Park Seo Jin's father prepares memorial rite after 31 years

“After my two children died, I cried for five years. I crawled around the corners of my room weeping.” The father of singer Park Seo Jin shared memories of profound loss as he recalled his two departed sons and his mother. His confession—of a father who had to push aside even his own grief to support his family his entire life—left a heavy resonance in the broadcast ahead of the Chuseok holiday.

In the episode of KBS 2TV's Mr. House Husband aired on the 26th, Park Seo Jin was shown preparing a memorial rite at sea for his late grandmother. When Park Seo Jin asked his father what his wish was ahead of Chuseok, his father replied, “What wish do I have? My wish is to meet your grandmother. I wish she would appear to me in a dream while I sleep.” Following her final wishes, the grandmother's remains had been scattered at sea.

Park Seo Jin, along with his younger sister Park Hyo Jeong, began by thoroughly cleaning his father's boat. Seeing his father, who does not usually engage in such tasks, showing such longing for his grandmother, Park Seo Jin explained that he decided to go to the sea personally because he thought, “I can really tell Dad misses Grandmother.” Upon arriving at the sea, the father spoke to his mother, whom he had kept in his heart for many years, saying, “Mother, your grandson is here. And his son. Have you been well all this time?”

On this day, the father prepared fruit, food, and a photograph to offer to the grandmother. He remarked, “This is the first time in 31 years that I have prepared something like fruit,” adding, “I couldn't pay attention to that because I was busy making a living for my children. I felt ashamed to face my children today.” It was a moment that revealed how, in the life of a patriarch whose priority was feeding his family, even the rituals of mourning had been pushed aside like a luxury.

The father also asked his mother to look after the grandsons who passed away before her. “If only she had lived a little longer, she would have seen her grandson become a singer. Why did she leave so urgently?” he said. “I am over 70 years old. There isn't much time left before I go to be by Mother's side.” He continued by expressing his wish for her to take good care of the departed family members, saying, “The grandson Mother used to carry on her back has grown so much that he is already pouring drinks.”

In doing so, he brought up the story of his two sons, which he had buried deepest within him. Confessing, “They say you bury your children in your heart, but I cried for five years after my two children died,” he revealed that after his third son passed away, he accidentally discovered three or four bankbooks. Among them, one bankbook contained records showing he had been saving money to send his parents on a trip. The father confessed that he crawled around the corners of his room weeping, thinking, “How could I not have done the same for my own parents?”

A holiday is a time when the living family gathers, but it is also a time when the void left by those who have passed is most clearly felt. Park Seo Jin also remarked, “Since it is a holiday, I find myself thinking of the family members who left us first, and it makes me feel like I should treat those who are still here well.” Behind the singer Park Seo Jin, who receives public love on glamorous stages, lies the story of his parents, siblings, and family members who still live on in his memory. The broadcast demonstrated that the familiar ritual of a holiday is ultimately a time for those left behind to remember the departed and reaffirm the meaning of the living family.