Hong Hye-gol and Yeo Esther, the doctor couple, spoke candidly about why they ended their five-year separation and moved back in together, as well as the pain they had endured during that time.
On the 30th, SBS's "Same Bed, Different Dreams 2: You Are My Destiny" aired a look at the couple's second honeymoon phase after they ended their five-year separation and began living under the same roof again.
The two, once widely loved as a handsome and beautiful doctor couple, had gone through a divorce scare and then continued living apart by mutual agreement, shuttling between Jeju and Seoul for five years.
Yeo Esther admitted, "As I went through menopause, I started snapping at my husband for no reason, and our relationship gradually got worse." Hong Hye-gol said, "I was exhausted too at the time. My wife is now known by many people as the 'nation's depressed woman.'"
Yeo Esther then confessed that she had struggled with depression for a long time. Hong Hye-gol recalled, "It was far more serious than I expected. She had so many dark thoughts, and she was in a great deal of pain herself."
In particular, Yeo Esther said her condition did not improve with medication, so she underwent electroconvulsive therapy under general anesthesia a total of 28 times. She explained, "When depression is difficult to treat with medication, patients are hospitalized and receive electrical stimulation therapy under general anesthesia for safety. It can cause some memory loss. After 28 sessions, I lost a lot of memory about short meetings. I had been on medication for more than 10 years, but it did not work, so I thought this was my last resort."
Hong Hye-gol said, "For the first electroconvulsive therapy session, she went with our son without telling me. I found out later, and she said she did not want me to worry for no reason. As her husband, I reflected a lot on myself."
He also revealed that he later learned Yeo Esther had been holding on by setting a specific date while she was in severe depression. Yeo Esther said calmly, "When depression is severe, there are moments when family and even work feel meaningless. I set a date because I thought I could endure until then if I believed there was an end."
After hearing this, Hong Hye-gol said, "As soon as I heard that, I came up from Jeju to Seoul, and we have been living together for the past year. Even now, I am happy as long as you do not say you want to die. But I am still anxious. For the rest of our lives, let's live like human beings." His heartfelt words moved viewers.
shyun@sportschosun.com
