On the episode aired on the 24th, Chef Kim and her husband Yoon Dae-hyun appeared on the show, sharing various stories.
During the broadcast, Kim Hee-eun and her husband headed to Busan to attend the Michelin Korea Awards. Yoon Dae-hyun remarked, "Going down to Busan makes me think of my family. Should I give them a call?" Following this, Kim Hee-eun called her father-in-law.
After the call, Kim Hee-eun opened up about her family history. She recalled, "As far as I remember, my mother wasn't there when I was born. She must have given birth to me, but when I think back to my childhood, only my grandmother and father were there when I returned home."
Kim Hee-eun continued, "I became curious during kindergarten. I found an album in my dad's room that I had never seen before. Inside were very handsome and beautiful people, and I thought, 'This must be my mom.' I quickly closed the album."
Having been raised by her grandmother, she shared, "When I asked my dad why my mom wasn't around, he said, 'She left because you weren't a son.' At that moment, I thought, 'I shouldn't be curious about my mom.' So, I wasn't curious for a long time."
Kim Hee-eun added, "In my sophomore year of high school, I decided to meet my mom. We planned to meet at Yongsan Station. I was so nervous that I don't remember anything from that day. But among the crowd, I saw someone with teary eyes, and I instantly knew it was my mom," she said with a smile.
Currently, her mother is battling cancer. Kim Hee-eun explained, "The first thing my mom said to me was, 'My baby, my puppy.' I had never called anyone 'mom' before, so I said, 'Excuse me.' My mom sat down and cried. She is currently undergoing cancer treatment in Gwangju. I've seen her about twenty times so far, so it still feels awkward."
Reporter Se-yoon Jung, TenAsia yoon@tenasia.co.kr