'Salimnam' conveyed the touching 70th birthday party of Park Seo-jin's father and the cheerful daily life of Ji Sang-ryeol, showcasing its strength as it recorded the overall variety show audience rating of 1st place for 6 consecutive weeks on Saturdays.
The episode aired on the 5th on KBS2 'Salimnam Season 2' (hereafter 'Salimnam') illustrated the story of Park Seo-jin's father's luxurious 70th birthday party and the rejuvenation project episode of Ji Sang-ryeol. The viewer rating recorded 6.3% according to Nielsen Korea's nationwide tally, with the scene of Park Seo-jin's family enjoying the birthday party showing a peak rating of 7.6%.
This achievement beat a powerful drama lineup, taking 1st place in viewer ratings across all channels in the same time slot, especially achieving its highest viewer rating and tying record in the 2049 viewer rating sector, a key indicator for advertisers.
On that day, special guest Kim Yu-yeon from the 24-member girl group TripleS appeared, and during the opening, Park Seo-jin noted, "Good news should be widely shared," stating that "Salimnam" won the KBS weekly variety show viewer rating 1st place as well as the overall channel weekly variety show viewer rating 1st place.
The story continued about Park Seo-jin and his father and brother visiting a photo studio at the father's request last week. Park Seo-jin's father revealed, "I wanted to take a portrait photo today while I am happy," and subsequently took longevity photos. Park Seo-jin eventually shed tears upon seeing his father. He confessed, "Is he trying to take a longevity photo before he gets sicker?" and added, "I understand his feelings, and I know that day will come, but seeing my dad calmly preparing for it was very sad."
After that, Park Seo-jin received the completed longevity photo of his father and cried endlessly. After a while of silently caressing the frame, he said, "I should treat him well while he’s here. We need to hold hands and create many good memories," adding, "If he exists only in a photo, we can't do anything together, right? I will make many good memories before it's just a photo."
In the meantime, Park Seo-jin's mother and sister Hyo-jung headed to the island to prepare for the birthday party filled with happy memories of the father. While traveling by boat, the mother recalled the time they lived on Sin-do, mentioning that due to a friend's guarantor mistake, they fell into debt, resulting in losing all their assets. Continuing to share about the tough last days on Sin-do, she said, "Thinking back on that time, I don’t want to come to this island. It hurts my heart too much."
Nevertheless, the mother continued, "But I loved your father and because of you all (I could endure)," and expressed gratitude while saying, "Living in a small room and raising children has brought us this far." Hyo-jung, who heard this story for the first time as she was young at the time, remarked, "So there were such hard times. We need to do better for them. Now it’s our turn to repay them. We should show filial piety."
Upon arriving on Sin-do, the mother and Hyo-jung set the table for the birthday feast and put great effort into preparing the food. Shortly after, Park Seo-jin and his brothers arrived at Sin-do, where a surprise birthday party was held with local residents. Thanks to Park Seo-jin's seasoned hosting, the parents showcased a kiss, receiving applause, while the eldest son Hyo-young mustered the courage to kiss his father's cheek, adding a warm moment.
As the official party began, Park Seo-jin passionately sang 'A Hundred Years of Life,' greatly lifting the atmosphere. His father remarked, "Today is the happiest day of my seventy-year life. They say after hardship comes joy, and indeed such days come. I can't describe that feeling. It brought tears to my eyes."
After the successful conclusion of the 70th birthday party, Park Seo-jin and his three siblings prepared a gratitude plaque for their father, evoking deep emotions. In particular, Hyo-young expressed for the first time, "You've really worked hard to come this far. You've been through so much hardship. Now, I hope you can live comfortably and not ride on boats anymore," and he was seen shedding tears. Park Seo-jin noted, "This is the first time I've seen my brother cry. He didn't even cry when he was suddenly separated from his brothers," reminiscing how Hyo-young had quietly endured when his brothers passed away 49 days apart.
In response, the father took out a hand-written letter he had secretly prepared for the family. He stated it was the first and last time he picked up a pen, conveying heartfelt messages to his three children after his wife, and urged, "Even when I am gone, you all should live harmoniously." He specifically mentioned, "Do you not know that our family is a remarried family? I hope you all continue to live in harmony as you do now after I depart."
Meanwhile, Ji Sang-ryeol conversed with his sister-in-law and friends about marriage news. Among them, the story of Eun Ji-won announcing his remarriage after 13 years surfaced, and Ji Sang-ryeol grumbled, "Eun Ji-won is getting married twice, so the chances for someone like me are diminishing." In response, Eun Ji-won advised, "I’ve given you 13 years as an opportunity. Look around well."
Eventually, unable to withstand the ongoing nagging from his sister-in-law, Ji Sang-ryeol resolved to embark on a 'rejuvenation project' and visited the home of Sun Woo-young, the revered master of legendary sitcoms, noted actress, and Korea's oldest YouTuber at 81. Ji Sang-ryeol was set to learn essential tips from Sun Woo-young, who captivated the MZ generation with a healthy and trendy lifestyle.
First, Sun Woo-young advised Ji Sang-ryeol, who had not yet married at 56, saying, "I heard you live with your older brother; you need to establish your own household. Your sister-in-law is doing everything for you now, isn’t she? Why would you get married when it's this comfortable?" He added, "You need to separate to start your life. You need to create a second generation." Ji Sang-ryeol expressed confidence, stating, "I have 350 million sperm," but Sun Woo-young continued to admonish him, worrying about his age and health.
Next, Sun Woo-young revealed her shocking marriage story, having become the first domestic celebrity to experience premarital pregnancy. When her parents strongly opposed her marriage to her 10-year older husband, she shared how they eloped for 20 days. Sun Woo-young remarked, "To have pretty children, you need to love unconditionally. If you have someone you truly like, you should express it actively."
Furthermore, in response to Sun Woo-young's question, "Based on what standards do you view women?" Ji Sang-ryeol replied, "A style like a queen sister." To this, Sun Woo-young replied, "Don't look at pretty women, look at their hearts. You can get eyelid surgery, and you can also fix the nose." She emphasized that the heart is the most important.
Sun Woo-young directly asked Ji Sang-ryeol, "When was the last time you dated? When was the last time you kissed?", and upon hearing that it had been a long time, she quipped, "You're not even a eunuch, how can you live like that?" This led to laughter, with Ji Sang-ryeol retorting, "Chickens lay eggs too..." triggering roars of laughter. Their playful banter created a chemistry that transcended generations.
This week's 'Salimnam' conveyed touching emotions and deep family love through Park Seo-jin's family's 70th birthday celebration, while leaving laughter and a warm afterglow through the flawless chemistry between Ji Sang-ryeol and Sun Woo-young.
'Salimnam' airs every Saturday at 9:20 p.m. on KBS2.
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