INTERVIEW Bae In-hyuk addresses dating rumors with 'Story of Park's Marriage Contract' co-star
A scene from the MBC series "“The Story of Park's Marriage Contract" / Courtesy of MBC
In romance genre dramas, the on-set chemistry between the two lead characters is vital and occasionally sparks real-life dating rumors.
Actor Bae In-hyuk / Yonhap
This scenario unfolded with Bae In-hyuk and Lee Se-young in MBC’s recent rom-com series “The Story of Park's Marriage Contract.” The duo's showcased on-screen chemistry during the broadcaster’s year-end awards ceremony last month fueled speculation about a potential off-screen romance.
"I thought it was hilarious. I didn’t know until I got a text asking if it’s real … I thought it happened because people liked our chemistry, especially during the awards ceremony," Bae said in an interview with The Korea Times Tuesday, held at a cafe in Jongno District, Seoul.
"I feel the dating rumors mean that many people enjoyed (the series). Seeing them view us positively outside the drama, I feel like we succeeded in immersing them in the characters of Tae-ha and Yeon-woo," Bae added.
Based on the web novel of the same name, the fantasy romantic comedy series revolves around a girl from the 19th century, Park Yeon-woo (Lee Se-young), who lost her husband (Bae) on the day of their wedding.
Shortly after her husband's death, she is abducted and thrown into a well. Park wakes up in in the year 2023, where she encounters Kang Tae-ha (Bae), the heir of a family-owned business conglomerate, who shares both the appearance and name of her late husband. In the modern era, their destinies become intertwined once more when Kang proposes a contract marriage to Park.
The 12-part series, which ended with a 9.3 percent viewership rating on Saturday, is directed by Park Sang-hoon, whose previous work was the 2018 action series “My Secret Terrius.”
Since debuting with a web series in 2019, Bae took on the challenge of portraying dual roles in this series.
"For me, the series was mentally challenging. Most of my previous roles were as college students or young adults, but this was the first time I had to depict a mature adult character. I spent a lot of time contemplating and took on this challenge," he said.
“But in hindsight, it will be remembered as a meaningful work that wrapped up successfully,” Bae added.
Actor Bae In-hyuk plays a dual role of characters living in the 19th century and 2023 in the series "The Story of Park's Marriage Contract." Courtesy of MBC
Bae said he tried to approach two characters, the 19th-century Kang and the modern-day Kang, as different people.
“Although it’s the same actor portraying both roles, I believe there should be differences for the viewers to see. I tried to put a distinction between them emotionally,” he said.
“For the Joseon-era's Tae-ha, I focused on reminiscing after reuniting with Yeon-woo since childhood and poignancy before his death, while the modern-day Tae-ha, whose nickname is 'Kang-droid,' appears emotionally detached. But, it’s because of his trauma and painful experiences from his youth and I tried to emphasize that part.”
Bae said crafting the intricate character of modern-day Kang, who grapples with the trauma of his mother’s death, conflicts with his stepmother, and chronic heart disease, posed the most significant challenge.
“At first, the two titles Kang had, ‘the king of emotionless’ and ‘Kang-droid’ felt too difficult. He has feelings but he’s hiding them. He has to speak in monotone and without any emotions so it was hard to set the tone … because it was such a unique character, I couldn’t take references. I spent a lot of time discussing the character with the director and writer,” he said, adding it was a difficult but rewarding experience.
“Portraying characters in extreme situations felt great. This series was challenging and demanding, yet enjoyable. After experiencing that, I realized I could enjoy portraying these types of characters and genres.”
In the Joseon era scenes, Bae credited his co-star Lee, who has considerable experience with period works, for her guidance.
"Historical settings are different, so Lee gave me a lot of advice to help me understand them. Such settings require a different posture, speech, and gestures, so I picked up a lot of details from her," he explained. "I understood how she could be in the position she is now since starting as a child actor. It has been a valuable experience."