'Sallim-nam' delivered laughter and emotion as it portrayed trot stars' thrilling dating challenges and Takuya's heartwarming journey to find his family in a springtime mega project.
On the 28th, KBS 2TV's 'Sallim-nam' aired with special guest singer GREE, featuring a matchmaking event where solo trot singers gathered in one place and the story of Takuya searching for his biological father after 25 years. The broadcast recorded a nationwide rating of 6.0% according to Nielsen Korea, and a scene in which Takuya's biological father, meeting Takuya for the first time in 25 years, showed the childhood photos of Takuya and his sibling that he had kept, drew a peak rating of 7.6%.
In the opening, GREE drew attention by mentioning his father Kim Gu Ra. He said he told his father, "I'm going on 'Sallim-nam'," and his father asked if it was a VCR appearance. "If so, I'll help," he said, then added, "Maybe because he used me a lot in the past, he volunteered," prompting laughter. He also shared news of a family trip to Tokyo Disneyland with his father, stepmother and younger sibling, revealing a close family atmosphere.
In particular, GREE confessed that family relations changed after his discharge. He said about his stepmother, "From the day I was discharged, I changed the way I address her to 'mom.' Until then I called her 'noona' (older sister)," and added, "I kept postponing it and texted, 'I should have called you mom, I'm sorry it's too late.' With a little courage, the family became harmonious. I felt a lot," he said. MC Eun Ji-won admired, "That's totally 'Sallim-nam' material," and Park Seo-jin joked, "Can I sneak in too?" provoking laughter.
In the following VCR, Park Seo-jin said, "I've never been in a situation like this, I'm excited," expressing anticipation for the matchmaking project. Watching this, Eun Ji-won recalled his past experience on a matchmaking program and said, "I drank every day. I had to confess to someone different every week. I couldn't do it sober," which made the scene burst into laughter.
In the full-fledged 'Sallim-nam' mega project, Park Seo-jin and his younger sibling Hyo-jeong led the gathering of 'trend trot stars' Ahn Sung Hoon, Chu Hyuk-jin, Hong Ji-yoon and Yoyomi. Hyo-jeong vowed, "Today I must take someone," but when she saw her brother Park Seo-jin she could not hide her disappointed expression. The cast members, who were usually close friends, expressed regret as soon as they saw each other's faces, bringing laughter.
However, as a serious atmosphere formed because they gathered to find 'love,' the cast members began to get involved. Chu Hyuk-jin, introducing himself, mentioned his family's slaughterhouse business and appealed to Hyo-jeong, "I can feed you meat until you get tired of it." He especially named Hyo-jeong as someone he liked at first sight, saying, "She is much slimmer and has a smaller, cuter face than on TV. I'm curious about her," showing interest, and showcased charm with flashy dance skills befitting a former idol.
Ahn Sung Hoon won hearts by thoughtfully handing blankets to the female cast members. With confidence that "the more you look, the more handsome he is," he took off his glasses attempting a visual transformation. Seeing this, Chu Hyuk-jin said, "He looks better than before," mentioning Ahn Sung Hoon's past, and soon Ahn Sung Hoon's old photos were revealed, surprising the MCs. Amid everyone's astonishment at his changed appearance, Park Seo-jin added, "That guy goes to the same hospital as me," drawing laughter. Ahn Sung Hoon also showed off charm with a unique personal skill of doing a handstand.
Park Seo-jin, who formed a triangle with Hong Ji-yoon and Yoyomi and showed subtle vibes, said, "With people sitting in front of me who I think are the opposite sex, I couldn't help but be so nervous," showing tension. A 32-year single since birth, he added sincerely, "I want to find someone to share all my first moments with." In the process, Yoyomi threw a surprise question, "After the last camping trip, why did you only exchange numbers with Ji-yoon?" and Park Seo-jin was flustered and could not properly explain.
In an interview, Yoyomi confessed, "Normally I probably wouldn't be jealous, but I felt jealousy," then teased, "Seo-jin, you might get taken." When asked to choose an ideal type between Hong Ji-yoon and Yoyomi, Park Seo-jin cleverly skirted the question, saying, "I'll get to know them more."
Later Hyo-jeong said, "If I follow my brother around, I don't think I'll be able to date," and when Chu Hyuk-jin mentioned the male trot singers who appeared on 'Sallim-nam' and asked, "Was there anyone you were attracted to among them? Including now," she gave a lingering reply, "Maybe there was?" showing her mastery of teasing and withholding.
As Yoyomi's shy self-introduction continued, Park Seo-jin said, "I saw a new side of her. Until now she was easygoing and lively, but seeing her embarrassed during the self-introduction I thought, 'She had a surprising charm,' and I became curious," he said. When Yoyomi mentioned her ideal type, Park Seo-jin wore an expression full of expectation as if it were about him.
Hong Ji-yoon said, "In 32 years I have never once spent Christmas with a boyfriend. This Christmas I want to spend it with a boyfriend," and explained, "I like handsome, tall men." Eun Ji-won bluntly retorted, "There isn't a single one here," leaving Park Seo-jin embarrassed.
As a result of first impression choices, Hong Ji-yoon and Yoyomi chose Ahn Sung Hoon, and Hyo-jeong chose Chu Hyuk-jin. Park Seo-jin, who worried he might get unanimous votes before the first impression selection, received zero votes and became the star of a 'solo jjajangmyeon mukbang.' A strange atmosphere around Ahn Sung Hoon was also spotted. When asked why she chose him, Yoyomi directly showed affection, saying, "Because I like him," and Hong Ji-yoon revealed her true feelings, "I never thought I'd compete with Yomi because of Seong-hoon oppa," foreshadowing a subtle battle. The contrast between Park Seo-jin eating jjajangmyeon alone and Hyo-jeong, who ignored her brother and continued a rosy vibe with Chu Hyuk-jin, brought laughs, and next week's appearance of Meginam was teased, piquing curiosity.
Takuya's heartwarming second movement was also portrayed. After meeting his mother last month, Takuya's longing for the biological father he parted from at age 10 grew. "My mother told me she had deleted all the photos of my biological father, but when I looked again this time, there they were. My father is 71 years old, and I want to know even whether he is alive or not," he said, expressing earnest feelings.
Afterward, Takuya set out for Hokkaido, Japan, with only a single photo and clues such as his father's name, age and hometown. After inquiries, Takuya finally found a promising lead and headed straight to Tokyo, where his father was presumed to be living. But the closer he got to his destination, the more anxious Takuya became. "I'm thinking about the case where I meet my father, the case I don't meet him, and the case he has a new family. I can't predict what I will feel if I see him living alone without family," he worried.
With complicated feelings, he finally found the building where his father was said to live and stared blankly. "The house didn't look good. From the outside the room looked small, and it didn't seem like a normal residential form. Considering his age, it felt like a gosiwon in Korea. I'm worried about his health," he said, revealing mixed emotions.
When Takuya learned that his father lived in a dormitory building of a newspaper delivery company, he talked with a resident who came out of the building and asked about his father. After the conversation, he said, "When I told that person I was his son, he said they often talked about him," and fell into thought.
At that moment, Takuya's father appeared. The father recognized his son at once, and with his head down he cried, saying, "I'm sorry." He continued, "I hoped someday you would come find me. And I should have found you too, but I never imagined a day like this would come," shedding tears filled with 25 years of regret.
The father, who still remembered his children's birthdays, repeatedly apologized, "You must think I'm really foolish, but I had my own way of remembering. I'm truly sorry." When Takuya handed him a photo taken with his younger sister, the father was at a loss for words in gratitude. The father then showed photos of Takuya and his sibling from their childhood and could not hide his remorse toward his son. After a brief meeting, as his son prepared to leave, the father gave him a small allowance and shared sincere feelings in a deep embrace.
After parting from his father, Takuya broke down in tears. He explained the reason he choked back tears, saying, "What I wanted to show my biological father was, 'This is how I've grown.' I wanted to show that I grew strong." At the end of the broadcast, a heartfelt letter Takuya wrote to his father was revealed, moving viewers to tears.
This episode of 'Sallim-nam' brought excitement with trot youths' fresh dating challenges and left a deep impression with Takuya's heartfelt story facing his biological father after 25 years, leaving a lasting aftertaste.
Meanwhile, 'Sallim-nam' is broadcast every Saturday at 9:20 p.m.
[Photo] KBS 2TV 'Sallim-nam' broadcast capture
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