The singer made her first appearance on the Aug. 31 episode of SBS’ "My Little Old Boy", opening up about the man she proudly calls her father.
On the broadcast, Cho revealed she lives with her stepfather and invited cameras into their everyday routine. Her biological father passed away when she was five, and her mother later remarried; Cho has long said that to her, he isn’t a “stepdad” ― he’s simply Dad.
The hosts praised their bond, noting how meaningful it is that they’ve continued to live together even after her mother’s passing.
During a small birthday celebration, Cho and her father reminisced about their early days as a family. “I first met you when I was in first grade ― you were the next-door neighbor,” she recalled. “At first I didn’t realize you and Mom had become a couple. When I hit my teens, I was tough on you. I couldn’t bring myself to say ‘Dad.’ It wasn’t that I disliked you ― I just felt like I was losing my mom.”
Her father remembered the moment that changed everything. “A few years later, when I finally heard you call me ‘Dad,’ I thought, ‘She’s accepted me,’” he said. “My heart was full. It felt like I truly had a daughter.”
Cho thanked him for backing her dreams even when others didn’t. “Whenever I wanted to try something and even Mom pushed back, you were the only one who stood by me,” she said.
“I was the lucky one,” he replied. “I gained a daughter. Of course I’d make those sacrifices.”
When Cho asked if he’d ever felt hurt by her, he shook his head. “What’s there to be upset about? I’m happy. I don’t feel like anything’s missing,” he said.
“I’m grateful you raised me without letting me want for anything,” Cho told him, apologizing for her rebellious years. She then asked about her mother’s final days, praising the way he cared for her through her illness.
“At the very end, when things were the hardest, she said, ‘Honey, please save me,’” he shared, tearing up. “I cried so much.” After his wife passed, he admitted he worried about being a burden to his daughters. “Even now I sometimes think I might be getting in the way, and I feel sorry.”
“Don’t think like that,” Cho said. “That’s what family is.”
“Thank you,” he replied. “I’m so grateful that I even feel sorry for how much you do for me.”
“You’re not a stepdad ― you’re my only dad,” Cho told him. “I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life, so don’t worry. Live comfortably.”
“I’m overjoyed that you’re my daughter,” he said, to which Cho answered, “I’m just as happy you’re my dad ― I thank the heavens for it,” leaving viewers deeply moved.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)