The Drama Between Han So Hee, Her New Boyfriend Ryu Jun Yeol, & His Ex Lee Hye Ri Explained
You’re gonna want to grab a cup of tea for this tea.
This past weekend (Mar 16), Korean actress Han So Hee, 29, took to her personal blog to announce she’s dating actor Ryu Jun Yeol, 37. Funnily enough, the confirmation came just one day after her agency firmly denied the dating rumours that began swirling after the two stars were spotted on vacation in Hawaii.
But hold on, there’s more to this story.
For those not in the know, Jun Yeol was in a seven-year relationship with 29-year-old actress Lee Hye Ri, whom he met on the set of the 2015 K-drama, Reply 1988.
The pair parted ways last November.
After Jun Yeol and Hye Ri broke up, Hye Ri continued to follow the actor on Instagram. It was later discovered that she unfollowed him when rumours of his relationship with So Hee started spreading on Mar 15.
Hye Ri then took to her IG story to post a picture of what looks like sunset in Hawaii (aka where So Hee and Jun Yeol were vacationing) with a caption that said: “Interesting”.
A few hours after Hye Ri’s story, So Hee posted a picture of a dog holding a knife.
In the post, So Hee said she “does not like people who are in a relationship”, and that she wouldn’t give those people “any chance to be” with her. She ended her caption with: “I find it interesting too”.
It wasn’t hard to assume that So Hee was replying to Hye Ri’s cryptic message. So Hee’s post wasn’t well-received by netizens, with many saying she was unnecessarily throwing shade at Hye Ri, whose message didn’t insinuate much.
Her response also led many to wonder if she was a third party in Jun Yeol and Hye Ri’s relationship.
According to Korean news outlet MBC, So Hee had attended Jun Yeol’s photography exhibition on Nov 15 last year, just two days after his split from Hye Ri was confirmed.
In So Hee’s blog post, she emphasised that she was not a third party, neither was she a rebound.
She added that she had not planned to meet Jun Yeol during his exhibition, and instead, was there for another friend. She also explained that she and Jun Yeol only started seeing each other in 2024, and that Hye Ri and Jun Yeol had already broken up in early 2023, though the news was only made known much later.
So Hee then apologised for being “petty” in her passive-aggressive IG story, and also apologised to Hye Ri before assuring her fans that she would be more mature in the future.
Though a number of netizens have defended So Hee, others pointed out that Hye Ri and Jun Yeol were still spotted out on dates in mid-2023, unlike So Hee’s claim that the pair had broken up early in the year
Some also pointed out that Jun Yeol should be the one getting criticised since he moved on so quickly from a seven year relationship.
Hmm, thoughts?
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