A man once thought to have quietly vanished from the stage has found his new calling in an unexpected place. Former SM☆SH rapper Young Seok, after stepping away from idol life, built a thriving bakery café business that at one point grew to 15 stores.
Young Seok appeared on the YouTube channel Current Status Olympics, sharing his journey since leaving the entertainment industry. The video, titled “[Meeting Young Seok] 15-Store Hit… Former Idol Becomes ‘Bread CEO,’ We Visited His Paju Shop”, was first released on February 20.
His path wasn’t glamorous. “When I left the entertainment industry in my early 30s, I realized I couldn’t do anything. My friends had all gained experience and grown, but I was at the bottom,” he recalled.
To make ends meet, he juggled three jobs—learning how to knead dough at a bakery during the day and delivering for Japanese pubs and laundromats at night. Even after returning from a concert in Japan, he would go straight to work wearing red gloves. While it felt hollow going from stage cheers to factory silence, he kept going with the mindset: “I have to run while others sleep.”
During that difficult time, he still performed in concerts. “I worked at a bakery during the day and flew to Japan to perform after work,” he said. “It felt strange. I was doing tough jobs by day, then getting makeup done and cheered on at night. I missed it, but I also felt like I couldn’t go back—maybe because of my age.”
Young Seok launched his own bakery around 2017, backed by a clear philosophy: “Treat each customer as if they’re for life,” “Make one person visit 100 times,” and “Win them over with sincerity.” He managed product quality and customer service himself while meeting daily sales goals. At its peak, his business had 15 locations, with some earning 10 times the monthly rent.
But doing most of the work himself to save on labor became unsustainable as the business grew. “There was no existing structure, so I had to build one from scratch. That meant lots of trial and error,” he admitted. He’s now preparing to relaunch under a new brand, saying, “Sometimes I think, if I had worked this hard as a celebrity, maybe I could’ve reached the top.”
To understand his present, we must revisit his roots. SM☆SH, created by H.O.T. member Tony An, debuted in 2008 with the mini album Open Fire!, promoting in Korea and Japan. In 2012, the group formed the project unit TONY & SMASH with Tony An and released the single Get Your Swag On. But with lineup changes and inactivity, the group unofficially disbanded in 2015.
When asked about SM☆SH, Young Seok said, “We didn’t officially disband—it just fizzled out. I wanted to continue, but you can’t live chasing only dreams forever.”
At the end of the video, he explained why he chose to appear publicly again: “I wanted to say hello to fans who remember SM☆SH. We’re all living our best lives. I hope people continue to remember us.”
Sources: Daum