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Singer and actor IU moved viewers when she opened up about a recent personal loss and expressed deep gratitude to the colleagues who comforted her.
On the April 24 broadcast of MBC’s variety show ‘I Live Alone,’ viewers were given a glimpse into actor Yoo Su-bin’s daily life, and his close friends IU and actor Lee Yeon joined him for a special segment.
On the program, IU revealed that her maternal grandfather had recently died and thanked Yoo Su-bin and Lee Yeon for staying with her at the funeral.
IU thanks colleagues who stood by her at her grandfather’s funeral
IU said she grew close to Yoo Su-bin and Lee Yeon while co-starring in the drama ’21st Century Grand Madam.’ While the three were sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, IU thanked them for visiting the funeral home. She said they were the only friends who came to the wake and that their unexpected presence brought her significant comfort.
She shared a small, touching detail: the two actors brought chocolates for the bereaved family. The sweets offered a brief, practical comfort to exhausted mourners, and the gesture reportedly moved IU’s parents.
IU said her parents also had a favorable impression of Yoo Su-bin, praising him when they met. Yoo Su-bin smiled shyly, and his modest reaction only underscored the strength of his friendship with IU. The three took walks along the Han River and shared meals, demonstrating a bond that felt more like close friendship than simple colleagues — and reminding viewers of the value of companionship during hard times.
Koo Seong-hwan’s poignant farewell drives ‘I Live Alone’ ratings up
The episode also featured actor Koo Seong-hwan’s farewell to his dog Kkotboon, a storyline that helped lift ratings. According to Nielsen Korea, the broadcast averaged 5.6% nationwide, a 0.5 percentage-point increase from the previous week. An especially emotional moment — Koo finishing a 446km cross-country trek and breaking down as he called to his dog Kkotboon on Busan’s Gwangalli Beach — reached a peak minute rating of 6.3%, the episode’s highest-rated minute. Koo candidly documented his experience with pet-loss syndrome after losing a dog he had treated like family for 11 years, and his process of recovery drew sympathy from many pet owners.
The episode highlighted the genuine friendship among IU, Yoo Su-bin and Lee Yeon and prompted viewers to consider how people share sorrow and offer comfort. IU’s decision to share private grief and publicly thank those around her resonated widely. Meanwhile, the three co-star in MBC’s Friday–Saturday drama ’21st Century Grand Madam,’ which airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m.
● ‘Spotlighting single-person households’ — About MBC’s ‘I Live Alone’
MBC’s variety program ‘I Live Alone’ is a reality show that observes the daily lives of single-person households. It documents celebrities who live alone in a documentary style and focuses on presenting diverse forms of single life.
The show follows cast members who live alone for various reasons — such as parents living apart for their children’s education, weekend couples, and young people renting on their own — revealing individuals’ lifestyles, tastes and philosophies. In doing so, it reflects social trends like changing family structures and the rise of single-person households.
Participants, known as ‘Rainbow Members,’ appear and share a day in their homes. The program shows their meals, hobbies and relationships as they are. It follows an observational variety format that centers on real life rather than staged situations.
‘I Live Alone’ airs every Friday night and continues to produce new episodes. With hundreds of episodes to its name, it has become a long-running variety show.
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