Actress Ahn Sun Young has shared painful memories of growing up with verbal abuse from her mother, revealing how the experience left her feeling unwanted, isolated, and deeply unhappy as a child.
In a video released on November 5 titled “The Secret Happy People Around Me Don’t Tell… Realizing This Changed My Life,” Ahn spoke candidly about the emotional wounds she carried from childhood. She recalled that her mother would say cruel things to her, including, “You take after your father. Just go die.”
When the production team asked whether she had ever considered herself an unhappy person, Ahn admitted that there was a period when she questioned whether she should have been born at all. She explained that her mother had suddenly found herself in difficult circumstances and took out her frustration on her daughter. Rather than being an attempt at discipline, the verbal attacks seemed to be a way for her mother to release her anger.
Ahn remembered hearing remarks such as, “You take after your father,” and “Go die.” The words affected her so deeply that she began questioning her own worth. “I even wondered, ‘Am I really useless? Did I ruin my mother’s life just by being born?’” she recalled.
As a child, Ahn struggled to accept her own existence and became extremely sensitive to how other people perceived her. This was very different from the energetic personality she displays today. At school, she was so quiet that she barely attracted attention, convinced that she was a burden to those around her. Happiness was something she rarely experienced.
One of her most heartbreaking memories was the overwhelming loneliness she felt as a child. Ahn revealed that she would sometimes stand in front of a mirror, crying and calling her own name. “I was so lonely that I looked in the mirror and called out, ‘Sun Young,’” she said.
Watching her reflection cry only made her sadness grow, causing her to break down even more. “I had no friends, so I cried alone in front of the mirror,” she explained. Because no one called her by name or offered her comfort when she was young, she found herself speaking to her reflection instead.
With the passage of time, Ahn has developed a different understanding of the unhappy childhood she experienced. She pointed out that not everyone grows up with the same kind of mother. Some children have mothers who hold their hands and offer constant support, while others, like her, grow up with mothers who repeatedly criticize them, undermine their confidence, and make them feel afraid.
Ahn emphasized that having experienced an unhappy upbringing does not give her the right to dismiss or invalidate other people’s happiness. Instead, she has focused on making sure she does not repeat the same patterns with her own children. “I’m working hard not to become that kind of mom,” she said, determined not to pass her childhood pain on to the next generation.
She also reflected on the importance of taking responsibility for changing one’s own life, rather than placing all the blame on other people or the world. “I’ve blamed others and the world the most, but nothing changes,” Ahn said, explaining that meaningful change ultimately requires personal effort.
Despite having grown up and built her own life, however, the emotional scars from her childhood have not completely disappeared. Looking back on the lonely little girl who could only call her own name while crying in front of a mirror, Ahn admitted, “Thinking about that time still makes me sad.” Her recollection offered a heartbreaking glimpse into the pain she endured long before becoming the lively person audiences know today.
Sources: Koreaboo