On the Feb. 17 episode of SBS’s "Same Bed, Different Dreams 2: You Are My Destiny", French Papa stepped in as a mentor for Jo Young-nam, husband of Seo Eun-hye, artist with developmental disability, who also has a developmental disability.
“I want to help, even if it’s just a little,” French Papa said, adding, “And I don’t want it to be a one-off. I want this connection to last.”
He prepared a special private dining experience for Seo Eun-hye’s family. “I wanted to cook for them. To give them a hug through food,” he shared, offering his own form of support.
French Papa opened up about his son. “He cried a lot whenever he went to kindergarten and couldn’t adjust. At his 24-month birthday party, we saw him with kids his age for the first time and realized he was different,” he said.
“We went to the hospital and got a diagnosis. My wife and I came home without saying a word,” he recalled. “A child is every parent’s dream. For my parents and for me, the lead character in our lives is our child. When we got the diagnosis, it felt like the protagonist died. I don’t feel that way now, but at the time, it was like my private dream shattered. It was really hard.”
Seo Eun-hye’s mother offered comfort: “Life is study. And this might be the toughest lesson. Life doesn’t always go the way you want. Parents of children with developmental disabilities are the ones studying this the most. But if you get through it, your heart grows stronger.”
“It was so hard that my wife and I couldn’t even look at each other,” French Papa admitted. “We didn’t have the emotional space to take care of one another. We even thought about divorce.”
“Then we went to the U.S. for treatment,” he continued. “We believed we could help him. We said, ‘Let’s treat this. The three of us will find a way to live together.’ We left for America thinking things would get better if we focused on just us three. And we did exactly that ― pure family time. Love wins all. Love beat everything. We gained so much in that time.”
French Papa set up a video call between his family and Seo Eun-hye’s. The moms comforted each other on screen, warming viewers’ hearts.
“I envy how you two are independent, working, and married,” he told Seo Eun-hye and her husband. “Someday my child will get there too. I hope he meets someone good and gets married.” Seo Eun-hye replied, “Your dream will come true,” cheering him on.
Calling Jo Young-nam a reflection of his son’s future, French Papa shared everything he could for Jo’s cafe launch ― even passing down a special, never-before-revealed recipe.
“Watching Young-nam, I felt like I was seeing my child’s future,” he said. “I thought, ‘He’ll grow up like that. I hope he grows up like that.’ I fell for Young-nam ― he’s such a beautiful young man. If our Jae-jin becomes like him, then there’s a future. I found hope.” He gifted Jo a chef’s knife made just for him, moving everyone who watched.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)