MAMAMOO’s Hwasa shared a surprising childhood story about how her love of food eventually led to an unexpected opportunity on stage.
During the August 9 broadcast of SBS’s My Little Old Boy, Hwasa talked with Han Hye Jin about whether she had always enjoyed eating.
Hwasa replied, “I sometimes think that because I always ate well, it somehow brought me good luck.”
She then remembered how she used to greet the cafeteria staff loudly because she hoped they would give her a little more food.
Hwasa explained, “When you went to the cafeteria, you had to greet the ladies properly. If you said ‘Hello,’ they might give you one more sausage.”
She added that growing up with two sisters meant food at home could disappear quickly, so she became even more determined to eat well at school.
Hwasa said, “There were three daughters in our family, so things were really competitive. If there was something delicious, it would be gone before I could eat much. That’s why I always greeted the cafeteria staff loudly so I could get more food.”
Her cheerful greetings eventually caught the attention of one cafeteria worker, who reportedly liked Hwasa and mentioned her to an acquaintance involved in musical productions.
When Hwasa revealed that she later received an audition opportunity, Han Hye Jin asked how the cafeteria worker could possibly be connected to a musical.
Hwasa explained, “Someone she knew was a director who was preparing a musical.”
According to Hwasa, the cafeteria worker had told the director, “There’s a girl at our school with a really clear and strong voice.”
Hwasa was then invited to audition for a production of Kongjwi and Patjwi and successfully landed the role of Patjwi.
She recalled, “I went straight to the audition, and I became Patjwi right away.”
Han Hye Jin reacted with surprise and called it a major role, while Hwasa remembered being impressed by the experience.
She said, “It was a really big musical. The other kids had so much experience and impressive backgrounds.”
Han Hye Jin jokingly pointed out that Hwasa had essentially been discovered through the school cafeteria.
Laughing, Hwasa replied, “I was chosen because I greeted people well, but the reason I greeted them so well was because I wanted to eat more delicious food.”
Looking back, Hwasa admitted that the unusual chain of events once made her wonder whether food somehow brought important turning points into her life.
She shared, “When I kept seeing things like that happen, I seriously wondered, ‘Is there really something about me?’ I thought maybe I really did have something.”
