Fly to the Sky’s Hwanhee went on his first trip to Jeju Island with his mother.
The episode of KBS2’s ‘Mr. House Husband’ aired on the 16th featured the heartwarming journey of Hwanhee and his mother.
Visiting Jeju for the first time in 74 years, Hwanhee’s mother stepped into an airport for the first time in her life with an excited heart. Hwanhee explained the background of the trip, saying, “I think it started when we went to take passport photos. We took photos together, and I cried because I was upset when she asked for a funeral photo. I think seeing that made her decide to open her heart.”
His mother shared, “Since it’s my first time, I’m nervous. I was so excited while preparing yesterday. I feel like I might cry. It’s been 74 years, and this is my first trip. Don’t cry just because I do.” Hwanhee bragged, “I’m not a person who cries. I’ve never cried in my life,” but the show played a clip of him sobbing while his mother took her funeral photo, bringing laughter to the viewers.
Hwanhee then pranked her, lying, “You can’t wear shoes when boarding the plane. You have to take them off at the door.” His mother fell for it and took off her shoes as soon as she boarded. She complained, “I really thought I had to take them off. The flight attendants were laughing. There were three of them. I felt so embarrassed because it was so obvious it was my first time. Ugh, that brat! How dare he tease his mother and embarrass her?”
Hwanhee didn’t stop there, lying again, “Once we take off and rise into the sky, leaning your head forward saves fuel.” Brian criticized him, saying, “He’s truly a mean guy.” His mother, fooled again, leaned forward before realizing something was wrong. She scolded him, “You dummy! Look at how you tease your mom. Keep teasing me since it’s my first time,” adding more laughter.
Later, his mother marveled at the view outside the window, exclaiming, “Clouds! They’re clouds!” She shared her emotions, saying, “It felt strange. Looking out at the white cover was a bit scary. I wondered if we were really floating. I was also happy. So this is what flying is like. Thanks to my son and ‘Mr. House Husband,’ I get to ride a plane.”
Hwanhee mentioned, “You originally didn’t want to do ‘Mr. House Husband,'” to which his mother replied, “I thought about it a lot. I didn’t know it would be this great. I even got to fly. Because of the show, I think your sister-in-law feels some regret. She said she cried after watching the broadcast and told me, ‘Mother, I’ll make sure to celebrate your birthday and treat you well from now on.'”
Hwanhee honestly shared, “My brother contacted me after watching the show and told me to take Mom on a trip. I got angry and had a falling out with him because I felt like he was telling only me to take care of Mom. But we’ve made up now.” As they approached Jeju Island, his mother suddenly burst into tears, catching everyone’s attention.
Eun Jiwon commented, “She might have spent her whole life thinking she’d never have the chance to fly,” and Lee Yo-won added sympathetically, “Flying isn’t that difficult, so she might have wondered why she couldn’t do it all this time. She probably had many thoughts.” His mother remembered her late mother, saying, “I thought I’d never go in my life. My mother always said she never even got to visit Jeju Island. She passed away after only saving money.”
She confessed, “I didn’t intend to cry, but the moment I saw the ‘Jeju Airport’ sign, my heart felt like it was breaking, and a wave of sorrow hit me. I can’t believe I’m actually here. The tears just came out on their own.” Hwanhee said, “Mom has always lived her life tense and mindful of others. I hope this trip becomes a start for her to let go and live more comfortably.”
After arriving, Hwanhee put his mother in a rented blue open-top car. She scolded him, “Why is the car this color? It’s too strange. It looks like a rebel’s car. You rented such a terrible car in a bizarre color. I’m so annoyed.” However, when he asked how long it had been since she last saw the ocean, she shocked everyone by replying, “I’ve never seen the ocean.” Hwanhee opened the roof and drove along the coastal road. Seeing the sea, his mother stopped complaining and exclaimed, “It’s so wide and wonderful. Look at those waves. It’s beautiful. I’m seeing the ocean for the first time in 74 years. How can this be?”
She said, “It was so great. I felt like dancing. Even though I can’t smell well, it felt like a fragrant, refreshing breeze came in.” After getting out of the car and approaching the water, she smiled, “The things I’ve held in for 74 years feel like they’re being cleared out. This is wonderful.” Hwanhee expressed satisfaction, saying, “This is the first time I’ve seen her talk to herself like that. I’ve never seen her express her emotions so openly. She always suppresses them. I think she forgot I was there and just let her emotions out. Seeing this, it seems all those feelings are finally surfacing.”
After seeing the ocean, his mother cried again. Hwanhee remarked, “Coming here with Mom feels different. I’m seeing things I’ve never noticed before.” The two then headed to a canola flower field, where his mother excitedly talked to the flowers. Hwanhee smiled, “At first, it seemed strange, but I realized my mom is very pure. I wondered if she looked at me this way when I was young and if she loved me that much. I think I’m seeing my mother’s girl-like sensibility for the first time.”
However, his mother’s expression turned dissatisfied again when they went to a restaurant. Previously, she had revealed that she had refused to eat with Hwanhee for 10 years because she felt “ugly” when eating, saying, “I look poor. When I’m old and eat something hot, my nose runs, and if rice gets on the side of my mouth, I feel hideous.” Consequently, Hwanhee and his mother sat side-by-side at a single-person bar table instead of facing each other. His mother checked the mirror throughout the meal, and when Hwanhee called her a “Mirror Princess,” she replied, “I’m not a princess, I’m an old lady.” Hwanhee added a touching moment by saying, “Anyway, even though we ate side-by-side, thank you for eating with me all the way in Jeju.”
