Sartaj Singh
Netflix’s ‘The Boyfriend’ is a Japanese dating show that brings together a group of diverse men looking for true love. In both seasons 1 and 2, each day offered new opportunities to forge bonds with their housemates as they operated a coffee truck in pairs, using its embrace the experience. Through a combination of living, working, and playing together, they got to know each other well and began to foster romantic connections.
Among the group members, Taeheon was a quiet contributor to household chores and caught fans’ attention for his unique background and impressive physique. His conflict with his sexual identity was apparent in season 1 as he explained to fellow participants how he hadn’t been able to come out to his family. However, in season 2, he revealed that his first stint in the Green Room gave him the confidence to come out and realize that he deserves to be happy too.
Taeheon is a South Korean Native Turned Japanese Resident With a Passion for Travel
At 36 years old, Taeheon has been one of the more mature members to ever feature on the show and stood out even more for being from South Korea. The professional UX/UI designer is multilingual since he can speak Japanese and English fluently, in addition to his mother tongue. He also has command of Italian, French, Chinese, German, and Malay. Having shifted to Japan in early 2021 for work, Taeheon was closeted and kept his sexuality hidden from his family. It is only through his appearance on the show that the South Korean revealed his truth to the world.
Midway through 2023, Taeheon began traveling frequently, visiting various places across Japan and Southeast Asia. In August 2023, he admired paintings and abstract art at the Bridgestone Museum of Art in Tokyo. Also known as the Artizon Museum, it houses works by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists from the US, Japan, and Europe. In particular, he appreciated Paul Cézanne, Fauvism, Cubism, and contemporary paintings. He explored the capital city at a grassroots level, traveling from street to street on foot, stopping in parks to lie in the grass. The designer seems to really enjoy Tokyo, becoming a part of its bustling work culture and finding interesting locations by immersing himself in the vibrant cityscape. He also frequently ventures to the picturesque natural landscapes surrounding it, especially in coastal regions.
With the summer fading, Taeheon visited various beaches from August to October 2023, posing, sunbathing, and making memories that would last a lifetime. One of the beaches he enjoyed was in the seaside city of Katsuura, in the Chiba Prefecture, just northeast of where ‘The Boyfriend’ season 1 was shot in Tateyama. In December, Taeheon celebrated Christmas in the Azabudai Hills area with merry throngs, enjoying its glittery decorations, joyrides, and shopping scene.
Taeheon Continues to Embrace New Experiences in New Places
Taeheon took a trip to Bali, Indonesia, in June 2024. He stayed in luxurious seaside resorts, ate at beachside shacks, entered coves, and even continued to go to the gym while on vacation. He seemed to enjoy the island’s rich cultural heritage, vibrant arts scene, and its beaches with golden sands and crystal clear waters. The designer also shared brief overviews of the first and second quarters of 2024, with scenes of him at the swimming pool, bicycling through narrow streets, petting his cat, progressing with the ukulele, fine dining, and sleeping on a plane.
The South Korean took part in the Iriya Morning Glory Festival, which is held from July 6 to 8 annually in the Iriya neighborhood of Taito, Tokyo. Also known as Iriya Asagao Matsuri, the traditional Japanese festival celebrates the morning glory flower (asagao), which is cherished for its delicate beauty and vibrant colors in a practice dating back to the Edo period. Taeheon admired the incredible variety of flowers present at the festival and seemed to purchase one for his own home.
Since then, Taeheon has really evolved into a public figure and has been making the most of it in every sense of the term. In October 2024, he attended a Cartier event to celebrate a centurity of their Trinity brand, following which he really became recognizable in the mainstream. Nevertheless, he continued to pursue his passion for travel, all the while also serving as a renowned UX/UI designer. He visited Los Angeles in California, as well as Seattle in Washington, in January 2025, prior to joining the show again in season 2 in different areas of cold, snowy Japan. The Tokyo resident even returned to his homeland of South Korea for a while in the summer, followed by a trip to London and France in August. The rising YouTuber actually went to Paris, France, again in January 2026, likely alongside his relatively new love interest, Jobu.
Read More: Kazuto: Where is The Boyfriend Star Now?
