Popular Veteran Korean Actor Whose Son Died At 22 Years Old Gets To See What He Would’ve Looked Like Today In Heartwarming TV Show
Popular veteran actor Park Young Gyu broke down in tears when he saw a recent photo of what his late son might look like if he were still alive, 20 years after his passing.
On the October 12 broadcast of KBS 2TV’s Mr. House Husband, actor Park Young Gyu received a special gift.
In the episode, Park visited the resting place of his only son, who tragically passed away 20 years ago at the age of 22 while studying abroad in the United States. Born in 1983, his son died in 2004 after a motorcycle accident, in which the bike, driven by a friend, collided head-on with a car.
At the time, Park Young Gyu explained his career hiatus, saying he had no desire other than to reunite with his son in heaven. After his break from acting, which followed the drama Emperor of the Sea, Park returned to acting with renewed determination. He later won an acting award for his performance in Jeong Do Jeon and tearfully dedicated it to his son, saying, “If I shine brightly, that light will reach heaven, so my son can see it when he misses me. I worked hard, trying to live brightly,” which moved everyone to tears.
Park reflected on that emotional moment, saying, “I hadn’t prepared an acceptance speech. All I could think about was my son. I received the award, and I thought if I become a bright, shining person, my son will find me quickly. Words just started pouring out, without me realizing. I didn’t mean to make it sad, but everyone started crying.”
In the episode, Park also shared that he had chosen the 300-pyeong (approximately 990 square meters) burial site for his son, planting a pine tree there. “I picked out the pine tree myself. It was small at first, but it’s grown a lot now,” he said. He recalled how, during difficult times, they had lived modestly under their landlord’s watch, saying, “I worked hard so my son could run freely in a big house after I succeeded, but I couldn’t make that happen. So, I laid down the grass here so he can play and have fun now. This is your home.”
Eun Ji Won, who was also present, asked, “If you could spend just one day with your son, what would you want to do the most?” Park answered emotionally, “There’s so much I want to do, but if I had to choose one thing… Just meeting him would make me excited. Maybe we could go eat tteokbokki,” mentioning his son’s favorite food.
When Eun Ji Won asked Park Young Gyu if he had taken many pictures with his son, Park replied, “That’s what hurts the most. I didn’t get to spend much time with him, and I was so heartbroken that I burned all his belongings.”
At this point, Baek Ji Young announced that the production team had prepared a special gift for Park—a digitally created image of what his son might look like today, at 42 years old.
Baek Ji Young, teary-eyed after seeing the photo first, said, “He looks so handsome.” When Park saw the picture, he broke down in tears and said, “He really looks just like him. This is the face I had imagined. Thank you. This is the greatest gift I’ve ever received. I feel like my son is alive and right here beside me. I believe he’s alive,” touching everyone’s hearts.
Source: (A)