Han Kyung-rok, bassist for the band Crying Nut (크라잉넛), looked back on appearing earlier this year on the observational reality show “I Live Alone” (나 혼자 산다), writing about the changes he felt in an ordinary day offstage and in cooking and eating a meal by himself. He said he had been performing onstage for 31 years, since he was 19, and described his morning routine: airing out his home, hanging up his bedding, feeding his fish, listening to music and doing foam-roller stretches. He also reflected on the time he spent pushing himself because he felt he had to get ahead of others.

Background and context

Han Kyung-rok wrote that although he comes across as an energetic rocker onstage, he felt self-conscious about appearing on a variety show and was also afraid to reveal his daily life. Following a friend’s advice, he set aside the desire to make a good impression and acted as he normally would. He said his morning routine appeared on the show just as it was.

What stands out in his account is that he did not try to hide or dress up the fact that his daily life was nothing special. Repeated tasks like airing out his home, hanging up bedding and feeding his fish contrast with the glamour of the stage, but for Han, they too are part of the life he is living now.

Meals also became a catalyst for change. Because he spent a lot of time away from home and lived alone, he had avoided cooking rice himself, worried that ingredients would go to waste. But after buying an electric pressure rice cooker a while ago, he learned how to use it and tried making doenjang jjigae, or soybean paste stew. Preparing a meal with ingredients he likes felt to him like time for himself and a form of healing.

What this news means

The piece presents the idea that caring for oneself in everyday life can be connected to a sense of fulfillment, rather than focusing on the special achievements of a famous musician. Han came to see the process of cooking rice and making stew not simply as housework, but as time for himself. His experience may prompt readers to consider that happiness need not be limited to achieving major goals, but can also be found in the specific moments of an ordinary day.

Another central theme is reflection on comparison and impatience. Han wrote that, starting around the time social media became popular, he lived as if he were in a race to keep from falling behind others. Looking back, however, he realized that no one was chasing him. This is a personal account of how trying to match other people’s pace or outward appearances can push a person to drive themselves too hard. Rather than a conclusion that applies to everyone in the same way, it can be read as a perspective that invites people to reconsider the standards they use to judge their own lives.

For example, a reader who lives alone and has put off cooking for fear that ingredients will go to waste might, as in Han’s case, view preparing a meal for themselves not as a burdensome task but as time for themselves. What the piece offers, however, is not a prescription to start cooking, but one person’s experience of finding meaning in small everyday choices.

Confirmed facts and what remains unknown

Confirmed facts

  • Han Kyung-rok is the bassist for the band Crying Nut and stated in the piece that he had been performing onstage for 31 years, since he was 19.
  • He wrote that he appeared earlier this year on the observational reality show “I Live Alone.”
  • He said that in the morning he airs out his home, hangs up his bedding, feeds his fish, listens to music and does foam-roller stretches.
  • He said that because he spent a lot of time away from home and lived alone, he had avoided cooking rice himself for fear that ingredients would go to waste, but tried making doenjang jjigae after buying an electric pressure rice cooker.
  • The column was published on October 4, 2026, and the article indicates that it was updated at 7:12 p.m. that same day.

What remains unknown

  • This column alone does not confirm what specific aspects of Han Kyung-rok’s daily life were shown on “I Live Alone.”
  • The piece does not say when Han Kyung-rok began living alone.

What readers should check

  • Readers seeking details of the broadcast should distinguish between the description of his routine in the column and what was actually shown on the program.
  • If you live alone and are thinking about cooking or meals, rather than treating Han’s experience as the right answer, you can consider whether a particular choice suits your own routine and how you use ingredients.
  • When you feel impatient because you are comparing yourself with others, it may be worth asking whether your standards come from your own goals or from a desire not to fall behind other people.