Heo Kyunghwan and Kim Heechul rolled up their sleeves to celebrate their fathers' birthdays.
In the SBS variety show 'My Ugly Duckling' aired on the afternoon of the 10th, Kyunghwan and Heechul decided to personally prepare dishes for their fathers' birthday celebrations.
On this day, Lee Dong-gun's dad volunteered to be the assistant for the birthday party. Kyunghwan and Heechul hinted, "While we prepare the food, please stall for time, and our fathers shouldn't know we are here."
After entering the kitchen, Kyunghwan and Heechul decided to make seaweed soup and clam dishes. While Kyunghwan, who is skilled in cooking, chopped away without hesitation, Heechul, in charge of the seaweed soup, showed his beginner cooking skills by saying, "You need to soak the seaweed in water."
At that moment, Kyunghwan's dad and Heechul's dad arrived at the restaurant. Dong-gun's dad joked, "I wanted to see you so much that I found an excuse, and it turns out your birthdays are close. So I invited you for lunch. This restaurant is quite famous! Warren Buffett is a regular here. I heard it from my son."
Seeing their dads arrive, Kyunghwan and Heechul panicked, saying, "They are here already. We are not ready at all..." Dong-gun's dad casually ordered, "Please stick to the menu I mentioned earlier. For the special menu, since it's your birthdays, please bring one beer, one soju, and one metal chopstick," which impressed the panel with his acting skills.
Kyunghwan said, "My dad really misses the grandmother's clam stew. But my mom has never made it for him," as he prepared Tongyeong-style clam stew. After tasting it, Kyunghwan realized it didn't taste as he expected and said, "I need to add some water," hurriedly adjusting the dish.
Meanwhile, Dong-gun's dad said, "Happy birthday. This is not a shot," as he made and served a mix of soju and beer. When Heechul's dad remarked, "But the side dishes aren't coming out," Dong-gun's dad pressed the bell twice, indicating that the food was delayed. Kyunghwan said, "I guess something needs to come out now. Is my hand shaking?" as he completed the clam stew.
Dong-gun's dad pressed the bell again and said, "It's so nice to see you after a long time," stalling for more time.
After some ups and downs, when the clam stew finally came out, Kyunghwan said, "This is something that comes out a lot in Tongyeong... It's famous," and began a nostalgic food lecture. He added, "My mother and sister-in-law used to make it a lot," and took a bite.
Kyunghwan's dad said, "This is tasty," as he continued to eat the stew. Watching the video, Kyunghwan felt proud, saying, "He eats well. Thank goodness." In contrast, Heechul's dad put down his fork, saying, "Oh, this is too salty..."
In the kitchen, Heechul prepared grilled tofu, claiming he brought it directly from Wonju. Heechul said, "My dad and I really love Gangwon-do tofu. I need to make a dipping sauce," as he hurriedly cooked.
Heechul's dad, who calls himself a tofu expert, tasted Heechul's grilled tofu and said, "It's good. This is really delicious," as he kept eating the tofu.
Finally, Kyunghwan served braised hairtail that he received from his mom, while Heechul served the seaweed soup he made. After tasting the braised hairtail, Kyunghwan's dad said, "My wife makes the best braised hairtail... This tastes just like my wife's cooking! It feels like my wife made this!" hinting that he was catching on.
Heechul's dad, after tasting Heechul's mom's cucumber kimchi, said, "This is really delicious. Oh, I'm full," without catching on.
The final dessert was patbingsu (shaved ice with red beans). The bowl of bingsu had the phrase "Come to the rooftop" written on it, but the dads couldn't finish the bingsu as it was too cold. In the end, Dong-gun's dad finished the bingsu and pretended to discover the phrase, bringing laughter.
The two dads, who went up to the rooftop, looked at their young selves restored by AI with nostalgia, staring at the monitor. Kyunghwan and Heechul, who were secretly watching from behind, wiped their tears, feeling emotional.
Later, a message appeared on the TV asking them to move to the photo booth, and Kyunghwan and Heechul snuck behind their dads to take a photo together. When the two dads spotted their sons, they held hands and wiped their tears joyfully.
In the second segment of 'My Ugly Duckling', Kim Jun-ho and Heo Kyunghwan appeared. Heo Kyunghwan said, "I came thinking this is my last chance to grow taller," and mentioned he would undergo surgery to increase his height. He expressed, "I've been teased a lot for being short. I really think this is my last chance, and I believe my height of 168cm is the reason I haven't married yet. There were a few women who hesitated because of my height," feeling upset.
Kyunghwan added, "Recently, I struggled with a blind date because of my height. Jin-hyuk and Yong-dae are tall, but I am short too. I felt small." Kim Jun-ho said, "I'll keep an eye on you today, and if you come out fine after the surgery, I might consider it too. I've lived at 169cm until 50, but I want to try living at 175cm," indicating he would also seek consultation.
When the two entered the consultation room, they revealed the X-rays they had taken beforehand. The doctor stated, "This is an X-ray with almost no error," revealing that Heo Kyunghwan's height is 168.2cm. He added, "Your lower body is shorter than the Korean average. If you want to grow 8cm, you will be 177cm tall, but it will look like you are over 180cm," making Kyunghwan happy.
The doctor told Kim Jun-ho, "168.5cm," and added, "Your leg ratio is shorter than Kyunghwan's," causing laughter in the studio. Kyunghwan exclaimed, "I'm much better than you, hyung. I'm happy now," smiling broadly.
The doctor explained that the precise name for height-increasing surgery is limb lengthening, saying, "To put it bluntly, it involves breaking the bones, and as you gradually pull the broken bones apart, they grow out like soft tofu," explaining the surgical method and process in detail.
However, Kyunghwan fell into deep thought when he heard that he wouldn't be able to engage in intense sports like soccer as he does now.
After leaving the hospital, the two met former basketball players Ha Eun-joo and Ha Seung-jin. Standing at 221cm and 202cm, respectively, Ha Seung-jin and Ha Eun-joo humorously shared, "We have to scan everywhere we go. Branches and such get in the way," discussing the inconveniences of being tall.
In the third segment of 'My Ugly Duckling', actor Yoon Si-yoon appeared. He hurriedly cooked as he was expecting guests at home. At that moment, Kim Jun-ho and Kim Jong-min visited Yoon Si-yoon's house. As soon as Kim Jun-ho arrived, Yoon Si-yoon, who was sensitive about cleanliness, sprayed perfume and tidied up.
While Yoon Si-yoon went to cook, Kim Jun-ho and Kim Jong-min started to mess up the house, saying, "If he keeps this up, he won't get married. We need to teach him how to let go."
Yoon Si-yoon expressed that he values efficiency and prefers a woman who doesn't overlap in movement. Hearing this, Kim Jun-ho lamented, "Then there won't be any physical contact."
During the meal, Jong-min honestly said, "It's not that you're struggling, but you seem to be cautious." Kim Jun-ho advised, "You have no credibility; we've already married. Two beautiful women chose us. Women want to fill in the gaps, but you have nowhere to go," giving dating advice.
The show airs on Sundays at 9:05 PM on SBS.
[Seo Yeo-ji, Star Today Guest Reporter]
