Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: How to Deal with Bad Laws
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The thunderous applause that had filled the studio gradually died down.
Colbert, his face still glowing with emotion but smoothly shifting gears like a pro, turned to Ji-hoon with a much softer, warmer smile.
"Hoon. That was truly an amazing thing you just said."
"Thank you."
"But here's the thing."
Colbert added playfully.
"These days, there's someone Americans are just as crazy about as you, Hoon."
On the studio's massive screen, a captured image appeared from Ji-hoon's YouTube channel Lily Flower Has Bloomed—Lily's bright, innocent smile.
"Awww~" sighs of admiration erupted from the audience.
"It's your wife, Lily. She's become hugely famous too. Honestly, I'm a subscriber myself. Haha."
Colbert leaned toward Ji-hoon.
"A lot of people are just as curious about your heroic story as they are about your love story. You even said it was the reason you could stand here at the medal ceremony. So... how did you two meet? And how did you end up coming from Korea all the way to Berkeley, America, in the first place? Could you tell us that story today?"
Lily.
At the mention of her name, a warm smile spread across Ji-hoon's face.
He gazed for a moment at Lily's photo on the studio screen.
Then, with the happiest smile in the world, he turned back to Colbert.
The audience didn't miss that subtle change in his expression.
"My wife... she's a miracle to me just by existing."
It was an answer brimming with love for his wife.
"Oho~ A miracle."
Colbert asked with evident interest.
"In what way is she a miracle?"
"Stephen, think about it. The 12,000 kilometers between Korea and America. And out of America's 350 million people, I met her. If that's not a miracle, what is? It's a miracle so improbable it's not even worth calculating the odds."
Ji-hoon continued, openly pouring out his affection for Lily.
"To me, she's the most precious woman in the world. If someone made me choose between my fortune and my wife Lily, I'd pick my wife without a second's hesitation."
At Ji-hoon's firm words, the female audience members cheered wildly.
Romanticist.
That's what Ji-hoon was.
"Haha! Hoon, that gives me chills."
Colbert burst into cheerful laughter.
"If my wife watches this, she'll nag me to learn from you right away."
"Loving the other half of your life is just natural, Stephen. Express your love to your wife freely. It might feel a bit embarrassing as a man, but life is short. And when you show love and cherish her, your wife's attitude changes too. Trust me on this, Stephen."
"Haha. Is that so?"
Colbert let out a hearty laugh.
"Guess I should pick up some flowers on the way home tonight. I watch your YouTube too, Hoon, and seeing you two as the ideal couple always lifts my spirits. If I just do what you said, I could really have that kind of happy marriage?"
"Absolutely!"
Ji-hoon said confidently.
"If you express your love, your wife will surely cherish and love her husband even more."
"Alright, Hoon."
Colbert nodded.
"A lot of our macho American husbands who are awkward with expressing themselves need to watch and learn from you today."
Ji-hoon gave Colbert a meaningful smile and added,
"Your breakfast is going to change."
Colbert paused for a second.
"My breakfast?"
Realizing the hidden meaning,
Colbert burst out laughing. "Puhaha!"
The audience caught the nuance too, turning the studio into a sea of cheerful laughter.
"Yes. We've seen Hoon's affection for his wife."
Colbert reined in his laughter and moved to the next question.
"So, Hoon, what made you come to America in the first place?"
At Colbert's question, Ji-hoon fell into brief thought.
Then he shrugged and said,
"Truth is... I've been married twice. I got married once in Korea and divorced."
Colbert's face lit up in surprise.
"No kidding?"
Of course, this was fairly well-known in Korea, but American viewers didn't know the details of his private life.
Some knew, some didn't, so the studio buzzed for a moment.
"Yeah... that's how it happened. Haha."
Ji-hoon laughed nonchalantly.
"No, looking at you now, you're overflowing with love... if it's not too personal, could I ask what happened with the divorce?"
Colbert added cautiously.
"Ah! Of course, if it's private, you don't have to answer."
"No, it's fine. It's pretty well-known in Korea now anyway. My wife cheated."
"......"
The room fell silent for a moment.
"We lived together about two years, and the Korean court ordered a 50% property split. So... I was clearly the victim, but why did I have to give 50% of my assets to the perpetrator? I just couldn't understand it."
As if recalling that time, Ji-hoon let out a hollow laugh.
"So I decided. If Korean law is like that, I'll renounce my Korean citizenship."
Ji-hoon glanced at Lily's photo and smiled.
"Thanks to that, I got to meet Lily, so I think it was the best decision of my life."
Colbert was speechless for a while.
"...No way, 50% split after just two years? That's unbelievable."
"Right?"
Ji-hoon shot back.
"So I basically said screw it, liquidated all my assets, and fled to America. Of course, I didn't give her a dime."
At his brutally honest and bold confession, Colbert couldn't hold back and cracked up.
"Hahaha!"
The studio became a sea of laughter.
"What a brilliant idea! The country wouldn't protect him, so he ditched the country. Well, thanks to that, America gained an exemplary citizen like Hoon, so I guess we're the lucky ones."
Colbert stopped laughing and asked,
"So what happened after that?"
"She ended up suing me in America for the property split. I'm doing my best to fight it now."
"Court battles are exhausting. I hope you win yours, Hoon."
"Thank you."
"Time flew by already. This was really fun today, Hoon."
"It was a blast for me too, Stephen."
Colbert was wrapping up.
"Finally, any last words for the viewers?"
Ji-hoon thought for a moment, then grinned at the camera.
"I hear marriage rates are dropping in America too these days. In Korea, there are tons of faithful, romantic guys like me. We're taught from childhood to cherish and protect women."
He patted his medal and said,
"Korean men make plenty attractive husbands too. Just like me. So ladies looking to marry, how about finding a groom in Korea? This has been Ji-hoon Kim."
At Ji-hoon's out-of-left-field joke and cross-border matchmaking(?), Colbert and the audience burst into giggles once more.
And with that, Ji-hoon's first talk show appearance ended triumphantly.
The morning after the Stephen Colbert show aired,
America was abuzz.
Ji-hoon's speech went beyond mere inspiration;
it ignited American pride.
The internet was flooded with that comparison photo.
Soggy pizza scraps versus Korea's abundant, healthy school lunches.
The fact that they cost the same drove people insane.
Especially parents with kids exploded in rage.
Local parent communities and online forums were crashing.
America's massive school food giants—
Aramark, Sodexo—their names started trending in real-time searches.
Ji-hoon's "split attack" had landed perfectly.
He hadn't criticized America.
He'd just asked why the great United States was so stingy with what its children ate.
There was no sharper jab at Americans' pride as the world's superpower.
"Kids' health is the future."
"Family is most important."
His words struck at Americans' core values.
And the one who said it was Kim Ji-hoon, the "hero" who'd thrown himself into danger for kids just recently.
His words carried more authenticity than any politician's speech.
Now people were demanding solutions.
"So when does 'Hansang' start school lunches?"
"Open a branch in my state too!"
"Please, let my kid eat that Korean school food!"
Ji-hoon's TV appearance was a full-frontal declaration of war on America's school lunch cartel.
And the Late Show's impact didn't stop at lunches.
Especially among young American women,
Reactions to Ji-hoon's "affection" toward Lily exploded.
Social media was flooded with Hoon and Lily posts post-broadcast.
Countless women swooned over Ji-hoon's romantic side.
And naturally, interest shifted to "Korean men."
Ji-hoon's parting joke,
"Ladies looking to marry, how about finding a groom in Korea?"
Didn't end as just a joke.
Online communities and social media overflowed with curious questions about Korean men.
"Are Korean guys really that sweet and romantic?"
"Are there lots of guys who prioritize family like Hoon?"
"Anyone done an international marriage with a Korean guy?"
Ji-hoon had planted a new fantasy in many American women.
In fact, even before his remarks blew up,
Korean men already had the "K-Pop" buff.
Especially boy group TTS, with their global fandom, had gone beyond idols to reshape perceptions of "Korean men" positively—no small feat.
Clean looks, refined performances, sweet interactions with fans.
TTS imprinted the image of the "sweet, cool Korean guy" worldwide.
And Ji-hoon's Late Show remarks poured fuel on the fire.
The buff doubled—no, tripled.
Like landing a massive critical hit on a boss in an online game!
Korean men really owed them big time.
From basement dwellers scratching their bellies to suddenly buffed as sweet, family-first guys.
Why did Ji-hoon suddenly hype Korean men on the Stephen Colbert Show?
He knew his reputation in Korean public opinion wasn't great.
This was a bit of "favor farming" toward them.
He'd already married Lily anyway.
What Korean women thought of him now didn't really matter.
But making everyone an enemy was the dumbest move.
He needed to pull the massive group of "Korean men" to his side against public opinion.
The enemy's enemy is a friend.
Ji-hoon didn't know.
How much it would help him down the line.