YouTuber Choi Gogi (real name Choi Beom-gyu) is opening the second act of his life with his girlfriend Lee Joo-eun, who is three years younger.
Choi Gogi met with OSEN at a cafe in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 25th for an interview. He, who recently said he is working at a restaurant, said, "I start work at 8 p.m. and work until 3 a.m. I am working as a manager. I get up in the morning, Sol-ip makes breakfast and sends [the child] to school, and then I edit on the computer, but when Sol-ip comes back I can't work again. Then I make meals and send [the child] to after-school classes. I used to stream in the evenings, but Sol-ip was raising the child alone so I stopped streaming. If I make loud noise the child can't sleep. So I stopped streaming and thought, 'Then I should try another job,' and started work that allows Sol-ip to put the child to bed and go out," he said, updating on his recent life.
Earlier, Choi Gogi appeared on TV CHOSUN's reality show X's private life and revealed his daily life as a single dad. X's private life is a real observation program that watches X's current life after divorce and meetings with new romantic partners from the perspective of the ex-spouse. After divorcing Yu Kaet-ip (real name Yu Ye-rin) in 2020 and raising his daughter Sol-ip alone, Choi Gogi drew attention by revealing his girlfriend Lee Joo-eun, who is three years younger, through X's private life. Choi Gogi explained, "When the producer approached me, they said it wasn't a sensational program, so I worried a lot. I was a little scared too. I had been on divorce programs before and honestly didn't want to appear anymore. The attention and how divorce isn't something great. I wanted to live smoothly now, but I mustered the courage to go on one more time," explaining his decision to appear.
Having actually appeared on Our Divorce, which ended in 2021, with Yu Kaet-ip, Choi Gogi said, "To be honest, I was fatigued too. Seeing other programs that deal with divorce or breakups and watching fights made me very tired. I think the public feels the same. I wanted to show a different side by appearing there. Even after divorce, there are relationships without fighting, people who live better, people who learn a lot and practice that learning. Surely there are lessons learned through suffering. I hope people grow that way," and added, "I was stubborn and didn't know how to be considerate in the past. Especially in my 20s I was immature and made many mistakes. I think I was a really bad person. But I wanted to show that 'I've matured.' There's that saying 'people don't change.' I wanted to say that people do change," explaining his reason for appearing.
Yu Kaet-ip also posted after the broadcast that she wanted to show that divorce is not a failure in life but another beginning to find each person's happiness. Choi Gogi candidly said, "That's right. I learned a lot thanks to Kaet-ip. Even if I had come to my senses then, I sometimes wondered, 'Would I have gone all the way with Kaet-ip?' but that doesn't seem right either. I think each of us has the fate that suits us. I think Kaet-ip is a truly good person. She just didn't fit me and I was greedy at that time," he admitted.
He also said that being able to meet a good person like Lee Joo-eun after the divorce was because, "I think I realized my mistakes and became a better person and that's why I met such a person." He said, "If I had kept living like when I was with Kaet-ip, greedy and always craving something, I think I would have fallen and failed the same way. After divorcing Kaet-ip, I raised the child alone and lived alone, felt a lot of guilt and learned a lot, so I think that's why I met such a good person," he said.
Lee Joo-eun and Choi Gogi became a couple in 2022 and have been dating for five years. Choi Gogi recalled their first meeting: "She liked the post first, and then I liked her and sent a DM. As we talked, the conversation flowed well. I asked, 'Shall we have a meal together?' and we met in Hongdae and had a date."
Currently Lee Joo-eun works with Choi Gogi as the PD who films his YouTube videos. Choi Gogi explained, "She is working part-time now, but she used to be the owner of a beauty shop that did eyelash extensions and perms. The work was hard and she had many things she wanted to do. She attended many bakery classes and one-day classes and studied a lot. She said her dream is to open a cafe later while we eat bread together, so we're saving money together to make that dream come true."
After X's private life aired, Choi Gogi and Lee Joo-eun have been communicating by uploading Q&A content on YouTube. He, who originally had no intention of showing his face, said, "I thought I should be careful now and consider her position, so I was going to continue (YouTube) alone. Then, as I got to know this person's strengths and weaknesses and talked about living together, thoughts of marriage arose, and we made promises like, 'If we get married later, let's reveal it,' and 'Let's decide carefully and be active on YouTube.' Actually, we didn't know what would happen if we revealed it without being married. Then suddenly the offer to appear on X's private life came and we revealed it," he said.
The decision for Lee Joo-eun to appear on the show was greatly influenced by the 'prospective mother-in-law.' Choi Gogi said, "Joo-eun had retinal detachment surgery. After the surgery she couldn't see, so I watched over her. It got too hard, so I contacted her mother, and that's when her mother learned of my existence. Joo-eun introduced me to her mother and said she had a child. But her mother said, 'A man raising a child alone?' and told her to 'get along well' when they met. She thought very highly of me. She said I'm much better than someone who has never raised a child. That comment was very touching. I felt rewarded. From then I thought I really had to do well," and he added, "When the request to appear on the show came, Joo-eun worried, 'What if malicious comments are posted?' I said, 'It's okay. If you don't want to go, you don't have to. Don't be too burdened.' When I called her mother then, her mother said, 'You're going to keep dating, so help your boyfriend with his work.' Hearing that made up my mind right away. She told me to help because it's my matter, not the surrounding circumstances, and I thought, 'How can someone like this exist in the world?' I'm still grateful," he said, moved.
He said he finally received permission to date after ups and downs from the 'prospective father-in-law' too. Choi Gogi recalled a dizzying moment, "At first I met the older sister first. The older sister also has a child, so we became friends and got close while having fun. She helped with the appearance on the show, and I always talked on the phone with the mother. Then, before X's private life aired, I went to Jeju to pay my respects. It was quite spectacular. Seven family members came, and he said to Joo-eun, 'Just trust me. I can do it,' and 'As a man who has raised a daughter, I understand (the father's) position.' But when I actually went there it was really tough," he recalled.
As expected, when he revealed that his ex-wife had a daughter, there was a sudden silence. But the next day he had another chance to meet Lee Joo-eun's parents, and after asking the owner of the restaurant where he worked for understanding and even delaying his plane ticket, he seized the opportunity and succeeded in gaining their approval. Choi Gogi said, "The father obviously felt bad that his daughter was seeing someone with a child. He might have felt, 'Did I fail to raise her?' or 'Was I too neglectful?' Still, he consented, saying, 'You two will take care of it yourselves.'" He added that he has been invited to a family gathering soon in Pyeongtaek. Choi Gogi breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "If I had come there on a plane without preparation, it would have been over."
Regarding reactions after the broadcast, Choi Gogi said, "Everyone viewed it very positively. They only praised Joo-eun. She is truly a great girlfriend. This time I think we'll go all the way without stumbling," expressing confidence. He, who said they used to live together continuously, added, "Many people didn't know. Some asked if we're suddenly getting married when we didn't live together. But we lived together for five years. Actually, we lived together longer than I did during my marriage with Yu Kaet-ip. So Joo-eun always felt unfair," and said, "We received tremendous support after the show. We still are. Subscribers write pretty comments, so I try to look only at those. That's good for my health. I'm trying to have a positive mindset. They say even if there are 99 positive comments, the one negative comment stands out. I want to give love to the 99," he said.
Having even proposed on the show, he also shared that he is preparing for marriage. Choi Gogi said, "They are trying to set the date. They want to do it soon. I think it will be this year, probably in Jeju. Weddings in Jeju are different. Here they end in one or two hours, but in Jeju they last all day. There are rules. I don't think I can invite many of my friends, and we'll probably invite only Lee Joo-eun's side and have fun," and added, "They even asked me to greet the family in advance at the family gathering. It was touching. It already feels like family. While watching the show they called me 'Choi husband,'" he said, touched.
After marriage the two plan to spend their newlywed life in Jeju or Busan, where Lee Joo-eun's family home is located. Regarding having children, he said, "When I talk with Joo-eun we often say we'd like to have a child 'naturally.' If happiness and blessings come, we'll have one, and Sol-ip is already a source of happiness," he said.
In particular, Lee Joo-eun moved people by wholeheartedly caring for Sol-ip. Since looking after his ex-wife's child as her own is not easy, Choi Gogi admitted, "We talked a lot about those things at first." He added, "Joo-eun first saw Sol-ip when she was 5 years old, so of course it was difficult. Both of us had a hard time, but I also had experience. When Joo-eun said, 'I'm struggling,' I would always say, 'I want you to rest,' and 'I'll do it,' and that seemed to be a very good choice. In the past I don't think I could have said that either. Since meeting Joo-eun I read a lot of books, did reading and emotional nourishment, walked around and said, 'Even if we don't make money, let's live peacefully,' and broadened my heart. Then the world really looked different," he said, describing his personal growth.
He said, "We did fight during five years together. It would be a lie to say we didn't. I've learned a lot and now try to yield more. Saying 'I'm sorry' first seems like a cheat code for married life. Saying sorry ends it. It's nothing. I often think, 'Why should people who love each other fight?' I think X's private life makes you realize that. I hope more programs like this come out. These days people use sensational phrases a lot. I hope we see more good phrases. When I did YouTube in the past, I made sensational content and thumbnails, but now even when I make videos with Joo-eun that have good words and good content, many people of that kind seem to gather," he said.
This growth was also due to Lee Joo-eun's kind nature. Choi Gogi said, "Because Joo-eun was like that, I changed too. She helped me in many ways. I met her during COVID and it was really hard. I caught COVID once and my body wouldn't move. For the first time I felt my body couldn't move and that I was depressed. My tension didn't rise. She was the first person to care for me like that. She said it's okay and helped suppress my depressive feelings and took care of me. I was so struggling I thought I had depression, and if it hadn't been for her I might have ended up saying bad things," he recalled.
He said, "I like working, and I love editing in front of the computer. When I used to stream games, upload times were fixed, but having a child who wakes up at night during growth made me unable to concentrate on streaming and record well. After I stopped streaming, I was feeling down. I couldn't get mad at the child, which led to burnout and depression, but Joo-eun helped me get through that. She always told me beside me, 'Rest when you need to,' and 'Don't think too deeply. A time will come when things go well later.' I used to think success comes from working hard, not waiting, but that's not true. I learned from Joo-eun to rest when you should, gain stability and take things more calmly," he said gratefully.
Regarding childcare, he said, "These days I was totally 'tough T' in today's terms. But thanks to Joo-eun I learned a lot about emotions and empathy. I was someone who always thought only from my perspective, but Joo-eun taught me a lot. From my perspective she is an angel," and added, "If I had raised Sol-ip, she might have grown up very rough. There are still such aspects, but when you watch the broadcasts where I speak about my inner thoughts—though I also taught some things—Joo-eun's role was bigger," he said, describing her significant influence.
As a result, Sol-ip now calls Lee Joo-eun 'mom.' For Sol-ip there are two mothers: 'Yerin (Yu Kaet-ip) mom' and 'Joo-eun mom.' Choi Gogi recalled the first moment, "While living together she was suddenly called 'mom.' Originally she was 'aunt.' (Because Sol-ip) liked Heartsping, Joo-eun often gave Heartsping dolls and such as gifts, so her nickname was 'Heartsping aunt.' Then suddenly while eating she came over laughing and said 'mom.' Seeing that I was surprised and talked a lot with Joo-eun. She said she wanted to call her 'mom', so I told Sol-ip, 'If you want to call her mom you can,'" he recalled the first moment.
When asked if he had concerns about the child's family environment being revealed through broadcasts, Choi Gogi said, "Honestly, there's nothing to hide. That's how I think. It's not bad or something to be hidden. I think it's okay to be proud. I think you gain more from that pride. I always think from Sol-ip's perspective. If I ask, 'Sol-ip, are there kids at school who bully you?' she says her friends are all kind. I tell her, 'If there's anything like that, tell Daddy.' I also ask, 'How do you feel about filming content or appearing on TV with Daddy? If it's uncomfortable, tell me,' and she says, 'I like being famous,' and 'I like Daddy being famous.' Her friends boast, 'Your dad is Choi Gogi, right?' and she's very proud. Being the father of such a daughter makes me grateful," he said, moved.
When asked what kind of father he wants to be, Choi Gogi said, "In the past I treasured and wanted to protect everything. But I realized that overprotecting isn't good, and as I age I feel more like raising [the child] with freedom. I want to raise her with leniency. Let her do what she wants but focus on character education. I want to teach kindness, good manners and not to bother others. I think everything will come back if you do that," and added, "I want to raise a child who is healthy in body and mind. Sol-ip greets people very well and always gets pocket money from neighbors. Seeing that makes me think I raised her well. Joo-eun worked hard too, but I think I also did well with character education," he said proudly.
Having given up his long-running gaming activities, Choi Gogi plans to continue sharing his parenting daily life on YouTube as Sol-ip's father. He said, "I hope to do a lot of lifestyle vlogs. For now I want to show many peaceful, non-sensational things. I want to instill a positive mindset in people. Whether it's parenting or married life, if we show those things with good intentions, people might follow with good hearts," and added, "It would be nice if Joo-eun appeared too. Because Kaet-ip was stressed from work, I will make content so Joo-eun doesn't get too stressed. Fortunately, Joo-eun also likes being in the spotlight," he said, outlining his plan. He honestly added, "I really want to play games. I love them. I have a lot of CDs. But I gave up because of childcare. I thought, 'I'll do it when Sol-ip grows up.'"
Regarding people who view his relationship with his ex-wife with prejudice, Choi Gogi said, "It's not about who raises the child; I said I would raise Sol-ip because I thought I could raise her better. It wasn't me being stubborn or fighting; it was a natural agreement on custody," and emphasized, "Actually, living badly after a divorce is worse. I think we've found a lot of happiness amid unhappiness. Some people may meet more unhappiness in that situation, but I'm trying to find happiness. Divorce families seem much more common than before. In some ways it seems easier, but it's a decision they made themselves. If there is a child, I hope people pursue happiness kindly rather than hating each other, considering the child's position," he stressed.
He also addressed his ex-wife Yu Kaet-ip, who said she hoped they would be happy, saying, "I feel the same. I hope Kaet-ip does well. I hope she earns more money, is happy and not depressed. She's Sol-ip's mother. As Sol-ip's mother I want her to earn money hard and show Sol-ip a cool image. Although we divorced, I find myself nagging alone. She'll manage well, but there are parts she could do better. Kaet-ip is a relaxed person, so from my point of view it's always regrettable. I think, 'You could do more,' 'You could earn more money,' 'If you tried harder you could do better.' That must have been a burden, but without that burden Kaet-ip wouldn't be who she is today. She's working hard with what she was taught on YouTube," he said, bringing smiles.
He added, "I tell Kaet-ip she can always contact us whenever she misses Sol-ip. I want her to contact us often. It's not burdensome. In the past I worried when Sol-ip went somewhere, but now I know how to have free time too. I hope we can take her anytime and make many memories. Maybe because she had no memories with her mother after the divorce, she wants to see her more. I hope they make time to go to amusement parks or swimming pools," he said.
[Photo] Choi Gogi SNS
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