Hong Seok-cheon jokes about Hwanhee reuniting with Hwayo Bi

“Try getting back with Hwayo Bi.” At Hong Seok-cheon's joke, singer Hwanhee gave an unexpected response. He revealed that he is currently not in contact with singer Hwayo Bi, with whom he played a virtual couple on the MBC variety show 'We Got Married' 18 years ago. Hwanhee drew a short and firm line against the suggestion to bridge their past broadcasting connection into a present relationship.

In the episode of KBS2's 'Mr. House Husband' aired on the 5th, Hwanhee was shown preparing to live with his mother by taking on the challenge of learning how to cook. Hwanhee visited Hong Seok-cheon and chef Park Hyun-suk, who is active as a cooking YouTuber, to learn how to make pot rice, boiled pork, soybean paste stew, and more, revealing unexpected domestic skills.

Before the lesson, Hong Seok-cheon lightened the mood with his characteristic friendly expression, personally putting an apron on Hwanhee and saying, “You're still handsome. You are my jewel.” As the conversation continued, Hong Seok-cheon recalled Hwanhee's past television appearances.

Hong Seok-cheon summoned the past, telling Hwanhee, “Didn't you do 'We Got Married'? You're one of those who went through it.” He then mentioned Hwayo Bi, who was Hwanhee's virtual wife at the time, and encouraged a reunion, saying, “Contact her and try getting back together. Contact Hwayo Bi and eat delicious food together.”

Hwanhee's answer was unexpectedly concise. He said, “I can't get in touch with her.” Laughter erupted when Hong Seok-cheon asked back, “Are you strictly no-nonsense once you break up?” It was as if Hwanhee responded to the joke of connecting a past virtual marriage to a real-life relationship with a realistic answer.

Hwanhee and Hwayo Bi first met as a virtual couple on 'We Got Married' in 2008. At the time, the two were called the 'Gaeddong-i Couple' and showed natural chemistry despite their bickering. Even though it was not an actual dating or marriage relationship, the relationship between the characters was so distinct that viewers accepted them as if they were a real couple.

'We Got Married' was a representative program that broke the boundaries between variety and reality with the setting that celebrities experience a virtual married life. Due to the characteristic where actual private lives and broadcast characters seemed to overlap, the past 'virtual spouse' relationships of the participants were often talked about even after a long time. Hwanhee and Hwayo Bi are a prime example of this.

In particular, 'We Got Married' was a program that showed a different side of Hwanhee compared to his image as a solo singer. Hwanhee, who debuted in 1999 as part of the male duo Fly to the Sky with Brian, established himself as a representative vocalist of Korean R&B in the 2000s with hits like 'Missing You', 'Sea of Love', and 'Manly'. Unlike his stage image characterized by a heavy tone and powerful singing ability, he expanded his connection with the public by showing a human side and unexpected clumsiness on variety shows.

Hwayo Bi is also a female vocalist who represented Korean R&B ballads in the 2000s. She built an independent musical world by hitting songs such as 'Such a Thing' and 'Let's Count the Kisses with You' with her unique, soulful tone and delicate emotional expression. The fact that two vocalists with different personalities met through the variety device of 'virtual marriage' provided fresh fun to viewers at the time.

About 18 years have passed since then. For viewers who remember the 'Gaeddong-i Couple' of that time, the relationship between the two remains a single memory, but the relationship in the broadcast and real-life human relationships are strictly different domains. Hwanhee's remark that “I can't get in touch with her” can be seen as a denial of the premise that their past broadcasting connection continues to this day.

Currently single, Hwanhee is steadily expanding his territory by moving between musical activities and variety show appearances. His appearance learning to cook in this broadcast was also a scene showing his current self as a person contemplating family and daily life, unlike the singer image that had only been shown on stage for a long time.

Ultimately, the most interesting point in this broadcast is not the 'virtual marriage' itself from 18 years ago, but the time difference between the people who remember that relationship and the individuals living in the present. While the broadcast easily calls upon past connections into the present, human relationships cannot be re-edited like a variety show. The moment Hwanhee replied “I can't get in touch with her” to Hong Seok-cheon's joke of “Try getting back together,” the memories within 'We Got Married' and the time of reality diverged precisely.