little closer to the 'Takuya' our family imagines," he said. "I hope this show motivates me to work harder and be more honest with my family."
Meanwhile, Takuya debuted as a model in Japan in 2009. He moved to Korea in 2012 and promoted as a member of the group Cross Gene. In 2014, he gained recognition by appearing as Japan's representative on JTBC's Non-Summit. He has since left Cross Gene and continues to appear on various programs.