Oh Hye-bin, often called the “son of Ansan” and its representative singer, has revealed a surprising side to his life. While he captivates fans with his soulful voice on stage, he has also been active as a shaman for eight years while pursuing his dreams as a singer.
According to a video uploaded to the channel “Special World – That Person Back Then” on the 6th, Oh Hye-bin began his journey as a shaman in 2017, right around the time he entered college. The sole reason he received the divine calling at an age when most enjoy a normal college life was his father. At the time, his father suffered from extreme pain of unknown origin, but hospitals could not find a precise diagnosis.
Oh Hye-bin’s mother, Choi Moon-yi, explained the frustrating situation: “When we went to the hospital, they said it looked like stomach cancer, then a larger hospital said it looked like pancreatic cancer. But when we tested again, there was nothing wrong. Then he said his chest hurt, and they said it was a myocardial infarction, but again, the tests showed nothing.” Following his father, Oh Hye-bin also suffered from inexplicable symptoms, such as falling into deep sleeps that made daily life impossible and his weight dropping sharply to the early 50kg range.
Eventually, after hospital treatments showed no improvement, Oh Hye-bin visited a shaman who told him, “Your father will pass away.” Without hesitation, he decided to serve the gods. He confessed that while he didn’t even know what a shaman was, those words stayed in his head, and he entered the shrine with the desperate hope of saving his father for even just one more year.
Life after the divine calling was not easy. Oh Hye-bin recalled the harsh training process: “Whenever I went to pray throughout the four seasons, I always fell into the valley water. In winter, I would break the ice with a hammer, immerse myself up to my head, and pray with my hands pressed together without even drying off.” His mother shared that she has always lived with a feeling of apology, believing her son chose such a difficult path because of them.
Despite the hardships of a shaman’s life, Oh Hye-bin never gave up on his dream of becoming a singer. Since childhood, he loved singing, and his most comfortable practice room was the bathroom. He practiced every night using a tube of toothpaste as a microphone, driven by his father’s request. Before he passed away, his father left him with the words, “I really hope you achieve your dream of becoming a singer,” which became the driving force for Oh Hye-bin to keep singing.
