V.One's Kang Hyun-su says he now grills meat for a living

Singer Kang Hyun-su (45, real name Lee Sang-jin), who stepped away from the entertainment industry, has shared an update on his life running a restaurant.

Kang recently posted a piece titled "A self-employed person's story" on his restaurant's social media account.

In the post, Kang recalled his appearance on MBC's "Guerrilla Concert" in 2001, writing: "Let me tell you my story. I almost retired 25 years ago. I went on TV and said I'd quit if I couldn't draw 2,000 people." The show challenged singers to fill a surprise concert to a target audience number.

"That day, 4,362 people showed up," he added. "I avoided retirement, but I fell short of the 5,000-person minimum for the concert, and I became the first singer to fail Guerrilla Concert. I was 638 short."

Kang wrote that the memory still stays with him. "These days I'm grilling meat in Seongsu. There are days when I open the doors and nobody comes in for a long time. On those days, I think about that number — not that 638 people were missing, but that 4,362 people came."

He made his debut in 1997 as a member of the group The Mix before pursuing a solo career. In 2003, he reinvented himself under the stage name V.One and found renewed popularity with songs including "Geureonga Bwayo."

Kang enlisted as a social service worker in 2007 and effectively withdrew from the entertainment scene after completing his service.

His most recent television appearance was on SBS's "Burning Youth" in 2020.