Kim Kyung-ran breaks down in tears at the final farewell of the late Choi Bul-am: "Teacher, where have you gone?" [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Kim Kyung-ran, a former announcer turned actress, expressed her heartfelt grief over the passing of the late Choi Bul-am.

On the 3rd, Kim shared on her personal social media platform, "I received a phone call in the early hours of the morning. I couldn't believe it, but tears kept flowing," recalling the moment she learned of the sad news about the late Choi Bul-am.

She stated, "Even when I stopped by the wake before my performance the next day, my hands were trembling and tears burst out, yet I still couldn't believe it. After finishing my performance that same day and returning to the wake, I was able to greet people with a bit more composure and ate a hearty meal."

She continued, "When I went to the hospital early in the morning for the removal of the body, I thought I needed to eat well to get through this long day, so I ate the food they prepared for me diligently. I told myself I had to keep my wits about me as I moved around. It was only while riding on the bus heading together to Yeouido Cathedral for the procession that I began to knock on my heart, acknowledging that it was time to accept this parting from my teacher, which I still couldn't believe even after three days and several visits to the wake."

Kim accompanied the late Choi Bul-am on his final journey from Yeouido Cathedral, where the funeral mass was held, to the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation, and then to the crematorium and burial site.

She shared her state of mind at the time: "Where are we going? It's Teacher's funeral mass. So where are we going now? It's the venue for the final farewell ceremony with the foundation staff at Green Umbrella, which he loved so much. Where are we going now? It's the crematorium."

She added, "After waiting for about an hour and a half at the crematorium, as we carried out Teacher, who was carefully placed in a single shroud, and held the encoffment service at the park, I felt as if he were confirming to me again and again, 'Kyung-ran, I am leaving now.' It was a day I could no longer deny."

In particular, Kim remembered the late Choi Bul-am as a father-like figure who had a profound impact on her life.

She said, "It was a relationship where I only received. If it hadn't been for Teacher Choi Bul-am, I cannot imagine my current self, continuing to live a life on the theater stage as if racing ahead. He opened up dreams that even I didn't know I had. He was a teacher and a father who cheered me on with such pride and joy over even the smallest, insignificant changes, much like a baby babbling."

She revealed that she felt an even greater sorrow at the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation, where she had maintained a long-standing bond with the late Choi Bul-am.

Kim recalled, "When we said goodbye to Teacher at Green Umbrella, I cried more than usual. The memory of standing right next to the space on the first floor where flowers were offered to Teacher, and having him dote on me so much as a newly appointed ambassador, taking photos with Teacher Choi Bul-am and Teacher Lee Hong-ryeol, came back vividly."

She continued, "Since Teacher Lee Hong-ryeol happened to be by my side, I felt like asking, 'Where has Teacher Choi Bul-am gone?' and cried like a child," revealing her deep longing for the late actor.

Kim wrote, "I am seeing you off. He tells me not to grieve heavily so that you can depart peacefully and lightly. The particularly brilliant fallen leaves of these days seem to contrast with Teacher, who lived a very modest life, but they also seemed like him—someone who received the love and respect of everyone and shone wherever he was."

Finally, she conveyed her last farewell: "I have received boundless, vast, and pure love in abundance while maintaining a bond with Teacher for more than half of my life. I will always miss you. I will see you again. I send my love and respect."

Meanwhile, Choi Bul-am passed away on October 29. He was 87 years old at the time of his death. The late actor's funeral was held under the auspices of the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation. After the body was removed from Asan Medical Center in Seoul on the 2nd, a funeral mass was held at Yeouido Cathedral. Subsequently, he was buried at Donghwa Memorial Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, after passing by the headquarters of Green Umbrella, where the late actor had devoted special affection during his lifetime.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original