The reason for Lee Geon-joo's brother's adoption, revealed for the first time in 'Dad and Me,' was uncovered.
In the episode of TV Chosun's 'Dad and Me' broadcast on 17th, Lee Geon-joo shared his true feelings with his biological brother, Geon-cheol, who had been adopted to France, for the first time in 42 years.
The brothers sat face to face at a cafe in downtown Paris from the morning. It was the day they decided to deeply ask one another about adoption and their family history for the first time. Lee Geon-joo cautiously initiated the conversation.
After a brief silence, the brother confessed, "But I really want to know why I had to be adopted and what stories were within the family." There was a meeting 18 years ago in Korea, but due to language barriers, deeper questions were unable to be addressed. The brother said, "I asked then, but I couldn't understand because of the limits of translation. I've carried the reason for my adoption in my heart all my life."
Lee Geon-joo finally revealed the buried truth about the family. "Without our grandfather, our grandmother raised the three siblings alone. In the midst of this, our parents had us at a young age, but our father was in military service and our mother was only twenty years old. By the time you were born, our parents had already separated, and our mother didn't even know about it. Ultimately, our grandmother placed you on the floor here," he said, adding, "Our grandmother had a very hard time. Our aunts were students, and it was financially unmanageable. So she decided to adopt one of us abroad to ensure a good environment for that child. That was you, and... honestly, I only learned that story recently."
The brother listened silently before asking again, "Then why was only one of us adopted? Why not leave both of us behind or have both adopted... why did you stay and I had to leave?" With that poignant question, Lee Geon-joo remained silent for a long time before speaking. "Our grandmother felt too much pain to send both of us away. So she chose to leave me, who was born first, and send you, who was just born, for adoption. Honestly... I'm really sorry about that. You grew up so far away, in a strange place, while I was still with the family," he said, showing tears.
Then the brother replied, "I understand the reason. But... that was truly a big wound for me. Why only me? That question has lingered in my mind for my whole life, the most painful question, yet also the most important one." He continued, "Still, I don't resent you. You must have lived without knowing anything either. It's not our fault. It was just fate. I hope you haven't struggled because of this. Hearing the story makes me think you might have had it harder, and that you could have been lonelier," and with those warm words, Lee Geon-joo finally shed tears. "I'm really sorry and... thank you. I feel like we finally got to know each other truly," he said, giving a hug.
After 42 years, the two finally connected in their hearts. The brothers, separated by the fate of adoption, were thrice connected with sincere feelings on that day.
[OSEN]