Even before the term “hugot” was coined, the story of Jodi and Cholo in the hit Korean series “Stairway to Heaven” made Filipinos sing “langit ka, lupa ako, hanggang tanaw na lang ba tayo” with all their hugot thoughts.
The majority of Filipinos think that being separated by beliefs and race will only happen in Korean movies and series. But through GMA’s Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho (KMJS), the K-drama-like story of Filipina was made public.
KMJS featured the story of Felicidad Reyes, a mother from Dingalan, Aurora, on how she fell in love with a Korean national, Lee Sang Soo; how the two dreamed and created a family together; and how they were separated by differences in cultures and beliefs.
But these differences did not stop them from falling in love. They tied the knot in 1992, the same year Lee Seung Hee was born. Even with a cold treatment from her partner’s family, Reyes gave birth to a second son, Lee Jin Hee.
There were episodes of a rocky relationship. At times, Reyes escaped the hoary episodes of mugging and physical abuse by heading back to the Philippines, but Lee Sang Soo would always come to pick her up.
Lee Sang Soo’s family raised eyebrows when Reyes conceived their third child, Jayson Lee, the letter sender. They convinced Reyes to abort her pregnancy because of a belief that having a third male child is an atrocity.
Reyes had no choice but to go back to the Philippines and raise Jayson alone, even with her heart crying over the absence of her two sons.
“Patawad dahil iniwan ko kayo dahil hindi ko alam na ganito kasakit pala magkahiwalay pala. Sana patawarin niyo ako sa ginawa ko,” Reyes said, addressing to Lee Seung Hee and Lee Jin Hee.
(Forgive me because I left you because I did not know that separation is this hard. Please forgive me for what I did.)
Felicidad had connection with Lee Seung Hee and Lee Jin Hee, but they lost contact when the Lee family transferred to a new home in 2008.
Despite living without a father for more than a decade, Jayson still wants to see Lee Sang Soo and be with his brothers.
“Gusto kong tanungin kung bakit niya ginawa kay mama yun [pero] walang mangyayari kung galit lang ang papairalin kay Papa,” Jayson said.
Photo Credit: Jayson Lee’s Facebook account
