Parents typically have a difficult time adjusting when their kids leave the nest—even if it's to go pursue K-pop stardom.

During the March 15 airing of South Korean tvN's Life Bar, NCT boy band member Mark revealed that he first auditioned to join SM Entertainment back in 2012, when he was only about 12 or 13 years old.

"It was 2012. I lived a life where I focused solely on studying. I loved music but never really thought about actually pursuing it," Mark, who hails from Vancouver, shared, according to AllKPop.com.

"On the day of the global audition, I was off school. Originally, it wasn't an off day but I just happened to be off school. So I went to the auditions and I made it. It was my first ever audition," he added.

In December 2013, Mark made his official debut as part of the label's pre-debut training program, SM Rookies. Despite the achievement, however, Mark says his mom can't help but regret letting her son leave home quite so early.

"My mom regrets it, saying she shouldn't have allowed me to go," he explained. "The reason is that I was so young. She thinks she should've kept me by her side up to the age of 20."

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