Seoul native Seo In-young confesses she has never ridden the subway: 'We were wealthy when I was young'

Singer Seo In-young, 42, confessed she has never once ridden the subway in her life — then took on the challenge of doing so for the first time.

A video titled "Seo In-young's first-ever reveal: riding the subway in 15cm killer heels to get to a schedule" was posted Wednesday on her YouTube channel, Gaegwacheoonseon Seo In-young.

In the video, Seo said she had been invited to Seoul Fashion Week and needed to get there. The production team proposed a "10,000-won happiness" concept — completing various tasks on a budget of 10,000 won ($7) — with a twist: any money left over would be multiplied 1,000 times and given to her as a prize.

Seo was initially confident, saying she would be fine since she does not eat out and could simply ride with her manager. The production team shot that down, telling her the rules allowed only public transportation — the subway or bus, no manager's car.

Seo looked flustered and admitted: "I have never once taken the subway." The production team could not believe that someone who had grown up in Jamsil, Seoul, had gone more than 40 years without ever riding the subway, and told her to stop joking. "It's true," she insisted. "I only took the bus to school. I don't even know how to buy a ticket. I got around by bus and taxi. My mom gave me a pretty generous allowance."

When the production team remarked that she must have lived comfortably, Seo replied with a mix of humor and candor: "I did when I was young. Then my mom went a bit broke."

Seo was completely in the dark about how the subway works. She asked her manager where to buy a ticket, and when he explained, she said, "I really can't do this kind of thing. I have no idea what you're talking about." When her manager suggested she search online for directions from Dongdaemun to Jamsil, she asked how to even run a search — prompting him to walk her through using a web portal.

When she finally arrived at the subway station, Seo said she was scared but quickly rallied: "I can do this."

She approached a fellow commuter and, admitting some embarrassment, asked, "This is a little awkward, but it's my first time on the subway — where do I buy a ticket?" With the stranger's help, she managed to get one. At the fare gate, however, she fumbled, muttering "there's nothing to insert" as she struggled to pass through.