'Lu Ching Lai', a master of Chinese cuisine with 51 years of experience, shared tears over the heartfelt words of his son, who said, 'I wanted to hear that I am a son.'

On the 18th, the broadcast of TV CHOSUN's 'Dad and Me' featured Lu Ching Lai and his son, Yeomin, granting a look into their kitchen scenery, where they have been working together for seven months. Additionally, Lu Ching Lai's disciple, 'Goddess of Chinese Cuisine' Park Eun-young, visited and showcased a bond just as strong as that between father and son. 'Sympathy Fairy' Jeon Hyun-moo, 'Daughter Representative' Lee Seung-yeon & Soobin, 'Son Representative' Lee Geon-joo, and 'Dad Representative' Lim Hyun-sik participated. The broadcast recorded a peak viewership rating of 5.4% (according to Nielsen Korea, based on the capital region), garnering significant attention from viewers.

Lu Ching Lai expressed his thoughts on appearing in 'Dad and Me' by saying, 'I'm curious about what my sons talk about since we haven't talked much.' Yeomin revealed that Lu Ching Lai is 'a being I want to get closer to and know better,' which stirred emotions. The broadcast primarily focused on the contrasting positions of Yeomin, who wants to learn from his father, and Lu Ching Lai, who hopes his son will grow independently. When Lu Ching Lai showed a lukewarm reaction to Yeomin's newly developed pork noodle soup, Yeomin expressed, 'I'm curious about what went wrong, but he doesn't tell me,' and felt bitter. Lu Ching Lai responded, 'It wasn't worth doing. If it's a new menu, it must have value as a product. It shouldn't be treated carelessly since it's being sold to customers.'

Yeomin shocked everyone by saying, 'When it comes to a mentor, one learns the skills of that person, but my father has never done that. I have never considered Chef Lu Ching Lai as my mentor.' In a subsequent interview, Yeomin shared, 'I often heard people say, 'Why doesn’t your father support you?' I always thought I was the priority, but it turned out I wasn't, which upset me.' In response, Lu Ching Lai remarked, 'It’s wrong to give special treatment just because he’s my son. He is too dependent.' He added, 'It's not about 'he will teach me'; the results will follow automatically based on how much effort one puts in.'

While expressing his disappointment towards his father, Yeomin ultimately burst into tears, saying, 'I guess I wanted to hear that I am a son.' Jeon Hyun-moo, who witnessed this, empathized, saying, 'I don’t expect anything grand. I feel that disappointment has accumulated.' Surprised by his son's heartfelt words, Lu Ching Lai noted, 'I thought children would know without saying, but I realized that in some cases, it's necessary to express it verbally. I initially didn't want to participate in this program, but I'm glad I did.' The story continues on 'Dad and Me,' exploring whether Lu Ching Lai and Yeomin can understand each other and grow closer.

Meanwhile, towards the end of the broadcast, scenes showed Seo Hyo-rim and her husband visiting the columbarium of the late Kim Soo-mi, who passed away last October, along with Seo Hyo-rim's father. Seo Hyo-rim's father shed tears alone over feelings he could not convey to his in-laws. Next week, with the belongings of 'eternal national mother' Kim Soo-mi, her heart-wrenching stories that she had hidden will be revealed for the first time. What was the last heartfelt message Kim Soo-mi wanted to convey? You can find out on 'Dad and Me.'

[Photo] Provided by TV CHOSUN

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