‘Middle-aged Dad’ Shin Hyun-joon cried at his father‘s birthday message who returned as AI.

On the 28th episode of Channel A’s ‘Middle-aged Dad’ on the 7th, a special birthday party prepared by his wife Kim Kyung-mi and three children Min-joon, Ye-joon, and Min-seo to celebrate the birthday of ‘57-year-old middle-aged dad’ Shin Hyun-joon was held.

For Shin Hyun-joon, who gets depressed every birthday missing his deceased father, the family prepared a video letter as if his father had come back alive, as well as self-made t-shirts and ‘wit’ to bring back Shin Hyun-joon‘s smile. Also, ‘45-year-old flower dad’ Sayuri devoted herself to ‘standing alone’ education for her son Zen, who turned 4 years old, and in response, Zen perfectly used the men’s bathroom for the first time in his life, receiving a loud applause.

According to Nielsen Korea, the broadcast that day recorded a viewership rating of 2.0%.

First, the daily life of Shin Hyun-joon‘s family was revealed. On that day, Shin Hyun-joon and his three children dressed up nicely and went to visit Shin Hyun-joon’s father who passed away 10 years ago. Shin Hyun-joon, who arrived at the National Cemetery where his father is laid to rest, said, “Every year when my birthday approaches, I miss my father,” and had tears in his eyes when he read the children‘s innocent letters saying, “Grandpa, please come back,” and then burst into tears when he saw the “rainbow” picture filled with memories of his father, saying, “Dad, I miss you.” Shin Hyun-joon, who said, “I think the children think of their grandfather when they see a rainbow,” returned home and talked about his memories of his father in front of his wife, Kim Kyung-mi, and his three siblings. But as the kids gradually lost focus and started doing other things, and honestly said, “It’s hard to listen to the story,” Shin Hyun-joon got angry and said, “I‘m really disappointed in you guys today,” and left.

Seeing their father’s depressed appearance for the first time, Kim Kyung-mi and the kids entered an ‘emergency meeting’ and decided to throw a surprise birthday party for Shin Hyun-joon, whose birthday was approaching soon. While the eldest Min-joon focused on marking his father, Kim Kyung-mi, the second eldest Ye-joon, and the youngest Min-seo started decorating the party venue, and after that, Min-seo went on a ‘1:1 date’ with Shin Hyun-joon, continuing the ironclad defense. When Shin Hyun-joon returned home after finishing his date with Min-seo, this time Ye-joon suggested ‘origami’ with his dad, and the three siblings‘ ‘rotation mark’ was successfully carried out. In the meantime, Min-jun showed off his unexpected ‘sewing skills’ and quickly made a T-shirt for Shin Hyun-jun, and Ye-jun drew a picture on the T-shirt with care to complete a special, one-of-a-kind gift.

Shin Hyun-jun, who had taken a nap due to his grueling schedule, woke up at the children’s words, “Wake up”, and was moved to see the birthday table lovingly prepared by Kim Kyung-mi and the ‘7-tier rainbow cake’ symbolizing his grandfather. Right after, when Min-jun and Ye-jun gave him the T-shirts they had made themselves, he was so touched that his eyes turned red. Kim Kyung-mi then brought the family in front of the TV, saying, “I‘ll show you the gift I prepared”, and Shin Hyun-jun’s father appeared on the screen as an AI, surprising Shin Hyun-jun. Shin Hyun-jun couldn‘t stop crying at the warm ‘video letter’ from Shin Hyun-jun’s father, who had his appearance and voice implemented exactly as they were, and the studio was filled with tears. The message ended with the words, “Dad is always by your side, I love you, son,” and the children transformed into “Human Hearts” and “Human Rainbows” to comfort their father and cheered him on, saying, “Don’t cry, we’re here for you.” Shin Hyun-joon then smiled brightly, saying, “You’re dependable, you’re dependable,” and expressed his sincerity by saying, “Thank you” to Kim Kyung-mi for preparing a special gift.

Next, Sayuri, who accompanied her son Zen to his swimming class, expressed her satisfaction, saying, “When Zen started to differentiate between genders when going to the bathroom, there were many times when it was difficult, but at the swimming pool, the male instructor changed Zen’s clothes and even gave him a bath.” While having a ‘childcare talk’ with the moms gathered at the pool, Sayuri confided her concerns, saying, “Zen will soon be 4 years old, and I am in a difficult situation because I cannot legally enter the bathhouse (locker room) with him.” Sayuri, who expressed her belief that “Zen doesn‘t have a dad, so he needs to become independent faster than other kids”, returned home and started motivating him by saying, “Zen, do you want to go to the men’s room instead of the women‘s room?” After that, she attached a ‘butt-shaped’ balloon to a chair and showed him how to properly clean up after himself, and even taught him thoroughly how to use the urinal. Next, she ‘practiced’ on her own to take off her clothes, take a bath, and get dressed, in preparation for Zen having to go into the locker room alone.

Zen’s birthday finally came, and Sayuri headed to her ‘frequent tteokbokki restaurant’ with Zen, who had dressed himself. At the tteokbokki restaurant where Zen‘s birthday party was held, Sayuri’s neighborhood best friends, the real estate president, real estate manager Kim, and the yogurt aunt were all guests, and all of the ‘Neighborhood Adults’ sincerely congratulated Zen on his 4th birthday. During the enjoyable ‘Gift Time’, Zen said, “I need to pee” and headed to the men‘s bathroom with Manager Kim. At this time, Zen successfully urinated on his own just like he practiced at home, then flushed the water and washed his hands, perfectly succeeding in his first ‘outdoor defecation’. After watching the video that Manager Kim had filmed, Sayuri and her aunts praised Zen with a ‘storm reaction’, and Sayuri left a touching comment, saying, “Seeing Zen doing well on his own makes me feel both proud and sad at the same time”.

‘Middle-aged Dad’ airs every Thursday at 9:30 p.m.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com