On the November 9 broadcast of SBS's "The Ballad of Us Season 2," the round 2 one-on-one battles continued from the previous week.
In the episode, the youngest participant, Park Jin-seo, faced off against Ra Yoo-jung. Park Jin-seo drew attention by choosing "Song of the Wind" by the king of vocals, Cho Yong-pil.
At this, Jung Jae-hyung asked, "In round 1, you sang a song by Yoon Mi-rae. This has a completely different tone—is there a reason for your song choice?" Park Jin-seo began, "It is a difficult song to sing because I feel like tears might come out when I sing it."
She continued, "Strong winds must have blown in my mother's life so far, and because I'm still young, there hasn't been much I could do for her, which often upset me. When I grow a bit older, I want to become the kind of daughter who listens to my mom's stories and shields her from the wind," drawing attention.
Admiring reactions followed from all around, with people saying, "How could she think like that?" Jung Jae-hyung then asked, "Did Jin-seo know her mom's feelings too?" Park Jin-seo replied, "Yes. The more I understand my mom's feelings, the a bit harder it gets," evoking empathy.
Park Jin-seo once again delivered a performance that astonished everyone. Exclamations poured out: "This makes no sense, I'm speechless. How can a middle school student sing this well? How can a kid that small sing like this?"
Joo Woo-jae was lost for words, remarking, "Is today the final day or something? Why a finale song..." Jung Jae-hyung agreed, saying, "It feels like something that should come on when the Olympics end." Chun Hyun-moo also chimed in, "It's a performance that felt as grand as the opening or closing ceremony of a world championship," adding, "Wouldn't that happen in about 20 years?"
To this, Roy Kim quipped, "At this pace, she could be Whitney Houston by age 21," while Cha Tae-hyun drew laughter by remarking, "At this pace, I think she could appear at the next Olympics."
Reflecting on Park Jin-seo's performance, Jung Jae-hyung said, "Watching this stage, I felt that her mom would cry a lot. She would be proud, and from a mother's perspective, seeing a daughter who understands her heart would probably also make her feel a bit heartbroken."
He continued with high praise, "She knows how to sing, manages her nerves, and entrusts herself entirely to the music. Jin-seo's voice makes us imagine and dream. It is a voice that makes older men and lacking oppas dream even bigger dreams."
BIBI also drew attention by commenting, "It's amazing how the voice of someone who has overcome failure and anguish comes from the youngest contestant. I wish I could be a witness—one who saw Park Jin-seo's childhood."
And Roy Kim gave warm praise, saying, "It feels like Jin-seo wasn't born in Korea. She has that unique rhythm and groove, like she grew up listening to jazz and soul in a place like New Orleans. I thought that kind of soul wouldn't suit a masterpiece like this, but instead it felt like a fresh interpretation, more unique, and made people of today love this song even more. Without needing to change much, if she just keeps going like this, I consider her one of the real contenders to win."
Joo Woo-jae also grew excited, saying, "I can't believe someone can sing like that at 13 years old." Chun Hyun-moo asked, "Is she a contender to win, by any chance?" and Joo Woo-jae, the self-proclaimed Lim Jin-mo of the modeling world, drew laughter by answering, "The only one."
Moon Geun-young also caught attention by appealing, "There is something I really want to ask. I am Jin-seo's number one fan. Don't forget. Please remember that."
Meanwhile, Park Jin-seo defeated Ra Yoo-jung 114 to 36 on this day to advance to the next round.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.