"It might be too late for me" — Love Village star Ayakan cries about not having experienced childbirth

Season 2 of Love Village premiered on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Men and women from different walks of life, aged 35 to 60, participated in the social experiment to find their life partner. They resided in a traditional Okinawa house and spent their time renovating the dilapidated space. They bonded as they unveiled their past and shared their hardships.

While some connections quickly developed into romances, others took time to locate the spark. With a limited daily budget, the residents were forced to lead a frugal lifestyle, foraging most of their ingredients from the backyard garden. Amidst the chores, the cast members also mingled and forged friendships.

However, in the first episode, one cast member clashed with the others, hurt by a comment about her age. 35-year-old Ayakan, the youngest of all, got upset when Pachi Yumi called her "young." She protested her perspective and broke down, upset about not having experienced childbirth yet.

"It might be too late for me," Ayakan said.

The Love Village star confessed she was "jealous" of her co-stars since they knew what it felt like to have a child. She stated she was determined to have a family of her own and feared that she might have crossed the age to have one. The other residents consoled the female cast member, hoping to calm her.

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Ayakan clashes with Pachi Yumi and Sen-ne in episode 1 of Love Village season 2

In episode 1, Non-Glitz Romanes are Back! Ayakan argued with co-stars Pachi Yumi and Sen-ne while discussing childbirth. It all started when Pachi Yumi said the 35-year-old Osaka resident was "still young." Although Ayakan did not react immediately she was caught off guard by the remark.

She confided in Manhattan about her feelings and confessed that Pachi Yumi's comment on her age bothered her because she did not consider herself young.

"I mean, I'm not young anymore. Not a single person here is young," she added.

Ayakan felt that others trifled her experiences and demands from life since she was younger than them and still had a lot of time. However, she stated she was just like everybody else.

Pachi Yumi and Sen-ne, both in their 50s, tried to calm the Love Village star by explaining what they tried to mean. They noted that from their perspective and age, 35 was still young. Hence, they referred to it as the "springtime of life," but Ayakan was unconvinced.

At that point, Ayakan revealed the real reason why she got upset. She said she was jealous of Pachi Yumi and Sen-ne since both have had the privilege of experiencing childbirth while she was yet to have hers. While the older ladies tried to console her by saying she had time, Ayakan worried that she had already passed that age. Pachi Yumi reassured her that she could still have children at 50.

She explained that in the past, 25 was considered too old for marriage, however, with time, the norms had changed and life had become easier. Despite the reassurances, Ayakan remained unconvinced. She retaliated, saying:

"To me, saying, 'It's going to be okay' feels irresponsible."

Pachi Yumi wondered why the Love Village star was so negative about the issue. Ayakan explained that she did not want Pachi Yumi to judge her concerns based on her own standards. She called her out for trying to dismiss her thoughts and not understand her feelings.

"First, don't interrupt someone when they're in the middle of saying something," Ayakan added.

The Love Village star confessed that what Pachi Yumi said might be true, but she could not apply those standards to all and generalize everyone's experiences. Consequently, despite their efforts, Ayakan continued to feel like she was "running out of time."

Pachi Yumi apologized for her remark and stated she only wanted to help Ayakan feel better. Soon, Sen-ne disclosed her past and revealed that she struggled socially and as a mother after failing to register her marriage. Her family members even asked her to abort her child.

The argument fizzled out when Gitarin changed the subject and revealed his father had divorced six times. The information surprised the Love Village residents, who laughed and joked about it.

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Episodes of Love Village are available to stream exclusively on Netflix.