Former baseball player Yang Joon-hyuk revealed the love story with his wife, Park Hyun-sun, who is 19 years his junior.
On the 8th, KBS2's "The Boss Has Donkey Ears" featured the housewarming of Yang Joon-hyuk, who runs a yellowtail restaurant in Pohang.
That day, after moving into a new ocean-view house in Pohang, Yang Joon-hyuk held a modest housewarming by inviting his wife's family. When asked, "Is the restaurant doing well these days?" she replied, "On weekends the waiting list is almost 100 parties. Daily sales are about 20 million won. From Friday through Sunday on the weekend we can't go anywhere," conveying its popularity.
He said, "I'm going all out like my life depends on it," and Park Hyun-sun's cousin said, "It looks like she's gone through a lot. Wasn't there an article before that said there was a 19-year difference? It really looks like there's a 19-year gap," delivering a blunt remark that drew laughter.
Park Hyun-sun said, "What people misunderstood about me was that I married my husband for his money, that I married into wealth," and joked, "Where is 10 billion won?" Yang Joon-hyuk corrected, "Actually I got married when I hit rock bottom," meaning he married when he had no money after four failed businesses.
The cousin asked Park Hyun-sun, "You weren't thinking of getting married, were you? How did you decide you had to get married?" Park Hyun-sun said, "The first time we met was at Gwangju Mudeung Stadium. I went to cheer for Samsung. That led to a relationship and we became close. But one dawn a phone call came and his voice sounded weak. It was when he was doing 'Qualifications of Men,' and there was a negative perception about athletes retiring and going into broadcasting. I wondered, 'Did I come to his mind at that moment?' and gradually I noticed," she admitted.
She continued, "One day he said it was his birthday. I said, 'I didn't know, I'm sorry,' and he said, 'My birthday is lunar so people don't know.' I thought, 'Why did he call me?'" indicating there had been signs from before. Yang Joon-hyuk grumbled, "Then you should have caught on. Time has passed since then," and Park Hyun-sun explained her reason for refusing, "As that relationship continued for a long time, I felt I wanted to remain a fan, and I sensed it wouldn't be one thing or the other, so I said, 'If I caused any misunderstanding, I'm sorry.'"
She said, "So I didn't contact him for several years. But then he happened to get a direct message. He said he wanted to see me, and I wanted to see him too. I felt his feelings for me were the same," she said. Yang Joon-hyuk joked, "I worked on it for 10 years and finally got her. I really put effort into it," drawing admiration.
At that time the cousin said, "Didn't you notify your maternal aunt and uncle of the marriage by text?" which surprised listeners. Park Hyun-sun said, "It was Parents' Day. As a Parents' Day greeting I couldn't call him my older brother. Lacking courage, I said something like, 'There is someone I want to marry this year,'" she said. The mother-in-law said, "It was strange. Even to me he didn't mention age or give his name," expressing suspicion, and the father-in-law explained, "At that time another text came. At the end it said Yang Joon-hyuk. I didn't know the age gap was that big. When I looked into it, there was a large difference."
Park Hyun-sun said, "My father called and asked, 'Do you want to marry someone like your father?'" conveying the opposition. Kim Sook said, "As a father it's only natural to ask that," and the father-in-law said, "It seems different from the 1960s and the 1970s. If he had been born in the 1970s..." expressing regret about Yang Joon-hyuk being born in 1969.
At the time, Park Hyun-sun's parents mobilized even the aunts to oppose the marriage. Yang Joon-hyuk said, "I felt wronged. In my position people called me 'our son-in-law' wherever I went, but the atmosphere wasn't good," expressing hurt, and the mother-in-law revealed, "(My husband) cried every dawn," attracting attention. The father-in-law again broke into tears recalling that time and said, "I couldn't tell others and I suffered inside a lot. If it was going to happen anyway, I should have only pretended to oppose it," he said, revealing complicated feelings.
Park Hyun-sun also cried, and Yang Joon-hyuk said, "That's why I'm trying to treat her better." The father-in-law said, "Then when a company colleague said my daughter was marrying someone older and asked my opinion, I said, 'If they're happy, there's nothing you can do. Who is he?' When I heard it was Yang Joon-hyuk, I thought, 'Then it's fine,'" he said. Yang Joon-hyuk said, "It would be enough if they could proudly say their son-in-law is Yang Joon-hyuk, but they couldn't," and candidly added, "Anyone can see I've worked hard and everyone who knows me knows, so I'm confident about the age gap."
He said, "People around me spoke highly of me," as a reason he was able to get permission to marry, and Jun Hyun-moo agreed, "Joon-hyuk is diligent." Um Ji-in also marveled, "And he was consistent for 10 years." Park Hyun-sun said, "What surprised me is that after they gave permission there was no sign of opposition. He got along very well with my father. My mother treats him very well," conveying a harmonious atmosphere. Yang Joon-hyuk emphasized, "My father-in-law runs the yellowtail business and is an indispensable business partner. He helps me the most."
They also discussed plans for a second child. Park Hyun-sun said, "I was once pregnant with twins but lost one. It was a son. It was a bit regrettable. Because I conceived via IVF, I didn't have a strong desire to be pregnant until it started, and then I really wanted it. Thankfully it came all at once. We unexpectedly had twins. Words cannot describe it. I couldn't believe it. But I think I kept pressing down the excitement. Even at the time of marriage I wondered if I could be that happy, afraid someone would take it away. When we saw the baby's house and heard the heartbeat, one wasn't heard well," she recalled about the pregnancy.
He said, "The doctor said it wasn't clear yet and asked us to come next week. The next week you could hear it but it cut out. The following week the same thing happened and there was a size difference. Gradually..." he recounted the process leading to the miscarriage. He added, "Rather than being immersed in sorrow, my main thought was to protect at least this one. So I didn't express it until the last month to protect it, but the anxiety inside was huge," he said.
Yang Joon-hyuk said, "My wife was very mature," and added, "When we heard about the (miscarriage), I worried most about Hyun-sun. I've been through a lot and can endure, but I was worried my wife would be hurt. At that time she was more mature than me," he said appreciatively. Afterwards, Yang Joon-hyuk broke down in tears while looking at their healthy daughter Jae-yi.
Kim Sook asked, "Yang also doesn't express himself well in words. At that time he must have been hurting and wanting to console her, but couldn't say anything, right?" Yang Joon-hyuk replied, "Right. I'm poor at expressing myself. I was really grateful to my wife. She didn't show much and got through it well," showing affection. Kim Sook said, "Say a word to your wife even if it's today," and Jun Hyun-moo suggested, "You can't say it when you're together, so do it on the broadcast." Yang Joon-hyuk then sent a message: "Wife, I really love you. Let's raise our Jae-yi well. Wife, you're the best." He also told his wife's family, "We lived in temporary housing until now, but we got a proper house and completed the move-in registration yesterday. We'll live happily. Please don't worry too much."
[Photo] KBS2
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