An idol-turned-actress revealed that she recently broke up with her boyfriend due to his drinking problem.
On July 14th, JTBC’s dating reality show Love War aired, featuring Jewelry member-turned-actress Yewon as a special diplomat. The episode focused attention on a “couple with a 12-year age gap” who appeared as clients, overcoming their age difference to date.
The girlfriend, 12 years older, had chosen to live away from home for her boyfriend but struggled with having to take care of him in every aspect. A VCR presenting the girlfriend’s perspective showed the boyfriend postponing house cleaning and even asking her to run the meat restaurant she manages.
The girlfriend expressed frustration, saying, “I came to Daegu where I know no one and am contributing a lot to both the household and the business, but he seems to take everything for granted.” Every time conflicts arose, the boyfriend avoided conversation, and the girlfriend was seen wiping away tears alone in the living room, evoking sympathy from viewers.
Yewon, appearing as a “special diplomat,” shared the struggles of dating a younger man, empathizing with the girlfriend and drawing attention. She candidly disclosed that the most recent reason for her breakup was her boyfriend’s drinking, saying, “I really hated it when he came home drunk in the early morning. Once, I even waited with a water gun and sprayed him,” drawing laughs with her honest dating stories.
However, when a VCR showing the boyfriend’s perspective was revealed, there was a twist. When the boyfriend invited her to a gathering with friends, the girlfriend responded coldly, asking, “Why do I have to go to that drinking party?” At home, where they lived together, the girlfriend controlled every move of the boyfriend and even made him feel self-conscious about going to the bathroom, shocking Lee Hyori, Seo Jang Hoon, Super Junior‘s Kim Heechul, and Yewon.
The boyfriend confessed, “When I come home, it feels like there is a teacher here.” Seo Jang Hoon commented, “Wanting to mold your husband to your preference is not love. The girlfriend is 12 years older but not mature at all; she seems more like a peer,” emphasizing the need for her to be more accommodating.
The couple had another issue: the boyfriend’s allergy worsened due to the girlfriend’s pet cat. Despite the doctor’s diagnosis that they needed to stay separated, the girlfriend coldly responded, “If we live together, the symptoms will gradually get better,” leaving hurt feelings.
Lee Hyori gave heartfelt advice to the couple on the brink of breakup, saying, “Breaking up isn’t necessarily wrong. If you hurt each other in the name of love, then the relationship needs to end. I hope you honestly reflect on whether your feelings are truly love.”
The boyfriend’s side proposed negotiation conditions such as “waiting until the other finishes speaking without interrupting and avoiding premature judgments,” while the girlfriend’s side suggested “expressing dissatisfaction honestly and precisely.”
Regarding the allergy issue, they agreed to live separately for a while to work things out. Despite the age gap and the cat allergy, the couple decided to “cease hostilities” at the crossroads of staying together or breaking up.
The episode recorded recorded its highest ratings on pay TV, hitting 2.2% nationwide and 2.3% in the metropolitan area, according to Nielsen Korea.