Former Leessang member Gary chooses parenting over entertainment career

Rapper Gary shared on his YouTube channel on the 23rd that he stepped back from the spotlight to focus on his son Hao's growth, aiming to avoid future regrets by prioritizing family time over his former music career.

Gary, a former member of the hip-hop duo Leessang, has opened up about his decision to step back from his entertainment career to focus on childcare. He chose a life of watching his son grow rather than pursuing the spotlight and public attention because he did not want to live with regrets later. By candidly sharing how his values have shifted since marriage and childbirth, he has drawn attention to how the life priorities of the rapper, who once dominated the music scene, have changed.

On the 23rd, Gary released a video titled "I'll chatter until Hao's academy is over (Daechi Papa Gary)" on his official YouTube channel, Kang Gary. In the video, after dropping his son Hao off at an academy in Daechi-dong, he sat down for a conversation with a YouTube PD at a restaurant. The footage highlighted the daily life of an ordinary father managing his son's schedule rather than the image of a rapper on stage.

Gary began by discussing the responsibilities and realities faced by parents. "Parents are amazing. Once you marry and have a child, until that child becomes an adult, it is just the child's life rather than your own. It can't be helped," he said. He explained that after having a child, it becomes difficult to make decisions based solely on one's own life and choices, as one must inevitably consider the child's growth and future.

However, Gary has not completely abandoned his own life. He explained the background of choosing YouTube as a new way to be active. Saying, "I have to live the life of a YouTuber," he confessed that he contemplated the move for several years before starting. Since he knows how to do some editing and travels occasionally, he felt it would be good to communicate with people by recording his daily life and experiences through video.

He particularly values the time spent on parenting because a child's growth is faster than expected. Gary believes that after marriage and having a child, the period up to the upper elementary school years, especially around the 6th grade, is when parents and children can spend the most time together. He explained that watching the process of a baby growing into a child is more precious than anything else.

He also expressed the view that parenting is not solely a sacrifice for the child. "Rather than saying parenting is done only for the child, there is also a part of it done for the parents," Gary said, adding, "I felt that if I make many memories, I won't regret it later." This implies that just as providing a good environment for a child is important, it is also vital for parents to fully enjoy and remember the time spent with their child. It reflects his desire not to miss the moments that will never return once the child has grown.

Gary's remarks provide clues to understanding his choice to step away from the entertainment industry. While public attention and stage achievements are meaningful, he did not want to feel late regret after missing the important period of his child's growth. However, in this video, Gary did not disclose the specific trigger for leaving the entertainment industry or all the circumstances of that time. What he spoke of directly was, at least, his thoughts on how important family and parenting occupy in his current life.

Gary married a wife ten years younger in 2017 and had his son, Hao, in November of the same year. The man who once showed a significant presence in the popular music scene as a member of Leessang is now sharing a daily life of managing his son's academy schedule and building memories with his family. His confession of choosing time as a father over success on stage prompts a reconsideration of what one should prioritize at certain points in life.

Read the original (Korean)