Chef Yun Nam-no reconciles in tears with mother after two-year estrangement over “earbud misunderstanding” — “A noise-canceling mishap”

Chef Yun Nam-no, 36, who rose to prominence through Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars,” tearfully reconciled with his mother after they went two years without exchanging a word over a small but deeply painful misunderstanding caused by earbuds.

■ Mother is the final guest of “Yun Nam-no's Place” anniversary season: “She had never once visited my restaurant”

On the 27th, YouTube channel “Studio Slam” released a video titled “Nam-no’s real mom makes an appearance?! The day he reconciled with her after two years over her tuna kimchi stew (tuna kimchi stew recipe) ㅣYun Nam-no's Place EP.52.”

Yun Nam-no’s mother made a surprise appearance as the final guest of the first-anniversary special of “Yun Nam-no's Place.” During an earlier planning meeting with the production team, Yun Nam-no was asked what he most wanted to do for the anniversary. He revealed that he and his mother had been deeply estranged, saying, “My mom has never once come to my restaurant.” He added, “She never calls me first, but deep down, I’m sure she really wants to come to my restaurant,” expressing his affection for her.

Yun Nam-no later visited the middle school his mother attends as she resumes her education later in life. He gave her school supplies and spent a warm moment with her as she apologized to him. In the car on the way to his restaurant, his mother wept and said, “Because I had to run the business, I couldn’t let my own children drink their fill of milk without worrying, and whenever customers came, I had to put them down. I’m so sorry I couldn’t raise you properly.” Yun Nam-no also turned away and wiped away the tears he had been holding back.

■ Did he look down on her after becoming successful? The story behind the two-year estrangement: noise-canceling earbuds

When Yun Nam-no’s mother entered her son’s restaurant for the first time, she served side dishes she had prepared herself and made the tuna kimchi stew he had always wanted to learn to cook. They shared a meal and finally opened up about the real cause of the old conflict that had driven them apart for two years.

It began with a minor misunderstanding involving earbuds. Yun Nam-no said, “When I’m developing a menu, I always put on earbuds and immerse myself, even when I’m alone at home. At the time, we didn’t have a washing machine, so my mom came over to help with the laundry, and I was lying on the bed with my earbuds in.” He continued, “She called me and asked why I was ignoring her, but my ears were blocked, so I genuinely don’t remember hearing anything.”

His mother said, “I got angry because I wondered whether this kid was ignoring his mother now that he had become somewhat successful. I was hurt and cursed at him, saying, ‘Did appearing on “Culinary Class Wars” change you so much that you look down on people?’”

As the two remained at an impasse, the production team stepped in to mediate. The team explained, “Earbuds these days have a feature that completely blocks outside noise, so when you’re immersed, you may not hear surrounding sounds or notice anyone nearby.” Only then did his mother understand how the earbuds worked. She apologized to her son, and they cleared up the misunderstanding.

■ “I saved 20 million won to send Mom on a trip” — A deeply moving reconciliation

With the misunderstanding resolved, Yun Nam-no shared the filial devotion he had kept to himself. “I set aside a few hundred thousand won at a time while appearing on ‘The Fridge’s Table’ to send my mom on a trip, and I had saved 20 million won,” he said. “The episode of ‘Omniscient Interfering View’ where I ate grilled intestines was originally supposed to feature my mom and me together, but we stopped speaking after what happened. I’m telling you about it for the first time today.” His confession moved everyone in the studio.

His mother also apologized and expressed her gratitude again. “When I couldn’t see you, I would sometimes watch you on YouTube and talk to the phone screen by myself, saying, ‘Are you doing well?’ I didn’t realize I had completely misunderstood,” she said.

After putting aside the absurd misunderstanding caused by the earbuds, Yun Nam-no and his mother held hands again over her tuna kimchi stew. “I hope we can stop having meaningless arguments now,” he said warmly, bringing the two-year estrangement to an end and moving viewers.