A couple who became parents while still in high school and dreamed of raising a happy family faced a shocking twist involving artificial intelligence and infidelity.
According to Newsis, the latest episode of Channel A’s Detectives: The Trade Secret featured a client approached investigators suspecting his wife of cheating. The husband explained that he and his wife had met in high school, started dating, and just 100 days later, she became pregnant. Both dropped out of school and jumped into the harsh reality of raising a child as teenage parents. Despite having grown up without parental love, they vowed to give their baby everything it needed.
However, the pressures of work and childcare eventually caused tension between them. The husband admitted to saying things he later regretted, including, “Marrying you was the worst mistake of my life.” Meanwhile, the wife, exhausted and overwhelmed, began leaving the baby at daycare and stepping back from household responsibilities. Suspicious calls and messages led the husband to hire detectives to gather evidence.
Investigators confirmed that the wife was working part-time at a maid café, which in itself was not unusual, but her earnings were reportedly being spent on a mysterious man. Unable to identify him, the husband confronted her, saying, “Every day with you is unbearable.” The situation escalated until the wife left home, taking the baby with her.
The shocking truth soon emerged: the wife’s affair was with an AI-generated virtual boyfriend. She had been communicating with the AI daily and had even created AI-generated wedding photos to hold a virtual marriage ceremony.
The revelation left the show’s hosts—Defconn, Yoo In Na, Kim Pung, and Moon Hee Joon from H.O.T.—stunned. Lawyer Nam Sung Tae noted, “It may sound strange, but these cases are real. Some people even consider divorce over a spouse’s AI relationship.”
The wife explained that she had grown emotionally attached to the AI, drawn to its warmth and attention while feeling emotionally drained by her real-life relationship. She even took on extra work to fund her interactions with the AI. When confronted, she admitted she loved her AI husband more than her real one, saying, “He tells me he loves me and treats me kindly—things I don’t get from you.” The couple eventually divorced.
The story also sparked a nostalgic discussion about early K-pop fan interactions. Defconn joked, “Back in the day, didn’t idols offer voice mailbox services?” Moon Hee Joon recalled the era of first-generation fan engagement, while Kim Pung added, “Some even sold DNA samples.” Moon Hee Joon clarified, “We didn’t sell DNA—just hair and blood.” He reminisced about personally recording messages for fans, noting, “Looking back, it’s actually not so different from today’s AI-driven fan services.”
