Strong Woman Do Bong Soon may have ended over a week ago, but Park Bo Young is still making headlines. First, there was the issue of her dating co-actor Park Hyung Sik in real life. It seems the production staff of the K-drama all thought that a romance was brewing between the two actors since their chemistry was undeniable both on and offscreen.

Bo-young put an end to the rumors saying that the staff had misconstrued their closeness on-set. Though they would often spend time together, it was only to discuss their scenes as Ahn Min Hyuk and Do Bong Soon. The actress shared that the Kpop-idol-turned-actor was a jokester and would often deliver his dialogues in a playful manner.

The production crew of 'Strong Woman Do Bong Soon' thought that Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik were dating in real life. [Image by JTBC]

On the other hand, Bo-young opened up about how much she could relate to her character, Bong-soon. Drama Fever shares that the actress could identify with the strong woman in the K-drama, who is forced to hide her strength, resulting in low self-esteem.

“I also have a low self-esteem. As Do Bong Soon gained confidence in the drama, I felt like I was also gaining confidence at the same time so I really enjoyed it,” the 27-year-old actress said.

This is quite surprising since Park Bo Young is one of the most sought after actresses in South Korea. She debuted on television in 2006 in the drama Secret Campus and has since then been building her career as an actress. She also starred in the 2008 film Scandal Makers, which led her to the title “Nation’s Little Sister.” After that, a legal dispute with her management agency led to her hiatus for a number of years. When she came back to the scene in 2012, she starred opposite Hallyu actor Song Joong Ki in A Werewolf Boy, which reestablished her popularity on screen. Her return to K-drama debuted with another Hallyu actor, Jo Jung Suk in Oh My Ghostess.

Bo-young explained that her low self-esteem was something that developed as she continued to work. She was always thinking about how she would appear to others, and admits that she gets affected with negative feedback from the public.

[Image by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images]

“I do get hurt by them, but I learn about things I do that people don’t like to see. I think about whether my voice is too whiny or if any of my actions make them uncomfortable. When they tell me I always look the same when I cry, I think of ways to cry differently,” Park Bo Young reveals.

“Even when I receive compliments, to me they just sound like things people say to be nice to me. So, at the beginning of the year, instead of a resolution like ‘I’ll do this many projects this year,’ I made a resolution to believe in myself more and to love myself more.”

However, Park Bo Young still would not relent to signing up to social media, despite her fans’ wishes. In this day and age, this is understandable, as nothing opens a celebrity to criticism more than to post on social media. She reveals though that lately she’s been using V Live to interact with her legions of fans. Since this medium is live, Bo Young says that she makes sure to think about what she should and shouldn’t say on broadcast.

“I’m not as careful as I look, which is why I choose not to do social media. It’s really because I don’t trust myself. I’m also very easily influenced by my feelings and will impulsively act on my emotions, which is another reason why I don’t do social media.”

Instead, Bo Young writes in a journal. She reveals that at first, she used a journal to prepare herself for interviews. As time went on though, she started writing to preserve precious memories. She says that there’s a lot of benefits to writing in a journal. As youthful as Park Bo Young is, it’s amazing to know that unlike most from her age group who spend all their time on social media, she can find other ways to express herself.

Ironically, fans need to be careful though, as it looks like a fake social media account was created on behalf of the actress. Her agency warned the public that the account is not verified and the posts are not from Park Bo Young herself.

[Featured Image by JTBC]