Kim Hye-soo cherishes poetic messages from late actor Choi Bool-am

Actor Choi Bool-am passed away at age 87 on the 29th in Seoul following rapid health deterioration. His junior colleague Kim Hye-soo has highlighted their bond by revealing she has kept every poetic text message he sent her over the years.

Following the death of actor Choi Bool-am at the age of 87, long text messages he sent to his junior colleague Kim Hye-soo are drawing renewed attention. The messages, which offered comfort through poetic sentences while checking on her well-being during busy overseas schedules, reflect the senior actor's sincere affection. Kim Hye-soo has expressed that his messages were "like a piece of poetry," noting that she has kept every single one without deleting them.

Choi Bool-am passed away at approximately 10 p.m. on the 29th at the age of 87. He reportedly passed away while receiving treatment at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Although he had been focusing on rehabilitation following spinal disc surgery last March, his health is said to have deteriorated rapidly recently. The funeral will be held at the Asan Medical Center funeral hall in Seoul, with the service conducted with the dignity befitting the head of ChildFund Korea. As tributes pour in from the entertainment industry and various sectors for the national actor who long guarded the living rooms of Korea, his warm humanity toward his juniors is being highlighted once again.

The special bond between Kim Hye-soo and Choi Bool-am was revealed through the 10th-anniversary special broadcast of the KBS 1TV program "Korean Cuisine and Dining" in 2021. At the time, Kim Hye-soo appeared alongside the deceased's wife, actress Kim Min-ja, showing deep affection for the couple. Appearing as a junior with a special connection to the program that Choi Bool-am hosted for 14 years, Kim Hye-soo expressed her closeness by calling Kim Min-ja a "senior who is like a mother."

She confessed, "Should I say Kim Min-ja and Choi Bool-am are like a mother and father to me?" For Kim Hye-soo, who began acting at a young age and has been active in the industry for a long time, the two were more than just senior colleagues; they were figures she could rely on like parents. This suggests the depth of their relationship, as she maintained respect and affection for the two seniors even after growing into a prominent actress.

In particular, Kim Hye-soo drew attention by revealing she had not deleted a single text message received from Choi Bool-am. "His messages are like a piece of poetry," she said. "He would send very long messages, and I have collected them all over the years." She added, "When I receive them, I look at them again and again because they make me feel good." The deceased's consideration—writing heartfelt sentences that accounted for the recipient's situation and emotions rather than mere brief greetings—served as a gift that the junior wished to cherish for a long time.

The messages revealed at the time contained Choi Bool-am's concern for Kim Hye-soo, who was busy with overseas schedules. He remarked, "I heard you are abroad, and you have returned only to head to New York again." He continued to worry about the fatigue and health of his junior traveling such long distances, saying, "How can you travel such a long distance that takes twelve to fourteen hours, leaving behind a Seoul where a cool breeze blows?" Rather than just asking about her schedule, it was a meticulous inquiry that considered both the body and mind of a junior traveling to unfamiliar places.

The end of the text message was even more impressive. Choi Bool-am offered comfort, writing, "You should rest your body while erasing longing or the feeling of missing someone, so that New York will be good for you." He continued, "Autumn is the season of longing, the season when grapes ripen, and the inside of an airplane should become a season of dreams. Then, when you return, let's hear the stories of the dreams Hye-soo dreamed." He offered warm encouragement to his junior, who would be exhausted from long flights and busy schedules, by speaking of rest and dreams. This part reveals the deceased's gentle nature, conveying ordinary greetings through literary language.

This is likely why Kim Hye-soo has cherished these messages for so long. While asking after someone is common, it is by no means easy to offer sentences that imagine the recipient's situation and embrace their heart. Choi Bool-am worried about his junior's busy schedule without being a burden, instead encouraging her to perceive her travels as dreams and memories. This is why the sincerity of a senior sent to a junior he cherished like a daughter remains vivid even after time has passed.

The sentence "Autumn is the season of longing," which is being reread after his passing, feels particularly poignant. To Kim Hye-soo, it is a warm trace of a senior who provided strength for a long time, and now it has become a greeting that can never be received again. Within the messages that remain like a piece of poetry, there is not only the name of actor Choi Bool-am but also the image of the human Choi Bool-am, who sincerely cared for and looked after another person. Just as much as the many performances he left through the screen and living rooms, condolences continue for his final journey, which will be remembered as sentences that will not be erased from the hearts of his juniors.

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