'Thank you' — Kim Hye-soo thanks mourners after bidding farewell to the late Choi Bool-am

Actor Kim Hye-soo has expressed gratitude to those who came to pay their respects at the funeral of the late Choi Bool-am.

On Wednesday, Kim posted a portrait photo of Choi on her Instagram and wrote, "To everyone who came to see him off on his final journey, and to all who mourned him — I am sincerely grateful."

Though brief, the message drew renewed attention to the bond between the two. Kim had spent all four days at the funeral hall, staying by the side of Choi's wife, actor Kim Min-ja, and offering comfort throughout.

Kim first visited the funeral hall at Asan Medical Center on Friday, the day it opened, and remained through the funeral procession and Mass — four days in all — greeting mourners as they arrived.

Particularly notable were moments when Kim personally escorted senior actors, including Youn Yuh-jung and Ko Doo-shim, as they left after paying their respects. Her attentive care for Kim Min-ja also drew wide attention. She was also spotted tidying the shoes mourners had left at the entrance, a gesture many took as a sign of her deep affection for the late actor.

At the funeral Mass held Monday at Yeouido Cathedral in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Kim stayed close to a grief-stricken Kim Min-ja, supporting and embracing her.

The two share a bond that began with the 1987 KBS drama series "Samogok." Kim, then a first-year high school student, played the daughter of Kim Min-ja's character in the series. The role brought her close to Choi Bool-am and Kim Min-ja, whom she has since treated as her own parents.

Kim spoke publicly about her affection for the couple in 2021, when she appeared on a 10th-anniversary special of the KBS 1TV program Korean Dining Table.

"Kim Min-ja and Choi Bool-am are like a mother and father to me," she said at the time. "When a great emptiness opened up in my heart, they truly embraced me warmly, as if I were their own child." She added, "Our connection was special from the very beginning, but it seems to grow more precious with each passing year."

Choi died Oct. 29 at the age of 87 after receiving treatment for deteriorating health. He married actor Kim Min-ja in 1969, and the couple had a son and a daughter. The government posthumously awarded him the Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit in recognition of his contributions.