Actress Park Bo Young recently shared an anecdote that reflected how dating rumors between actors could often have deeper repercussions than fans realize.
The actress recently appeared on the YouTube channel of singer-songwriter Jung Jaehyung as a special guest and talked about her life and career at length. During their conversation, she also addressed the dating rumors between her and a senior actor.
Park’s latest K-Drama is a Disney+ series called Light Shop where she portrays a nurse who has an unusual connection to her patients. Based on a webtoon by the famous author Kang Full, the series marked the directorial debut of actor Kim Hee Won.
Back in 2020, Park Bo Young and Kim Hee Won got embroiled in dating speculations after the two were spotted together in a cafe. Though the rumors were officially denied by their agencies, it took a pretty serious toll on the two’s friendship, according to the actress.
While talking about how she got involved in Light Shop, Park brought up her dating rumor with Kim Hee Won, stating, “I was always close to Kim Hee Won sunbae. We were so close that there were dating rumors.”
She then revealed that this close friendship was almost sabotaged by the rumors, since it made Kim Hee Won cut off contact with her for a good while.
Sunbaenim felt so bad for me that he didn’t contact me for a year. He kept saying, ‘I feel really guilty toward you,’ and stopped contacting me.
— Park Bo Young
But it was the actress’s strong reassurance that saved their friendship. “I told him, ‘Do you think our friendship would break over something like this.” she argued with Kim, adding, “I’m very angry.”
Since people already knew we were so close, I told him to just act comfortably again. That day we met and ate a lot and drank a lot of tea…As I was about to leave, he handed me a book and said, ‘This is something I’ll be working on. Just take a look casually. I’ll be directing it, but no pressure.’
— Park Bo Young
Despite Kim’s reassurance, the actress admitted that she felt a sense of huge pressure. But since she had always been a fan of Kang Full and had already read Light Shop since it was serialized, she readily agreed to do the series.
Though the dating rumor could have taken a serious toll on Park Bo Young’s personal relationship with an inustry senior, it ultimately brought her a great project!
You can read more about Park Bo Young’s dating rumors with her co-stars here:
Park Hyung Sik Directly Addresses Viral Clip With Park Bo Young That Reignited Dating Rumors