During the episode, Im Hyun-sik visited the memorial of the late Lee Soon-jae before returning home. Once home, he spent some time in solitude, pondering, "What will my daughters think when they have to burn this after I'm gone?"
His second daughter visited him, and as they shared a meal she prepared, Im Hyun-sik reminisced about his wife, who passed away in 2004 after battling terminal lung cancer. Reflecting on that time, he said, "Two years after my mother passed, the children's mother passed away. She needed cancer treatment, but it was truly a confusing time."
Im Hyun-sik continued, "It felt like one of the two pillars in my life was gone. I had thought about it before she passed, but experiencing it was something else entirely." He added, "As an actor, I couldn't afford to be trapped in grief. I had to act cheerful and laugh when needed, realizing that an actor's life requires making such decisions."
A few days later, Im Hyun-sik visited the graves of his mother and wife, which he had intentionally placed side by side so they wouldn't be lonely. Imagining them conversing in the afterlife, he laughed, "They would probably talk about me the most." Sitting by his wife's grave, he sang a song and expressed his desire to remain active in his later years, saying, "I can't predict how much time I have left, but I want to be an active old man."
Born in 1945, Im Hyun-sik debuted as part of MBC's first talent recruitment in 1969 and has been acting for over 50 years. He gained popularity for his role as Soon-dol's father in the drama 'Three Families Under One Roof' and has since appeared in numerous hit series like 'Hur Jun' and 'Dae Jang Geum,' often playing memorable supporting roles.
By Da-yeon Jeong, TenAsia Reporter light@tenasia.co.kr