Do Kyung-wan wants to attend cooking school—Mother-in-law asks Jang Yoon-jeong, "Can't you stop him?"

Jang Yoon-jeong revealed an unexpected request from her mother-in-law regarding her husband Do Kyung-wan's decision to attend cooking school. The mother, worried about her son who has become so absorbed in cooking that he is seeking professional classes, asked her daughter-in-law Jang Yoon-jeong, "Can't you stop him?" While it was an anecdote shared with laughter, it contained the struggles Do Kyung-wan faced in carving out a new life after leaving a stable job, and the deep understanding shown by Jang Yoon-jeong as she watched him.

On the August 8 broadcast of KBS 2TV 'Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant', Do Kyung-wan appeared for the first time in approximately 5 years and 8 months. Having fallen deeply in love with cooking, he showcased his improved skills by presenting three types of low-sugar dishes for his wife Jang Yoon-jeong. While praising her husband's challenge, Jang Yoon-jeong brought up an interesting behind-the-scenes story regarding the cooking school. She mentioned that her mother-in-law asked her if she could not stop Do Kyung-wan from attending the cooking school.

Jang Yoon-jeong highly evaluated her husband's passion, stating, "As people get older, they tend to think about using what they already have, and it's hard to think about learning something new." She then explained, "My mother-in-law asked me if she couldn't stop him from attending the cooking school. She was upset because her son said he wanted to learn cooking." This implies that seeing her son challenge himself in a new field might have felt unfamiliar and worrying to his mother.

In response, Do Kyung-wan jokingly explained, "Since I'm not working at a company, I have plenty of time, so I learned." Jang Yoon-jeong said that because she has never experienced anything other than being a singer, it was difficult to fully understand the emotional changes of someone who left a stable professional life. Do Kyung-wan then confessed that while he was employed at KBS, he had assigned tasks even if he didn't want to do them, but things changed after his resignation. His explanation was, "When I was at the company, tasks were assigned even if I didn't want to do them. But after coming out, there are no more assignments. I have to go out and find them myself."

Jang Yoon-jeong vividly remembered the changes her husband went through. She revealed that after his resignation, Do Kyung-wan experienced a lot of stress as if he were placed in the "wild," and there were quite a few periods when he would get irritated or sigh. Looking back at that time, Do Kyung-wan also confessed that he felt he might become depressed and lose his self-esteem. Although they can talk about it with a laugh now, the life of a freelancer, who must find work themselves after leaving a familiar organization, was not entirely free.

However, it wasn't as if Do Kyung-wan spent his time doing nothing. He recalled that on days when he had no work from Friday to Sunday, he would take his son Yeon-woo camping. Jang Yoon-jeong emphasized that even while her husband was not working, he spent meaningful time taking care of the children. She defended her husband, saying, "Regarding self-esteem and the things he wants to do, he wasn't just idling during the time he had no work; he was doing very meaningful things, like taking care of the children."

Following this, Jang Yoon-jeong said, "We can talk about these things with a laugh now. Let's just do what we are good at." Rather than simply defining the anxiety and trial and error her husband experienced as failure, she acknowledged the time he spent for his family and his efforts to find a new path. Do Kyung-wan also added, fearing that the story surrounding him might appear too pitiful, "I'm worried it might come across too sadly, but there was never a time when I had absolutely no work."

The conversation between the couple revealed on the broadcast showed that the process of finding a new identity after leaving a job can be an unfamiliar challenge not only for the individual but also for their family. When fixed duties and affiliations disappear, the burden of having to create opportunities and prove one's own value follows. Rather than wrapping her husband's time in unconditional comfort or sympathy, Jang Yoon-jeong made him look back at the role he played for the family. The story, which began with the mother-in-law's request regarding the cooking school, ultimately concluded with the image of a couple acknowledging each other's choices and efforts.

Read the original (Korean)