Park Bo-gum poses for a picture before an interview at a Seoul cafe on Thursday. (Yoon Byung-chan/The Kpop Herald)

tvN “Reply 1988” star Park Bogum sat down with the Kpop Herald on Feb. 4 to talk about his life as an actor and a 22-year-old. Below is a transcript of his hour-long interview, filled with questions asked by the Kpop Herald readers in advance via email.

Q: Who’s your biggest rival of all the rising stars born in 1993 ? Yoo Seung-ho, Seo Gang-joon and Do Kyung-soo?
(Asked by: Anne Susano)

A: I’ve never thought of them as competitors. My parents always tell me that I’m not acting to compete with anyone but just to do what I enjoy doing, and to be thankful for having that opportunity. Some of them have more experience in acting than I do, which means I have a lot to learn from their acting. If I get the chance, it would be nice for all of us to hang out together.

Q: How do you feel about being compared to Zo In-sung, both in appearance and acting-wise? (Anne Susano)

A: It’s a huge honor to be compared to Zo. I met him at a private meeting with other people. It’ll be great to play a brother or childhood role of his character in a film or TV series.

Q: Who are your biggest supporters other than your fans and family? (Ana Vo, Allegra, Han)

A: People at my agency. They have trust in me and helped me to be where I am now. I really appreciate what they have done to make my dream come true.

Q: How are you so natural with women?
(Asked by the Kpop Herald)

A: Maybe having a sister 10 years older helps. Both men and women feel awkward when they’re in the same room for the first time. I think guys have to lead conversations and be a man. When I was shooting a kiss scene with Hyeri, I was really nervous because it was the first on-screen kiss for both of us. I was shy too, but I pretended to be okay and tried to make Hyeri feel comfortable.

Q: Do you think it's possible to get married to your first love in real life, like Deoksun and Taek?
(Asked by the Kpop Herald)

A: I don't know. It depends who you are with. I'm not dating right now, so I can't really related myself but I guess it's possible if you have faith in each other. I think about this a lot these days. You're living with one woman with the rest of your life when you get married. I'm trying to pray a lot to meet the one.

Q: Who was your first love?
(Asked by the Kpop Herald)

A: I met my first love in middle school and dated her until I was in high school. I can't remember the exact year we had dated, but we did date for a long period. We also broke up a few times in between. When I meet a girl, I date her for a long time, than just being in a month or year relationship.


By Suk Gee-hyun, Son Ji-hyoung (monicasuk@heraldcorp.com, json@heraldcorp.com)