Mr. House Husband captured viewers' hearts during the Chuseok holiday by embracing the small emotions of a family's first overseas trip and the realistic concerns of a blended family.
The Sept. 11 broadcast of KBS 2TV's Mr. House Husband season 2 featured Park Seojin family's full-fledged Hong Kong trip and Lee Minwoo family's warm cohabitation life. The episode recorded a 4.2% nationwide rating according to Nielsen Korea, and a scene in which younger sister Hyojeong teased Park Seojin by trying on a body-sculpting T-shirt and an apron achieved a peak rating of 5.0%.
On the day, Park Seojin offered a moving opening by performing his new song "Your Story" on terrestrial television for the first time. Special guest Nancy of girl group Momoland, who is called the "Olivia Hussey look-alike," appeared and drew attention. Nancy, who shares an agency with actress Ko So-young, said, "Every time I see senior Ko So-young, I fall for her beauty," attracting notice. Also, upon hearing that Nancy had been named "the most beautiful face in the world," Park Seojin said, "I got my hair cut and dyed at the shop and asked them to make my makeup heavier," activating his trademark "beauty-check mode" and drawing laughter.
In the following VCR, Park Seojin family's first overseas trip, which had faced danger from a typhoon, unfolded in earnest. When the weather recovered, they headed to Macau, the "Europe of the East," and Park Seojin, transformed into "guide Park," showed a reliable side by preparing a tailored course for his sister Hyojeong, who was taking her first overseas trip. When local fans were spotted recognizing Park Seojin, the parents couldn't hide their delight. Studio MCs Baek Ji-young and Eun Ji-won, watching, also said they felt proud and pleased, creating a warm atmosphere.
Afterward, the family arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral, a Macau landmark, under Park Seojin's leadership. Amazed by the exotic scenery, the family took 인증 shots everywhere and immersed themselves in the joy of the trip. In particular, the mother, who usually only received physical affection from the father, initiated a "first kiss on the lips" that day to express affection, and the father, forgetting his aching knee, even jumped for photos, enjoying the trip with excitement. The mother, who had been too busy with work to even take a honeymoon, said, "(Like being on a honeymoon) I held my husband's hand, jumped, and everything was joyful and happy," expressing overwhelming emotion, and the father, looking at his happy wife, responded with a tender smile.
But an unexpected crisis occurred during the enjoyable trip. While moving, Park Seojin's father couldn't withstand the leg pain and sank down in the middle of the road. His leg, which had not been in good condition, caused trouble again on this trip. Yet seeing his family's excited faces on their first overseas trip, the father endured the pain and didn't show it. Still, he admitted, "As the head of the household, I want to do something but can't do anything, and I'm sorry because my body makes me just a burden," which moved both the family and viewers.
The next day, the father said he would rest at the hotel and urged them not to worry and to go sightseeing, and the family set out on a Hong Kong city tour with guilty hearts. At the market, Hyojeong grabbed an eye-catching body-sculpting T-shirt and an apron, tried them on Park Seojin, and joked, "Tell the newlywed, 'Honey, we're going to Hong Kong tonight~'," turning the scene into a sea of laughter. Immersed in the lively market atmosphere, Hyojeong also tried bargaining, asked Park Seojin for an impromptu live performance, and even revealed her brother's plastic surgery, drawing laughs. When her unexpected bargaining succeeded, Park Seojin shouted, "If you sold your face, bargain more!" provoking uproarious laughter.
Afterward, Park Seojin family's voracious eating tour continued, along with the touching story of the father and mother. In particular, the moment the father surprised the mother with a proposal delivered deep emotion and raised anticipation for the next episode.
Lee Minwoo and his parents, his fiancée and his 6-year-old daughter began living together as a seven-member household, revealing their changed daily life. The house, filled with the 6-year-old daughter's things, felt more lively than before and even brought smiles to onlookers, and Eun Ji-won, who is set to remarry in October, also showed a pleased smile at the sight of the daughter who has perfectly adapted to life in Korea.
Lee Minwoo's mother, who usually brought cheerful laughs with her candid and direct manner, showed a kinder, softer side, calling her husband "honey" for the first time in her life, among other things. She clearly benefited from living with her future daughter-in-law. Seeing this, MC Eun Ji-won joked about nicknames with the fiancée, saying, "When she's in a good mood she calls him 'honey,' and when she's not she calls him 'that person,'" drawing laughter.
Lee Minwoo, his fiancée and the daughter began preparing in earnest for life in Korea. He said he had been looking into an obstetric hospital and a postpartum care center for his fiancée, who is due in December, and a daycare center for the 6-year-old daughter. He also revealed plans to hold a wedding next May after the birth of their second child, drawing interest.
The three first visited the community service center to apply for a resident registration card for the fiancée, a third-generation Korean resident in Japan who has Korean nationality but no resident ID card. While excitedly applying for the card and asking about future administrative procedures, Lee Minwoo heard an unexpected fact that shocked him. To legally become family with the fiancée's 6-year-old daughter, they must go through an "adoption" procedure. Lee Minwoo said, "When I heard the word 'adoption,' it felt unfamiliar and awkward. I worried that the fiancée, who would find the word even stranger, might feel anxious," honestly revealing his feelings.
A few days later, Lee Minwoo and his fiancée consulted family law attorney Lee In-chul. The lawyer explained, "Generally, when a remarried family registers their marriage, they think the spouse's children are also part of their family, but legally they are not. They are merely cohabitants." He added, "To become family, special procedures are required. That is 'adoption.'" Faced with the unexpected reality, Lee Minwoo and his fiancée were momentarily speechless, and their expressions grew heavy.
The two carefully continued adoption counseling so they could become a legally recognized, complete family. In counseling, they learned that "ordinary adoption" creates a new family relationship with the adoptive parents (Lee Minwoo) while maintaining ties with the birth parents, whereas "special adoption" terminates the relationship with the birth father and makes the new father (Lee Minwoo) assume the legal status of the birth father. Hearing this, Lee Minwoo immediately expressed his intention to adopt the daughter as his special adoptee, showing his genuine willingness to take on both responsibility and love as a family. MC Eun Ji-won also empathized, saying, "I would probably choose special adoption too. I would want her to be my daughter."
But another legal hurdle remained: special adoption requires the consent of the birth father. The fiancée, who had not received proper child support after her divorce and had had little contact with the child's birth father for a long time, was stunned. As the complexities of adoption procedures and the need for the birth father's consent emerged, the fiancée broke down in tears. Her long years of raising the child alone and the cold legal realities combined to make viewers' hearts heavy.
The fiancée said, "It took a long time to sort out the family register, parental rights and custody while raising my daughter alone. I thought it was over now, but hearing that the birth father's consent is still required made me feel that way. I knew remarriage wouldn't be easy, but I'm so grateful to my brother (Minwoo) who embraces all of it," she said sincerely, her eyes reddening.
After the counseling, the three took their first official family photo and reflected on the meaning of family. The sincere steps the Lee Minwoo family took to stand as one family for the first time warmed viewers' hearts.
In this episode, the Park Seojin family delivered both laughter and emotion with a bickering yet caring first overseas trip. Also, the Lee Minwoo family's daily life, more harmonious after moving in together, and Lee Minwoo's growth into a responsible head of household as he struggles to become an official family left viewers with a warm aftertaste.
[Photo] KBS 2TV Mr. House Husband broadcast capture
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