[Sportschosun Kim So-hee] The grueling daily life of the husband from the "Ya Neo Do" couple has been revealed.
In episode 173 of MBC's "Oh Eun Young's Report: Marriage Hell," which aired at 9 p.m. on Monday, June 22, the second part of the story of the "Ya Neo Do" couple was shown. Last week, the show drew sympathy after the 24-year-old wife's tears over exhaustion from childcare. This episode revealed the husband's daily routine of sleeping only three hours a day to support his family, along with the couple's true feelings.
The husband, who runs a cleaning company, spent his days moving between three to four job sites on average, including construction-site restrooms and commercial building cleaning, with barely any time to rest. He reportedly earns about 10 million won a month. But he sleeps only three to five hours a day. In particular, observation footage aired that day showed him drowsy behind the wheel after staying awake for 18 hours, shocking viewers. The husband admitted, "It feels like a miracle that I can work day by day," while Dr. Oh Eun-young and the hosts expressed concern, saying, "He should never be working like this."
Why is the husband so consumed by work? He opened up about the past, saying he faced fierce opposition to the marriage from his wife's family after they learned she was pregnant. He confessed, "I thought they might not have opposed it if I had been more capable, so I worked even harder." He even said that because of his father-in-law's opposition, the wedding was canceled a week before the ceremony, despite invitations having already been sent out. With tears in his eyes, he added, "I thought success was the same as being recognized."
Another striking contrast emerged with the wife's confession from last week, when she said, "It feels like I'm the only one enduring childcare." Before heading to work, the husband put their second child to sleep, then left for the office. On his way out, he even returned home after receiving a message from his wife saying the baby had woken up, and soothed the child again. Meanwhile, when the husband was home, the wife said he would not get up even when the baby cried, and she sent him a stream of texts filled with blame and resentment while he was at work. The husband said, "My wife's irritability is the biggest cause of our fights."
The scene of the husband eating late at night also left viewers saddened. He ate fried chicken as his first meal of the day after 10 p.m. He said he often makes his first meal of the day chicken or pizza. The wife complained more about his late return than about his health. Watching this, Dr. Oh Eun-young pointed out, "I understand that caring for a child is hard, but meal kits are very good these days. You should not be eating like this every day." She added, "Earning a living is also an important part of childcare. A husband working hard to bring in money is also raising the child."
The wife's inner feelings, shaped by a loss of confidence after giving birth, were also revealed. She said through tears, "I gained 30 kilograms after giving birth. I think the reason my husband stopped being affectionate is because I changed physically." She then asked him to show more affection, saying, "Please say nice things to me so I don't lose my self-esteem." But the husband only replied that he would buy her clothes that suit her, drawing sighs from the hosts.
Dr. Oh Eun-young advised the workaholic husband to set aside at least half a day every two weeks just for his family. She also told the couple to stop saying, "You're the only one struggling? I'm struggling too," and instead assigned them the task of using hugs and empathy. At the end of the broadcast, the husband sincerely told his wife, "Thank you for marrying so young and devoting your body and heart to this family. I love you." The wife also cried and said, "I love you so much that I wanted to be loved more."
The "Ya Neo Do" couple had been doing their best in their own ways, but had failed to look into each other's pain. The episode left viewers with deep empathy and a lingering aftertaste as it portrayed their struggle between childcare, making a living, and maintaining their relationship.
Kim So-hee, yaqqol@sportschosun.com
