'Happy Together' spread the value of "together" and filled Friday night with emotion.
On the 17th, the KBS2 program 'Happy Together - glad I'm not alone' (planned by Park Minjung, directed by Kwon Jae-o, writer Rhee Minjung, hereafter 'Happy Together') featured why the A-division finalists 'Like a Turtle' and 'Two Months' and the B-division finalists 'Devil Chic 1718' and 'Choi Trio' sing together, presenting both stories and stages.
First, Two Months, reunited after 13 years, appeared, and former agency head Yoon Jongshin said, "I had no idea the two would appear," expressing delight. Kim Yerim and Do Dae-yoon also reminisced about their distinctive 'Jongshin kids' days with smiles of pleasure, saying, "When I first joined the company, I only practiced seniors' songs. During new song production he sometimes recorded and sent us his vocals."
Regarding Two Months' sudden disbandment, Do Dae-yoon said, "At the time I was under stress from a busy schedule and developed bipolar disorder," and apologized for leaving the team without sufficient consultation with Kim Yerim. He also explained why he returned to Korea, saying, "I tried other things in the U.S., but I wanted to make music again. Until recently I worked as the manager for Busker Busker's Jang Beomjune," surprising viewers with the update. Kim Yerim added, "I too regretted that Two Months broke up so suddenly," and revealed the reason for their reunion: "When Two Months first formed I reached out to Dae-yoon, but this time Dae-yoon had the courage to reach out first, so we came together," bringing viewers to tears.
The final team in A-division was 'Like a Turtle', featuring mother Park Eun-ju and son Jeon Yu-jun. Park Eun-ju revealed that Jeon Yu-jun is on the autism spectrum and that they chose the team name to mean "move forward slowly like a turtle," evoking deep emotion. Jeon Yu-jun proudly listed numerous awards from singing competitions and said with pure feeling, "I like singing. I'm happy because people clap a lot," to which Park Eun-ju said, "My greatest happiness is seeing Yu-jun happy when he sings," and added with tender maternal love, "My goal is for Yu-jun to be able to live independently; if he has something he's good at it will help him in life and might make people treat him a little better instead of ignoring or bullying him," moving viewers deeply.
Afterward the A-division audition results were announced, and among the six teams that made Yu Jae-seok, Jang Hang-jun, Yoon Jongshin and Lee Hyori laugh and cry — 'Fill in the Blank', 'Thousand-Year Friend', 'Click-B', 'Bang-ga Bang-ga', 'Two Months' and 'Like a Turtle' — 'Bang-ga Bang-ga' and 'Like a Turtle' advanced to the final.
For the meeting with B-division that followed, new special MC Kang Minkyung took the stage. Kang Minkyung said, "I have judged before. I picked Bolbbalgan4," showing confidence. When Yoon Jongshin confessed, "I was the one who eliminated that Bolbbalgan4. Since then I've been called unlucky in auditions," Kang Minkyung cleverly replied, "You have a unique eye, senior," provoking laughter.
The first B-division participant was the student band 'Devil Chic 1718'. Devil Chic 1718 is a team of current middle school band members and alumni reunited, boasting a dazzling record that included national competition grand prizes during their active years. Vocalist Jeon Seo-young expressed her affection for the stage, saying, "After graduation I watched band performances from the audience and missed the stage. Youth doesn't last long and we wanted to leave memories, so we got back together." Kang Minkyung responded, "What are you talking about. Youth is just beginning," and choked up, causing uproarious laughter.
The final participant of the day was the classical music family 'Choi Trio', made up of a father and two siblings. Father Choi Soo-gil, despite being a nonmajor, surprised viewers with a brilliant record including first place in vocal competitions. Choi Soo-gil confessed his extraordinary love of music, saying, "When I was young our family's circumstances were difficult so I was always alone, and my only friend was music. Even while working as a civil servant I participated in an amateur choir and never gave up music," drawing admiration.
Filled Friday night with unsurpassed emotion, the second episode of 'Happy Together - glad I'm not alone' recorded a peak rating of 4.4% (Nielsen Korea).
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