“Na Yul reunites in tears after 28 years after her father reached out after seeing her on TV.”
Trot singer Na Yul has reunited with her father, who now has white hair, after 28 long years.
On the May 14 episode of MBN’s close-up documentary program ‘Special World’ (특종세상), Na Yul’s family history was revealed.
During a meal, when her mother suggested, “Have you tried contacting your dad? Shouldn’t you at least try?” Na Yul’s expression turned cold. Even then, her mother didn’t give up and asked her again after she returned home from work, “Have you thought about your father saying he wants to see you?”
After a long silence, Na Yul asked her mother, “Aren’t you resentful? He left the two of us and ran away.” Her mother advised, “Still, he is your father. My relationship with him ended that way, but you must meet him as soon as possible because he is your flesh and blood.”
With a deep sigh, Na Yul poured out her heart, saying, “Think about it. What affection could there be? I’m almost 30 in two years, so it’s been about 30 years since I saw him. I don’t know. Honestly, I wish you wouldn’t ask. I’ve intentionally avoided talking about it my whole life like it was a forbidden word, and Mom, you said you hated it too. I don’t know why you’re forcing me to meet him now. I’ll handle it myself. I wish you’d stop bringing it up. It’s hard for me too.”
Na Yul’s father left the family after a divorce by agreement with her mother when she was around one year old, as his business failed during the IMF crisis and he was buried in debt. Na Yul grew up with her mother without even knowing her father existed. She recalled, “I first found out after finishing first grade. ‘Ah, I’m a child without a father.’ But at that time, Mom kept telling me he went on a business trip. That he went to China to earn money. As I grew up, I realized that wasn’t true. So in fourth grade, I asked her to tell me the truth, and she explained it then. I cried my eyes out with Mom until dawn.”
Having lived her whole life feeling the void of her father, Na Yul recently received his contact information through a relative. Na Yul confessed her resentment, saying, “I heard that after my mother, grandmother, and I appeared on TV, he asked to see me just once. Hearing that actually made my anger grow. Everyone else has a normal and harmonious family, so why should I spend my whole life paying the price and enduring this because of my parents’ choices?” Having watched her mother care for herself, her elderly grandmother, and her sick older brother alone, Na Yul’s hatred for her father was particularly strong.
With no clear answer, Na Yul shared her situation and sought advice from actor and singer Lee Dong-jun. Lee Dong-jun advised, “There’s nothing bad about meeting him. But it’s not like it’ll be amazingly great either. So you have nothing to lose. You should see what kind of person was my father. You don’t need to live your whole life without ever seeing your father’s face. Don’t think too complicatedly. Your father isn’t young anymore. For example, if he passes away before you see him, wouldn’t this moment be even more heartbreaking for you?” Na Yul’s expression became even more conflicted.
In truth, Na Yul missed her father. Although she hated him because she felt like a traitor whenever the word “father” was mentioned, she admitted, “I wanted to be hugged just once.” Eventually, Na Yul gathered her courage and called her father that night. Even though Na Yul didn’t say a word, her father seemed to feel something and asked, “Are you Na Yul?” Na Yul, shedding tears, replied, “Yes.” When her father asked, “Have you been well? Are you healthy?” Na Yul burst into tears.
Na Yul asked, “Do you know my age? Do you know what I look like?” and then admitted, “I don’t know (his) face.” Her father shared his heart, saying, “I’m not qualified to be a father. I can’t even bring myself to say the word ‘Dad,’ honestly. But I really miss you. I want to see your face just once. I really do. Don’t cry, and thank you,” before hanging up. As soon as the call ended, Na Yul broke down and sobbed.
A few days later, Na Yul reunited with her father after 28 years. Already in tears before the meeting, Na Yul sobbed again the moment she saw her white-haired father. To Na Yul’s resentful comment, “You didn’t even look for me,” her father apologized, saying, “Looking back, it was all my fault. My business went wrong, everything became a mess, and we lived as strangers.” He then confessed that he had always missed his daughter, saying, “I have exactly one photo of you when you were little in my room. How much do you think I missed you? But I just couldn’t approach you.”
Na Yul, who cried throughout the conversation, stated, “At first, I wanted to ask everything I was curious about and hear explanations and excuses. But meeting him in person, everything was explained just by his eyes. How he lived and how much he missed me, it was all there in one look. I realized I wasn’t abandoned, but the situation made us this way. I feel like the things I’ve suppressed have been released. I want to have hope in being able to see him and live together with that as a positive driving force.” After hugging her father, Na Yul promised to stay in touch before parting ways.
Meanwhile, Na Yul was born in March 1998 and is 28 years old. She appeared on the 2024 TV Chosun trot audition program ‘Miss Trot 3’ and ranked in the TOP 12.
