Bae In-hyuk bursts into laughter at Lee Se-young’s face in K-drama The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract — here’s why

Park Yeon-woo’s wedding day goes from bad to worse in K-drama The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract.

Firstly, the woman’s new husband tells her he’s been suffering a chronic heart disease, apologises and keels over. Then, she gets kidnapped by an unknown man and thrown into a well.

Instead of perishing, the 19th century woman gets transported to the modern day and rescued from a swimming pool by a man who looks exactly like her husband.

Actress Lee Se-young, who plays Yeon-woo, told AsiaOne in a recent interview that shooting the attempted murder scene was the most memorable one for her.

“When shooting the scene where I get thrown into the well, I had to be suspended. I remember blood rushing to my face, making it turn red,” she said.

The 30-year-old added that the actor who had to carry her and toss her, as well as the stunt team, “went through the most hardships” during the scene.

The most challenging part for Se-young, however, was the hairstyle changes that came with playing a time traveller from Korea’s Joseon era.

“When transitioning between Joseon and modern times in a single day, with fixed shooting schedules, restyling was required, making it physically demanding,” she laughed.

Her co-star Bae In-hyuk’s favourite moment also came from the first episode.

“There was a scene where we watched the nakhwa nori (traditional Korean fireworks display), and after I enjoyed it so much, I looked at Se-young’s face and my own,” the 25-year-old shared.

“Both of our faces were covered in soot, and that memory made me burst into laughter.”

While In-hyuk may have had fun on set, his character Kang Tae-ha initially comes off as cold. He’s also the potential successor to a conglomerate, making for a common trope where the uninterested rich male lead falls in love.

When asked what made Tae-ha different, he shared: “He’s a character without emotions, but that emotional detachment is a path he has chosen. It has emerged from pain and scars, and his attempts to overcome them over time make his character all the more compelling.”

But it also made him a difficult character to portray.

“His initial portrayal is characterised by a lack of emotional fluctuations, appearing unemotional and almost mechanical, to the extent of earning the nickname ‘Kang-droid’,” he explained.

“It was somewhat challenging to remove intonation and emotions from the speech pattern.”

The past and future

When asked what time period they’d like to travel to if they had the chance, In-hyuk picked the past.

“I want to go back to my school days. I wish to experience and do more of the things that were possible that I experienced during my school days. I want to try various challenges and feel them more fully,” he said.

Se-young, however, had a more sombre response: “I would like to witness the moments of parting with my loved ones. Because I’d like to love without regrets.”

When it came to the future, we asked the two leads if there were any roles they hadn’t tried yet they were keen on exploring.

Se-young, a former child actress with 26 years in showbiz, said: “I really want on work in a movie like Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door before I die.”

The 1997 German tragicomedy follows two terminally-ill patients, Martin Brest (Til Schweiger) and Rudi Wurlitzer (Jan Josef Liefers), who meet at a hospital. While getting drunk on tequila, Martin discovers Rudi has never seen the sea, and they steal a car and go on a journey to fulfil Rudi’s wish.

In-hyuk, who has starred in his fair share of romantic dramas, wanted to try something new.

“I want to challenge myself in the action genre,” he said.

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract also stars Joo Hyun-young, Yoo Seon-ho and Jo Bok-rae, and is currently airing on Viu.