Explosive Debut: 'Lee Ho-sun's Cider' Captivates Viewers with Real-Life Counseling

'Lee Ho-sun's Cider' has made a sensational debut, capturing the attention of viewers with its explosive first episode.

The 11th episode of SBS Plus's 'Lee Ho-sun's Cider', aired on the 14th, recorded a household rating of 0.5% (Nielsen Korea, metropolitan area, paid broadcasting standard) and a peak household rating of 0.7% per minute. The episode, themed 'Life-Shortening No-Answer In-Laws', featured stories that would make anyone's blood pressure rise, drawing significant attention.

Notably, 'Lee Ho-sun's Cider' has evolved from merely reading stories and providing solutions to directly connecting with the storytellers through phone calls and face-to-face counseling, offering a more detailed and realistic approach that has captivated audiences.

The top story, 'In-Laws Seeing Husband as a Cash Cow', featured the protagonist appearing in the studio to share her concerns with Lee Ho-sun and Kim Ji-min, adding to the empathy. The storyteller revealed that her in-laws had incurred debts in her husband's name even before their marriage and continued to demand money for clothing, ancestral rites, and wedding expenses using her credit card after marriage. Despite cutting ties with her in-laws, she worried about the impact on her children. Kim Ji-min empathized deeply, saying, "You must have fought with your husband every day." Lee Ho-sun firmly advised, "You don't have to reconcile. Just live as you have been," while suggesting setting a 'minimum filial piety value' within one's capacity if feeling uncomfortable. Lee Ho-sun provided sharp, reality-based counseling, while Kim Ji-min offered deep empathy to comfort the storyteller.

The second story, 'Father-in-Law Asking to Care for Brother-in-Law', involved a shocking request from the father-in-law for the storyteller to care for her divorced brother-in-law, who was about to undergo back surgery. Despite having a two-year-old child and the means to hire a caregiver, the father-in-law insisted, "You're the only woman in the family," pushing the caregiving responsibility onto the daughter-in-law. Lee Ho-sun emphasized, "Refusing doesn't make you a bad person; it's about setting boundaries for the family," and Kim Ji-min also expressed, "It's an uncomfortable and overstepping request," shaking her head.

The third story, 'My Child Has Three Moms', involved the storyteller revealing that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were overly involved in her child's birth, education, and upbringing, making her question if she was truly raising her own child. The storyteller, who sought direct phone counseling with Lee Ho-sun and Kim Ji-min in the studio, confessed to taking psychiatric medication due to the issue, evoking sympathy. Lee Ho-sun advised gradually separating the children from the in-laws' influence and establishing their own foundation within their living environment, offering warm and strong encouragement by saying, "You are a mother. Remember that you are a strong and powerful mother," evoking a sense of poignancy.

Tae Yuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr