'Salim Nam' delivered a heartwarming love story of the Park Seo-jin and Park Young-kyu families, ranking first in overall Saturday entertainment viewership for four consecutive weeks.

On the broadcast of KBS 2TV 'Salim Namja-deul Season 2' (hereinafter 'Salim Nam') aired on the 21st, the segment depicted Park Seo-jin's father's life in the mountains and Park Young-kyu and his wife's first official date after marriage. The viewership recorded 6.6% according to Nielsen Korea's national aggregate, and the scene where Park Seo-jin and his sister found their father in the mountains and checked his health showed a peak rating of 7.7%, achieving first place in overall Saturday entertainment programs viewership for four consecutive weeks.

This record corresponds to second place in national viewership among all dramas, entertainment, and culture programs broadcast that day, including terrestrial, cable, and comprehensive channels. In particular, the 2049 viewership rating, a key indicator for advertisers, also achieved a high figure, tying the record for its highest viewership rating, proving strong topical interest and popularity.

On that day, special guest Won-hee from ILLIT appeared, and a video of Park Seo-jin's family was revealed. Park Seo-jin's father, who could not work at sea due to an arm injury and then knee problems, visited his son's house to alleviate his loneliness. However, being alone in the empty house made his loneliness deepen.

During a health check last year, Park Seo-jin's father showed symptoms of depression and confessed, "I sometimes cry when I am alone," acknowledging that his health status has changed recently, and signs of distress have arisen in his mental health as well. Hence, feeling neglected by his busy family, he decided, "I should now live my life" and abruptly ran away to the mountains, having always envied naturalists and dreamed of such a life. As soon as he arrived at the mountains, he exclaimed, "This is my world!" and, dressed in a modified hanbok, played the danso and meditated with his eyes closed, evoking the image of a 'natural person' living in the mountains, which brought smiles.

Meanwhile, the family realized that their father was missing later and began searching for him. Concerns grew due to his frail health and long-standing diabetes, and Park Seo-jin displayed his angry feelings when he heard about his father’s activities in the mountains. Although there were concerns about whether their father, in his seventies, could adapt well to life in the wild, Park Seo-jin and his sister Hyo-jeong found their father, who was living as a natural person in the mountains, after going through various ups and downs.

Next, Park Seo-jin and his sister decided to experience mountain life together to persuade their father. The siblings challenged themselves to walk barefoot and catch fish in the valley, then cooked ramen, trying to sway their father's heart. Initially, the father rejected the temptation of the mundane by saying, "What kind of natural person eats ramen? I won't eat it," but after just six hours of mountain life, he ended up enjoying the ramen, bringing smiles. Despite that, he ultimately refused to descend, surprising the family by spending a night alone in the mountains.

The next morning, the father met his family looking haggard, unlike the previous day when he had boasted loudly. Alone in the tent, he struggled to sleep due to the loneliness and the challenging life in the wild, but as soon as he met his family, he embraced them warmly, bringing laughter. He then vowed, "I will never go to the mountains again," while enjoying the scenery of tall buildings visible outside and savoring a delicious hamburger, fully soaking in the charms and tastes of the city.

Last week, Park Young-kyu drew attention by revealing his 25-year-younger beautiful wife for the first time. Park Young-kyu said, "I had many worries about revealing my wife, but surprisingly, I received positive feedback, which made me happy. I gained confidence and felt a lot more at ease," and his wife added, "The most upsetting part was when others said, 'The real person is much better.'"

Subsequently, the couple went on their first official date seven years after their marriage. Park Young-kyu, although somewhat mismatched with the weather, wore the outfit he donned when he first met his wife, saying, "I want to make you happy." His wife commented, "The very thought touched me. From the moment you chose that outfit, it was touching. Are you wearing that outfit you mentioned when you first said you liked me to woo me again?" and laughed.

Thus, the two naturally reminisced about their dating days. Park Young-kyu's wife explained her initial suspicion about her husband's affection, saying, "Because you are a celebrity, I had misunderstandings and prejudices that the affection or reaction directed at me wasn't sincere. There were incredibly glamorous and beautiful people surrounding you, and I am just an ordinary person, so I thought it was just simple curiosity stemming from that. I thought I shouldn't believe it if I truly liked someone."

However, Park Young-kyu's wife confessed that she felt male charm from the hair of her husband while he was driving, revealing an unexpected point that made her fall for him, drawing laughter. She continued, "There are only good memories from our dating days. I feel fluttery, my heart races, and I have only those feelings," but Park Young-kyu shared, "I don't know if you had a good time, but I turned away and shed tears, doing all sorts of things."

In fact, Park Young-kyu passionately pursued his wife, whom he fell for at first sight, but was disheartened by her indifferent response and cut off contact for six months to understand his feelings before reaching out again. Park Young-kyu's wife recalled that during that time, "What initially felt like a joke turned out to be genuine. There was a deep resonance and emotion in it," and two people's text messages from that period were revealed, touching deeply.

Excitedly heading to the date location, just before the actual date began, the atmosphere chilled. The place Park Young-kyu arrived with his wife was not their treasured dating spot. Excitedly, Park Young-kyu's wife said, "I have never been here before. This is my first time here," declaring angrily, "I have never eaten steak with you."

Ultimately, the couple suspended their date and moved to a park, but arguments continued. While doing so, Park Young-kyu responded to requests for photos from passing citizens and became distracted, leading Park Young-kyu's wife to share, "I was really angry. The sense of betrayal was the strongest." Park Young-kyu admitted, "I went blank. I was completely out of it. My heart shrank as my wife pressured me. Either way, it was my mistake."

To make amends for his mistake, Park Young-kyu left for their treasured location again. Fortunately, the next place matched their dating spot, and the couple reminisced about their dating days. His wife reread her husband's affectionate messages, and Park Young-kyu expressed, "Looking back, my choice was right. The point of no return for my life to let you go is over. Come what may, it’s you," declaring officially, "I will protect and love you through any hardships and adversities."

Upon Park Young-kyu's sincere confession, his wife eventually shared, "I feel like I'm being proposed to once more," shedding tears of emotion, and stated, "I felt my husband's sincerity. I intended not to cry, but I couldn't help but tear up and felt deeply touched." Park Young-kyu then confessed his feelings, saying, "I hope you can be my companion on the path I take." His wife replied, "I know I’m living with the best man, so I hope we can live well moving forward," as she continued to wipe her tears.

This episode of 'Salim Nam' featured the quirky and vivid mountain life story of Park Seo-jin's father along with the affectionate romance of Park Young-kyu and his wife, providing viewers with diverse entertainment.

'Salim Nam' airs every Saturday at 9:20 p.m. on KBS 2TV.

[Photo] KBS 2TV 'Salim Nam' broadcast capture.

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