[Sportschosun Lee Gae-eun] The husband of the "PUBG Couple" was heartbroken as he said he was unable to be with his wife in her final moments.
On the MBC program aired on the 20th, "Oh Eun-young Report - Again, Love Afterward," the second story of the husband and their two children, after the wife’s passing, was revealed. The episode showed the husband’s daily life as he struggled with guilt and grief, the eldest child’s tears as she faced her mother’s death for the first time, and the couple’s belated funeral held on the wife’s 31st birthday, leaving viewers in tears.
The husband of the "PUBG Couple" had drawn widespread attention, even making the news, after gathering game users who would be "killed" by his wife for her terminal illness. In a May episode of "Oh Eun-young Report - Again, Love," the couple’s story moved viewers deeply with the wife, who had been diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, and the husband, who stayed by her side with unwavering love. At the end of the broadcast, news of the wife’s passing, after a long journey to a place without pain, sparked an outpouring of mourning. Since then, viewers have shown strong interest and concern for the husband and the children through the program.
For that reason, the show carried out a follow-up counseling session for the first time in the history of "Oh Eun-young Report." In the observation footage, the husband was seen trying not to cry in front of the children while enduring each day after his wife’s death. But when he was alone, he looked at photos of his wife on his phone and burst into tears, drawing sympathy. He then recalled the day before she died. He said she kept telling him to go home early that day, and in the end, he was unable to witness her final moments. "I’m barely holding on by looking at the kids," he said through tears. Dr. Oh Eun-young advised, "How could you stay strong after losing someone you love?" She said he needed to acknowledge his grief. More than anything, she stressed that what was more concerning than sorrow was the possibility of his life falling apart, and emphasized the need to monitor his daily routine.
The episode also moved viewers with the eldest child’s tears as she learned of her mother’s death for the first time. After his wife’s passing, the husband visited the columbarium where she rests with the children for the first time. The eldest child, who had believed her mother was still in the hospital, arrived at the unfamiliar place and asked, "Are we at the hospital?" and "Mom isn’t at the hospital," on the verge of tears. When she heard that her mother had gone to heaven, she cried out, "Why did Mom go to heaven?" and "What am I supposed to do without Mom? I want to see her," finally letting out the tears she had been holding back.
The husband also revealed that, for financial reasons, he had to hold his wife’s funeral without a wake. Still feeling that he had not properly seen her off, he prepared a belated funeral 35 days after her death, on her 31st birthday. At the funeral home, he ate a proper meal for the first time since her passing. "Why does it taste so good when I have no shame left?" he said, breaking into tears. The comfort from those who came to pay their respects also gave him great strength. "I realized that people help you forget grief through people," he said, expressing gratitude to those who remembered and mourned his wife.
Dr. Oh Eun-young explained that the eldest child had likely already sensed the changes in the family. She advised that when the children miss their mother, they should be allowed to visit the columbarium, call out to her freely, and cry as much as they need. In other words, there must be a way for them to grieve for their mother. She also explained that a funeral is not only a ritual to send off the deceased, but also a process through which the bereaved accept the separation and bring closure to their hearts.
Through a video letter to his wife, the husband offered his final goodbye: "Thank you. And I was happy. Sleep well." He then added, "If there is a next life, I want to be born as you so I can love me, and you can be born as me so you can love you," once again filling the studio with tears with his deep love for his wife.
joyjoy90@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
