Mr. House Husband injected fresh energy with the addition of Lee Yo-won as a new MC, while Park Seo-jin and Ji Sang-ryeol delivered warm laughs to viewers with a love line full of excitement.
On Oct. 25, KBS2's Mr. House Husband season 2 (hereinafter Mr. House Husband) aired a surprise counterattack by Park Seo-jin's sister Hyo-jung and a meet-the-parents-level date between Ji Sang-ryeol and Shin Bo-ram. The episode recorded a nationwide Nielsen Korea rating of 4.2 percent, and the scene in which Park Seo-jin introduced Maria and his sister Hyo-jung at the singing class posted a peak rating of 5.2 percent. In particular, with Lee Yo-won successfully completing her debut as a new MC, ratings rose, proving Mr. House Husband's resilience.
In the opening, Park Seo-jin performed to welcome actor Lee Yo-won, who joined Mr. House Husband as the new leading lady. Park Seo-jin raised the atmosphere by passionately singing a song he rewrote to include the MCs' names along with a flashy janggu drum performance. Lee Yo-won said she felt both excited and like she was on a picnic, sharing her feelings about taking on her first variety MC role in 28 years. Park Seo-jin, showing the relaxed manner of a senior on Mr. House Husband, said, "Just relax and enjoy it," drawing laughs.
In particular, Lee Yo-won, a mother of three and in her 23rd year of marriage, showed her seasoned side by giving practical marriage advice to Eun Ji-won, who became a newlywed in October, while waiting in the green room before recording. Eun Ji-won asked Lee Yo-won, "How do you get through the rough patches in married life?" and Lee Yo-won replied, "Each time a rough patch came, I had a child. The child helped overcome it," prompting laughter. The newlywed Eun Ji-won expressed genuine happiness about married life, saying, "She's a life senior. I think I'll have a lot to ask her going forward."
The VCR that followed depicted the daily life of Park Seo-jin, who has been single since birth for 31 years. With recent marriage news about Eun Ji-won and Lee Min-woo and even a pink-tinged spark with Ji Sang-ryeol, Park Seo-jin candidly said, "Now I'm the only one left on Mr. House Husband. I feel a chill at my side and a bit melancholic," revealing his honest feelings. Lee Yo-won, a 23-year marriage senior, offered blunt advice, saying, "You have to break down walls and try to meet someone; otherwise you won't meet anyone."
Hyo-jung did not stay still. She sought a chance to get revenge on Park Seo-jin, who had teased her for two years over a fling with an English teacher from the past. With help from singer Hong Ji-yoon, Hyo-jung invited a blonde beauty teacher who matched Park Seo-jin's ideal type to their home, and Park Seo-jin was greatly flustered by her sudden appearance.
But Park Seo-jin soon gathered himself and bravely began English study sessions with the teacher. Contrary to Hyo-jung's revenge plan, Seo-jin and the English teacher created a pink-tinged atmosphere with close physical contact like high-fives and eye contact, and Seo-jin showed a shy smile, saying, "I feel oddly embarrassed as the distance closes." To explain the word "proposal," the English teacher staged a proposal scenario, and when Park Seo-jin blurted out "Yes," his sister Hyo-jung couldn't hide her joy, saying, "He accepted the marriage" and calling her "the daughter-in-law mom likes."
Watching this, Hyo-jung immediately put on her "mangbung lens." She launched into a rapid interpretation, saying, "This is real. He does like her. He's making faces he never made when looking at his sister," causing viewers to burst into laughter.
As Hyo-jung's reaction grew, Park Seo-jin went into the recording studio alone with the teacher to start serious study. But Seo-jin's gaze lingered on the teacher more than on the English book; he kept sneaking glances and the atmosphere grew closer with natural physical contact.
Soon Park Seo-jin cautiously asked, "Haven't we met somewhere before?" and the teacher revealed an unexpected twist. She turned out to be Maria, a next-generation trot singer from the United States. The moment she revealed herself, calling him "oppa," Park Seo-jin was left speechless with surprise.
He confessed, "I bumped into her a few times while passing by, but I never saw her properly, so I was unsure," revealing that he was even more surprised because he never expected an acquaintance he had casually met to suddenly appear at his home. When Maria said that Park Hyo-jung had asked her to help with Seo-jin's English study, Park Seo-jin reacted angrily, drawing laughs.
Afterward, Park Seo-jin and Hyo-jung had an honest conversation with Maria. Hearing Maria's story of coming alone from distant America at 19 to pursue her dream of becoming a singer in Korea, Park Seo-jin empathized, recalling his own past of coming to Seoul from Samcheonpo and enduring long years of obscurity. Wanting to help a junior who wanted to grow more as a singer, Park Seo-jin took Maria to the singing class himself, saying, "During my unknown years, the singing class was my only stage and a great strength."
Park Seo-jin unleashed the skills he had built in past singing classes, heating up the atmosphere from the start. When he taught his song "Jinaya," the scene became even more lively. Lee Yo-won, watching, praised, "This song is really good," and Eun Ji-won expressed surprise, saying, "I only learned about it because of Seo-jin. He must listen to a wide variety of music." Lee Yo-won showed she had studied the song herself, saying, "I studied it too. It's addictive and good," revealing the prepared MC side that moved Park Seo-jin.
Maria, who later took the stage, received a round of applause from the students for her stable singing and stage manner. She said warmly, "Thanks to Seo-jin oppa, I experienced the singing class and learned a lot by watching him perform," sharing her affectionate impression. After the singing class, Park Seo-jin continued to show his senior care by having a meal with Maria and looking after her attentively, bringing a warm smile.
Ji Sang-ryeol met again with Shin Bo-ram, a beautiful shopping host with whom he is building chemistry. Invited shopping by Ji Sang-ryeol's sister-in-law, the two displayed flirting and natural physical contact throughout the shopping trip, creating an atmosphere like a newlywed couple. Watching their spark, Lee Yo-won recalled her first meeting through her friend Jo Yeo-jung and reminisced about meeting her husband for the first time.
After Ji Sang-ryeol and Shin Bo-ram arrived home, the warm welcome from the brother and sister-in-law followed. The sister-in-law said, "After the show aired, people around here are going crazy. If the two of you both work, I'll take care of the baby," showing an enthusiastic attitude, and Ji Sang-ryeol retorted, "Why give me that pressure? If we can't meet next time, it'll be because of you," getting riled. Ji Sang-ryeol then showed Shin Bo-ram his room and engaged in a charming back-and-forth with his trademark comic sensibility.
Meanwhile, the sister-in-law's acquaintances appeared one after another, welcoming Shin Bo-ram with bouquets and cakes, and the scene instantly resembled a meet-the-parents event.
After a flurry of visitors left, Ji Sang-ryeol's family and Shin Bo-ram began a warm meal together. At that moment, an 11-year-old niece appeared and immediately changed the mood. The niece, who had opposed Ji Sang-ryeol's marriage, fired a blunt question at Shin Bo-ram, asking, "Are you dating grandpa?" She also showed affection, saying, "You're totally my type," hugging and holding hands, and even encouraged the couple by holding their hands herself, hoping for their marriage.
The niece's interest continued. She asked Shin Bo-ram, "Do you agree to date our grandpa?" and Ji Sang-ryeol replied, "We have good feelings for each other." Then the niece declared, "Today is day one," and delivered a cute message, "Boram unni, please marry our grandpa," adding warmth to the scene. In a later interview with the production team, Shin Bo-ram left the door open, saying, "Wouldn't you know about marriage until time passes?" giving room for their relationship to develop.
This episode of Mr. House Husband offered touching sincerity from Park Seo-jin, who displayed senior care through warm encouragement and thoughtful consideration for junior singer Maria. Ji Sang-ryeol and Shin Bo-ram, supported wholeheartedly by their families, showed a closer relationship that brought both excitement and laughter to viewers.
Meanwhile, KBS2's Mr. House Husband will air every Saturday at 10:35 p.m. starting Nov. 1.
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