Let's Go Go national soccer player An Jung-hwan honestly revealed the reason for his retirement.
On the afternoon of 2nd, the variety program Let's Go Go Season 5 aired on the comprehensive programming channel MBN, and featured the legendary baseball player Lee Dae-ho, known as 'Joseon's No. 4 hitter,' along with representatives from the entertainment industry, such as the popular personality Kim Min-kyung, actor Lee Ho-cheol, and singer Jo Jae-ju, who are known as the 'mukshin trio.'
MC An Jung-hwan and Hong Hyun-hee were invited to Lee Dae-ho's home in Seoul, where they would prepare a special health dish, and met friends known as mukshin. Jo Jae-ju, who identified himself as 'Lee Dae-ho's junior,' expressed his excitement, saying, "It's like meeting the president."
While exploring Lee Dae-ho's house, MC An and the mukshin trio admired the neat and cozy bedroom and the family photos displayed throughout the home. They especially questioned if the family photos attached to the TV screen weren't set-ups, but Lee Dae-ho confidently replied, "I don't watch TV; I only look at these photos. There are no TV connection cables here."
While looking at Lee Dae-ho's baseball equipment from a recent variety show, An Jung-hwan asked Lee Dae-ho, "Since you've retired, didn't you want to stop exercising?" Lee Dae-ho said, "Honestly, I retired because I wanted to take a break. But I feel happy when I wear the uniform." Then Lee Dae-ho asked An Jung-hwan, "Why did you retire, brother?" An Jung-hwan shared, "My body told me to stop, so I stopped. I've had many surgeries and injuries; my body sent me signals. I had no choice but to stop because my body told me to." His candid thoughts grabbed attention.
The MCs, along with Lee Dae-ho and the mukshin trio, continued their conversation while enjoying the health dishes they had prepared. Kim Min-kyung, who prepared her mother's fresh water eel soup, noted, "Actually, I don't eat fresh water eel soup. I disliked the smell of boiling loach at home." She added, "But while doing variety shows, I tried fresh water eel soup, and it was good. So my mom felt betrayed. She said, 'You're the daughter of a fresh water eel soup restaurant, why do you eat it outside instead of at home?' I went home, tried it, and it was delicious, so I've been eating it since then."
Lee Ho-cheol, fascinated by Kim Min-kyung's mother's fresh water eel soup, asked if delivery was possible, but Kim Min-kyung replied, "I only sell to acquaintances." Upon hearing this, Hong Hyun-hee teased, "There's a way to do it," which made Lee Ho-cheol shyly respond, "I think I know what it is," while Jo Jae-ju jokingly probed, "Should I get married?" eliciting laughter.
While they were eating, An Jung-hwan asked, "Did you guys used to eat well?" and Lee Ho-cheol recalled, "My mom raised me alone; since she had to work, she told me to go eat at a meat restaurant. So I went and ate pork belly, but the next day my mom came back and asked, 'I told you to eat, how many friends did you bring?' I went alone, but I ended up eating for 11 people," sharing a mukshin episode that surprised everyone.
Lee Ho-cheol continued, "My childhood dream was to be a baseball player. But we were too poor," and added, "In elementary school, my friends didn't want to play with me. When I hit the ball, it broke." An Jung-hwan joked, "You almost changed the No. 4 hitter."
An Jung-hwan was curious about Jo Jae-ju's beautiful wife, and Jo Jae-ju recalled, "I run a café and a bar, and my wife came in as a customer," reflecting on their first meeting. He continued, "While performing live, my wife touched my belly. I thought, 'Who is this woman?' and when I saw her face, she was beautiful," confessing to the incident of 'belly flirting.' He added, "My wife said she liked me, and we started dating just three days after we met. (Because my wife is so beautiful) rumors spread that I was a 'flower snake' in Hannam-dong," sharing a laugh-inducing anecdote.
Hong Hyun-hee asked Lee Dae-ho, "Have you never had a fight with your spouse?" and Lee Dae-ho replied, "Not once. There might have been times when my wife was wrong. I concede during those times," adding, "When I get angry, I vent outside. I go hiking and shout, or yell at a telephone pole, 'You were wrong!'" sharing a romantic story that drew laughter.
Lee Dae-ho also revealed the circumstances under which he started playing baseball. He shared, "Baseball player Choo Shin-soo convinced me to start. I mustered up the courage to tell my grandmother, and my family, including my grandmother and youngest uncle, pooled together money for me to play baseball." He continued, "Due to our difficult financial situation, I even struggled to pay for parents' meetings and wanted to quit. But thanks to the warmth and support from the parents who cared for me like their own children, I was able to overcome that period," expressing gratitude.
[Photo] Captured from MBN broadcast screen.
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