Actor Lee Gye-in shed tears as he recalled his last phone call with the late Choi Bul-am.
Lee visited the funeral home at Asan Medical Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Saturday. After paying his respects, Lee spoke to reporters about his feelings regarding the passing of Choi.
Lee noted that he had lived as a neighbor just one block away from the late actor in Yeouido for 40 years, stating, "I am the person who drank the most alcohol with my senior." He also shared that after Lee moved out of Yeouido, the late actor confided, "It feels empty since you left."
When asked about his feelings on seeing off the late actor, Lee said, "I can't believe it."
He recalled, "My senior was worried about me. When I was in the hospital, my senior went to film 'Korean Table' and told me, 'I met a powerful monk who said to tell him your wish. So I asked him to help you get better quickly, Gye-in.'"
He continued, "Thinking about that made tears pour out of my eyes. But he passed away first," as he burst into tears.
Lee said that he had worked with the late actor on numerous productions, including 'Detective Chief', 'Heroic Era', 'Song of the Beautiful Woman', and 'Country Diary,' adding, "He made more dramas with me than anyone else. It is safe to say we spent almost our entire lives together," as his voice trembled.
He then addressed the late actor, saying, "Goodbye, senior. What am I supposed to do if you leave before me?" before shedding tears again.
Lee also revealed the content of his last phone call with Choi during his lifetime.
He said that he lives in a neighborhood next to a river and said, "My senior called from the hospital and said, 'Gye-in, I want to eat spicy fish stew.' After telling him not to worry, I ordered fresh fish from a local fisherman and prepared a delicious spicy fish stew."
He continued, "When I checked with the hospital side, they said it could not be brought in. After that, he stopped answering his phone." He then lowered his head, adding, "The spicy fish stew is still sitting in the refrigerator, along with all the vegetables."
Choi passed away around 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 at a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, while receiving inpatient treatment. He was 87 years old. It is known that he had been undergoing rehabilitation after a lumbar disc surgery in March of last year, but his health deteriorated rapidly recently.
The funeral was conducted under the auspices of the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation, for which Choi served as National Chairman during his lifetime. He will be laid to rest at Donghwa Memorial Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. His surviving family includes his wife, actress Kim Min-ja, his son, Dong-nyeol, and his daughter, Dong-bi.
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