[New Slang Dictionary] Massa - A Person Who Lives by Their Own Standards

Still cut from the movie 'Taeyang-eun Gadeukhi'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] French actor Alain Delon, dubbed the ‘best Western handsome man,’ left behind numerous controversies with a personal life as flashy as his looks. Delon, whose parents divorced when he was four, was raised by his mother and stepfather and was expelled from the Catholic school he attended due to misconduct, after which he wandered aimlessly.

At 17, Delon enlisted in the French Navy and had his service extended due to theft while serving as a communications school orderly. During the Indochina War, he was deployed to Saigon, Vietnam, where he was arrested after stealing a unit jeep to travel outside the base and accidentally driving the vehicle into a river due to poor driving skills. As a result, he was imprisoned in a military prison for 11 months and was dishonorably discharged from the Navy. Later, Delon, who drifted through jobs as a secretary, waiter, and clerk, was discovered by a film producer at the Cannes Film Festival, which he attended through a connection with an actress, and began his acting career. Starting with a scandal involving German actress Romy Schneider, Delon spread rumors with contemporary beautiful stars such as Brigitte Bardot and Marianne Faithfull. Even after marriage, he repeatedly had affairs, fathering an illegitimate eldest son, whom the son denied being his child until the end, drawing public criticism. When his bodyguard was murdered and he was named a prime suspect, Delon remained silent to avoid crisis, and in his later years, he acquired Swiss citizenship to avoid heavy taxes, drawing national criticism.

‘Massa’ is a shortened form of ‘My Sider,’ referring to people who live firmly by their own standards without being swayed by trends or others’ opinions. It is a slang term following ‘Inssa’ and ‘Assa.’ Alain Delon’s life, enjoying a willfully indulgent lifestyle, was that of a true Massa who, despite having the most notable profession, remained faithful only to his own standards and moods. After suffering a stroke and undergoing surgery last year, Delon said in a magazine interview, “The only certain thing in the world is death,” adding, “I want to end my life with my pet dog, but if I die first, I will ask the veterinarian to take my dog with me.” This was a statement befitting a Massa to the very end.

Example

A: Aren’t you going to do the OOO challenge this time? Everyone posted it on Instagram.
B: Everyone’s doing it, but do I really need to?
A: Hey, these days it’s a must for Inssas, you have to follow the trend~
B: SNS isn’t everything. It’s not mandatory. I don’t even have enough time to focus on what I like.
A: Wow, you’re a true Massa. Cool. I should probably stop caring so much about SNS too.