Singer Gahi, a former member of After School, moved many hearts by confessing her difficult life journey, from experiencing domestic violence in her childhood to the severe struggles she faced after halting her entertainment activities.
Recently, Gahi appeared on the YouTube channel "Newly Changed CBS" to share the painful family history she endured during her childhood.
She discussed her childhood, saying, "I have four siblings, and I am the third. My mother entrusted me to my maternal grandmother due to a herniated disc, and it wasn't until I was 3 years old that I finally saw my mother. I even wondered, 'Who is this woman?'" sharing her experience of disconnection from parental attachment.
She also mentioned her father's violence. "My father was a very accomplished man, but he had a strong patriarchal and violent side. I can vividly recall my mother quietly washing the blood-soaked blanket after being hit," she said, with tears in her eyes. She noted that she herself was exposed to violence from her family. Gahi recalled calmly, "There wasn't a tool I hadn't been hit with—club, belt, hose, coat hanger, you name it. My sister and brother also hit me, and getting hit was a part of everyday life," adding, "At that time, I tried to fill my loneliness and deficiencies from outside."
After becoming an adult, Gahi faced a harsh reality after leaving After School. Time passed, and although she shone on stage as a member of the idol group After School, the reality after her departure was cruel.
In a broadcast last February, Gahi confessed, "After leaving After School, I hit rock bottom. The company could no longer care for me, and I suffered from economic hardship." She said, "I squeezed out the little money I had to donate a tithe and got baptized at church. I held on to God. That was when my life began to change. It was a hypocritical faith at first, but gradually it turned into something sincere," carefully sharing how her life was restored through faith.
Gahi then spent about five years in Bali, experiencing a simple and slow life. "It has been about two years since I returned to Korea. I learned simplicity, humility, and gratitude in Bali. I realized that what I had enjoyed in the past was excessive and extravagant," she said. However, life in Bali was not easy either. "In Korea, I could work, but I couldn't in Bali. I felt increasingly older, and it seemed my opportunities were dwindling, which made me depressed. At that time, I was truly exhausted and unhappy," she added.
The deep wounds and journey of recovery hidden behind her strong image on stage. Gahi's story touched many hearts with themes of healing, growth, and sincere confession.
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