Actress Park Se Young has revealed how she finally got her longtime boyfriend, fellow actor Kwak Jung Wook, to marry her after eight years of dating. And apparently, she wasn’t about to wait around forever! On October 21, the couple appeared on KBS 2TV‘s The Return of Superman as the show’s newest family, sharing unexpected details about their relationship and marriage. During the episode, Park Se Young recalled how people around her initially reacted when they learned she was dating Kwak Jung Wook.
“People around me would ask, ‘Are you sure about him?’ because he has such an intimidating appearance,” she explained. However, Kwak Jung Wook revealed that their actual reactions were considerably harsher. “She’s putting it very nicely,” he said.
People were apparently telling her, ‘Why would you date someone like him? You shouldn’t marry a guy like that!’
— Kwak Jung Wook
But according to Kwak Jung Wook, appearances couldn’t be more deceiving. “In reality, she’s the real troublemaker,” he joked, pointing at his wife. Park Se Young couldn’t help but agree, admitting that their actual relationship dynamic was somewhat the opposite of what people might expect.
The couple first met while filming the 2012 K-Drama School 2013, where Park Se Young played a model student opposite Kwak Jung Wook’s rebellious character. Despite their on-screen connection, however, the two weren’t particularly close in real life. “People think we fell in love while filming the drama, but we didn’t even have each other’s phone numbers by the time it ended,” Kwak Jung Wook revealed.
Park Se Young confirmed that they barely knew each other at the time. The two eventually grew closer after repeatedly crossing paths at gatherings with mutual friends. Their relationship took a romantic turn when Kwak Jung Wook began looking for a church to attend. “My husband was looking for a church, and our mutual friends recommended me. He asked for my phone number, and we started going to church together. Eventually, we naturally started dating,” Park Se Young explained.
However, after eight years together, it was Park Se Young who finally decided to take matters into her own hands. During a visit to his wife’s drama filming location with their daughter, Kwak Jung Wook opened up about their marriage to actress Han Go Eun. Han Go Eun pointed out that couples who date for a long time while they’re young don’t always end up getting married, asking how the two had managed to make it down the aisle. Park Se Young’s answer was hilariously straightforward.
I basically grabbed him by the collar and dragged him down the aisle.
— Park Se Young
Kwak Jung Wook then revealed exactly what his wife had told him when she decided it was time to get married.
She said, ‘I’m going to get married. Are you going to marry me? Because if you’re not, I’m going to marry someone else.’
— Kwang Jung Wook
Park Se Young explained that her husband had never been particularly expressive about his feelings, so she knew she had to take the initiative. Han Go Eun jokingly suggested that Kwak Jung Wook could have at least responded with something romantic. But Park Se Young immediately shut down that possibility. “He can’t do things like that. He really can’t,” she laughed.
Despite his lack of romantic gestures, Kwak Jung Wook clearly made the right decision when his longtime girlfriend laid out her plans for marriage. The couple tied the knot in 2022 after eight years of dating and have since welcomed their daughter, Na El.