[Exclusive Interview ②] Haru: “From Frying Tonkatsu to Peeling Fruit… I Was Alone at 19, but I Never Gave Up on Music”

“I was in a situation where I absolutely had to earn money.”

For 22-year-old trot rookie Haru, his teens were a continuous cycle of part-time jobs. The work he started in his first year of high school continued even after his mother passed away. Left alone in the world at 19, he worked through the night and studied musicals by day, refusing to let go of his musical dreams. In an exclusive interview with MHN Sports on the 4th, Haru recalled, “I took on various part-time jobs since high school to earn money for my mother’s hospital bills and living expenses.”

“Serving at wedding halls was my first job… but my first official one was at a tonkatsu shop in COEX”

Haru’s first part-time job was serving at wedding halls. “I mostly cleared food trays, but since those were one-day gigs, I looked for something more permanent.” In his first year of high school, he found a steady job at Saboten, a tonkatsu restaurant in COEX. “As a minor, you can’t work without parental consent. Our family situation wasn’t great and we had no leeway, and my mother was sick at the time. I told them I wanted to work and that I’d be fine, so I started.” While attending Deoksu Commercial High School, Haru balanced school and work. “I spent my time frying and cutting tonkatsu, cooking rice, and doing dishes. I did that for nearly a year, but since I was a student, my hands would get cracked and chapped from all the kitchen work.” His mother felt heartbroken. “She kept telling me she wished I didn’t have to do it.”

“I had severe fruit allergies… but I kept going for my mom”

After finishing his first year, Haru left the tonkatsu shop and soon started another job. “I was in a situation where I simply had to earn money.” This time, it was a fruit shop specializing in delivery and packaging. “I peeled and packed fresh fruit and blended them into juices. I did that for a long time, but I have a really severe fruit allergy.” The allergy was more serious than it sounded. “Even with gloves, the fruit juices would mix in and my hands would blister. It was humid inside the gloves, so I got a lot of inflammation, and it was itchy even with them on…” Eventually, his mother visited him. “She came to the fruit shop and told me to stop working.” It was painful for her to watch her child do such grueling work. However, Haru had to keep working for his mother and his dreams. “Working at a pub all night, then studying musicals starting at 12 PM” The hardest time was after his mother passed away. At 19, left alone in the world, Haru worked at a pub to make a living.

“After my mother passed, I worked at a pub. I worked all night, then woke up at 12 PM to study musicals, and went back to work at 6 PM. I kept doing that.” At the time, Haru was preparing for musical theater college entrance exams. Musicals required learning acting, singing, and dancing. He studied at an academy during the day and worked at the pub at night.

“I was so thin back then.” Seeing this, his dance teacher suggested he try trot. “My dance teacher introduced me and said, ‘Try trot.’ That person is now the CEO of my agency.” “A boy who only played piano, dreamed of being a rapper, and became a trot singer” Haru had been learning piano since the first grade of elementary school, starting around age 7 or 8. “Playing the piano was so much fun, but I found it even more exciting to create things and compose on my own.”

Despite their difficult circumstances, his mother sent him to piano lessons. She always told him, “Don’t feel discouraged just because you don’t have a father.” Haru used to feel intimidated whenever he had to write and announce his parents’ occupations at school. “I think my mother always told me not to lose heart.” In middle and high school, he fell in love with hip-hop and dreamed of becoming a rapper. “Many of my friends were interested in hip-hop, and I was too. I was just really into it for a while.” However, he eventually let go of the dream of rapping. While preparing for musicals, he happened upon trot.

“I’ve done almost every job imaginable, but I could never give up music”

Looking back, Haru’s teenage years were a constant struggle for survival. Wedding hall serving, tonkatsu kitchen, fruit shop delivery, night shifts at a pub. He had tried it all. “Since I was young, I always felt that playing the piano was so fun, and I didn’t have any other dreams. I only thought about piano and music-related work.” His mother hoped he would get a steady job or learn a trade rather than singing. But Haru couldn’t give up on music.

He debuted in April 2024 as part of the trot idol group ‘ENIX’ and transitioned to a solo artist in October of the same year. Then, in December 2025, he became the youngest winner of the ‘AM Morning Yard’ King of Kings competition.

“To be honest, when I debuted with ENIX, I didn’t know anything. I joined with the mindset of just not wanting to be a burden to the older members. But as I learned and worked as a solo artist, I realized this suits me better.” The days of frying tonkatsu, peeling fruit, and working all night. Then and now, Haru has never given up on music.

“When I was young and alone because my mom was working, music was what comforted me. I found solace in listening to many different types of music. When I played the piano and sang, I could express my emotions immediately.”

To be continued in part 3…