Lee Jae-sook (74) lives with her 100-year-old mother in Geoje, Gyeongnam. After her younger brother passed away, she brought her mother, Kim In-soo, to help lessen her sister-in-law's burden. It has now been 12 years since they have been together. Born in 1925, this year marks her centennial. Even though people say we live in the era of centenarians, it is rare to find a lucid hundred-year-old who can recount family stories that span over fifty descendants.

For a long time, the mother worked as a street vendor at the Busan International Market to support her six children, filling their stomachs, clothing them, and educating them, while her husband lacked financial power. Throughout her 100 years of life, she lost not only her husband but also three of her four sons, so one can only imagine how much sorrow she has endured. Nevertheless, she has continued to be a pillar for her remaining children and grandchildren with her broad-minded and upright character, without showing much pain.

However, this mother collapsed due to a cerebral infarction four years ago. Thankfully, she did not suffer major side effects as she did not miss the golden hour, but given her advanced age, her strength has weakened, making it difficult for her to move outside. Her daughter, Jae-sook, has always felt sad about this. Since her mother firmly refused to hold a centennial celebration, saying she could not do so with her husband and children gone, Jae-sook decided to rent a camper and travel with her mother instead.

A journey to meet those she has missed and been curious about, enjoying the lovely spring away from a constraining bed. The human theater will accompany the journey of life with her 100-year-old mother, following the flowers and the roads.

▲ That mother and that daughter

At the age of 74, Jae-sook is not young, but she is more agile than anyone else. She cannot sit still as she frequently rushes to attend to her mother's calls. It has already been 12 years since she moved in with her mother after her younger brother passed away from cancer. When a caregiver comes in the morning to look after her mother for a while, Jae-sook hurries to work.

The second of six siblings and the eldest daughter, Jae-sook matured early. She attended the prestigious Busan Women's Middle School as a scholarship student for three years but went to a vocational school to support her siblings' education and entered the workforce after graduating high school. She worked as an insurance planner for 33 years, and after retiring, she opened a real estate office near her home with the real estate license she had obtained in advance. Determined to make up for her lack of education, she began studying at a university in her old age, and at 70, she proudly wore her graduation cap. Even now, to keep pace with the changing world, she is studying tirelessly, taking AI classes. Jae-sook, who is intelligent, diligent, and resourceful, resembles her mother.

▲ My mother In-soo

Born in a deep rural village in Gyeongnam Miryang, which even avoided war, the mother was bright and insightful from a young age, having attended elementary school during the Japanese occupation. Her husband, Jae-sook's father, who married her at 16, was not financially stable, which led her to move to Busan to feed and educate her six children. She opened a stall on one side of the international market, earning a living rain or shine, during holidays, and supported her children with the money she made on the streets. Even during those times, if any help was needed, her mother's helping hands never hesitated, and she would feel relieved only after preparing side dishes if she had the means. She was a mother who would do anything for her children.

Out of her four sons, three left this world before her. The eldest died of a stroke, and the third and youngest sons passed away from cancer. Knowing her mother's trials, Jae-sook feels even more sorrowful about her mother's current confined state at home.

▲ Centenary celebration, mother-daughter travel project

To celebrate her mother's 100th birthday, they initially planned a grand feast. However, feeling that it was inappropriate for someone who has lost her husband and children to have a celebration, and due to her mother's insistence, Jae-sook regrettably put those plans aside. Instead, they conceived a 100th birthday travel plan. In this beautiful spring, they decided to travel in a camper, enjoying the flowers and catching up with family scattered across the nation. Joining as the driver and helper for the camper is Jae-sook's eldest son and her mother's eldest grandson, Jo Dong-hyun (50), making it a journey shared by three generations. Visiting the fifth daughter in Tongyeong, the fourth son in Jincheon, their hometown in Miryang, the burial site of the son who passed away first, and the international market where they had worked for so long... This trip has turned into an epic saga reflecting on her mother's 100 years of life. Follow the warm journey of the 100-year-old mother and her 74-year-old daughter.

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