Lee Sung-mi reveals heartbreaking connection with the late Lim Yoon-taek: "I prayed for him to live, but he had already passed by the time I arrived"

Comedian Lee Sung-mi revealed a heartbreaking connection with the late Lim Yoon-taek, the leader of Ulala Session, who fought a disease until just before he passed away. Having prayed for Lim Yoon-taek to be saved as he had to leave behind a young child, she rushed to the hospital at the final moment, but it was already too late. Lee Sung-mi, who also battled breast cancer, candidly shared the resentment and confusion she felt in the face of the deceased's death, as well as her changing thoughts on life and death as time passed.

On the 14th, a video was released on the YouTube channel 'Make Us New' featuring Lee Sung-mi, where she spoke about her battle with breast cancer and the memories of sending away the late Lim Yoon-taek. Reflecting on her own battle with cancer, Lee Sung-mi said, "It is truly something to be grateful for that I contracted cancer. I was even grateful when I got it." She explained that there was a meaning to life that she could only understand after experiencing the illness. For her, the struggle was not just physical pain, but an experience that changed her perspective on observing the pain and death of others.

Lee Sung-mi recalled the period when Lim Yoon-taek was battling stomach cancer. At that time, Lim Yoon-taek's manager requested a meeting, and Lee Sung-mi visited the hospital along with the late Kim Ja-ok. The two spoke with Lim Yoon-taek, and Lee Sung-mi recalled thinking, "That friend seems to have an empty heart," while watching him. The image of Lim Yoon-taek trying to converse with people with a smile even while his body was in pain remained vivid in Lee Sung-mi's memory even after time had passed.

In particular, what weighed heavily on Lee Sung-mi's heart was the fact that Lim Yoon-taek had a young child who was 100 days old at the time. After returning home, she prayed for Lim Yoon-taek to be saved. It was a desperate prayer: "God, please save Yoon-taek. Even if you take me, please take care of this child." This was because, while she felt she had lived enough, she felt the child, who had just entered the world, needed a father. The reality of a father with a young child fighting a disease felt even more desperate to her.

During this time, Lee Sung-mi was also diagnosed with breast cancer. Learning of her illness during a broadcast, the first thing she did was call Lim Yoon-taek and say, "Yoon-taek, they say I have cancer." Upon hearing this, Lim Yoon-taek reportedly replied, "Thank you for becoming my peer." Lee Sung-mi shared that they laughed and talked while sharing their surgery and check-up dates, saying, "I said, 'Now I can talk to you.'" The painful reality of cancer actually brought the two closer. There was a fear and comfort that only those experiencing the same illness could share, and the two built a special bond by talking about their respective battles.

However, the time given to the two was not long. Lee Sung-mi recalled that one day Lim Yoon-taek said, "Senior, I want to worship." Accordingly, they held a worship service in the hospital room, singing hymns that Lim Yoon-taek had personally chosen. Then, the following evening, she received a call saying Lim Yoon-taek's condition was critical and to come to the hospital quickly. Lee Sung-mi conveyed her desperate feelings at the time, saying, "I cried so much on the way because I was so upset. Yoon-taek's child is so young, so I prayed for him to be saved." However, by the time she arrived at the hospital, Lim Yoon-taek had already passed away.

Lee Sung-mi confessed that she went through complex emotions before being able to accept the death of the deceased. Her confession, "I felt so much resentment. I asked for him to be saved, but he didn't get better, and I got cancer. My emotions were a mess," contained the helplessness she felt in the face of a reality that did not change despite her earnest prayers. Since she had also become a cancer patient and had to send away a junior with whom she had shared her heart for a long time, it would have been difficult to explain that sadness with simple comfort or words.

However, the moment she faced Lim Yoon-taek's final appearance, another thought came to Lee Sung-mi's mind. She revealed that seeing him, she thought, "Seeing Yoon-taek, he was smiling so brightly," and "I asked for him to be saved, but if he can smile this brightly rather than dying in pain, then this is also a path that should not be blocked." Her heart, which started from resentment that her prayer to save him was not answered, changed into an opportunity to rethink the meaning of death through the deceased's final appearance. This is not to say she accepted death easily, but rather a confession that she gained a new perspective on looking at the end of life even amidst the sadness of sending a loved one away.

Lee Sung-mi added, "We think that living is the answer to prayer. But if one can leave the world beautifully, I thought I should rethink death as well." She underwent breast cancer surgery in 2013, and regarding her current health, she showed a bright appearance, stating, "I am perfectly fine." The late Lim Yoon-taek received public love by leading Ulala Session to victory on Mnet's 'Superstar K3', but he passed away on February 11, 2013, at the age of 32 after battling stomach cancer. The short life of the singer, who exuded intense energy on stage, remains in the memories of many even after a long time has passed.

The reason Lee Sung-mi's story is so moving is not simply because of the unfortunate parting. It is because the heart that prayed for a junior with a young child, the comfort shared after she also became a cancer patient, the pain of missing the final moment, and the new realization of the meaning of life in the face of death are all intertwined. While the earnestness to save someone does not always lead to the desired result, the time and love shared together do not disappear. The confession Lee Sung-mi made while remembering Lim Yoon-taek even after a long time leaves a quiet but deep resonance regarding how those left behind endure loss and remember the life of the deceased.

Read the original (Korean)