On April 25, a video titled “Golden Friendship Is Just an Excuse” was uploaded to the YouTube channel DdeunDdeun. The episode featured Park Bo Young, Kim Hee Won, and Lee Kwang Soo, who star together in the Disney+ original series Gold Land. The trio shared their lively chemistry and revealed they have maintained a close friendship since working together on the 2015 film Collective Invention.
During the conversation, Park Bo Young and Kim Hee Won revisited the dating rumor that once surrounded them due to their unusually close bond. Park Bo Young explained, “We were so close—we ate meals together and had coffee all the time—that he became my first dating rumor.” Hearing this, host Yoo Jae Suk reacted in surprise, asking if it was true. Kim Hee Won laughed it off, saying, “That just shows how absurd the rumor was.”
Park Bo Young elaborated on the situation, recalling, “About six years ago, we were simply very close friends who often met for meals and coffee. Director Kwon Oh Kwang (Collective Invention) was staying in a different region, so we traveled there together and even had crab. But it ended up being portrayed as if the two of us had gone on a trip alone, which sparked the dating rumor.”
She continued, “At first, I saw the post on social media and thought, ‘What is this? That’s funny,’ but then it turned into actual news articles. I brushed it off, but people around me took it seriously. My father even received calls asking, ‘Isn’t Bo Young’s boyfriend too old?’” — a story that drew laughter.
At the time, Park Bo Young was between agencies, making it difficult to respond officially. “I wanted to clarify that it wasn’t true, but I didn’t have a company, so I had to handle it myself,” she said. “I contacted Kim Hee Won, but he was very sick with the flu and didn’t even know about the news. His voice sounded like he was on the verge of collapse.”
Eventually, Park Bo Young personally posted a statement on her fan café to clear up the misunderstanding—marking her first-ever dating rumor clarification. Kim Hee Won also recalled, “It was the first time in my life I received that many calls and messages. When my agency asked for a statement, I told them to deny it.”
Even director Kwon Oh Kwang, who had been with them at the time, apologized to Park Bo Young. She shared humorously, “He said, ‘I’m sorry I’m not a famous director. If I were, people would have known I was there with you.’”
Regarding a photo that fueled the rumor, Park Bo Young explained, “It became a situation of ‘Did you post it or did I?’” while Kim Hee Won added, “I was actually telling Bo Young to move aside when that photo was taken.”
After the rumor, their relationship became slightly awkward for a while. Park Bo Young revealed, “He didn’t contact me for a year. One day, I called him at dawn and asked if it was because of the rumor. He said he felt sorry.” She added, “I told him I was more upset that our friendship could be shaken so easily, and that’s how we reconnected.”
Meanwhile, Lee Kwang Soo jokingly admitted he felt oddly left out by the rumor. Park Bo Young laughed, saying, “Kwang Soo said it hurt his pride—we hang out a lot, but there’s never been a dating rumor about us.” Lee Kwang Soo added, “They get misunderstood, but not me? And this was even before I started dating Lee Sun Bin,” prompting even more laughter.
Sources: Nate
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