In 'Living with Hwang Shin-hye,' actor Kwon Oh-jung confessed a belated coming-of-age story: in his 20s he turned outward early in his marriage to a wife six years older, but only after his wife became ill did he mature and reveal the story.
On the evening of the 29th, KBS 1TV variety show 'Living with Hwang Shin-hye' (abbreviated Living with Hwang Shin-hye) aired, and Kwon Oh-jung appeared as a guest.
In particular, Kwon Oh-jung caused a stir by quickly marrying, registering the marriage at age 26 to a wife six years older. Although older-woman, younger-man couples are more common these days, such matches were uncommon when Kwon Oh-jung got married. Kwon Oh-jung expressed his love for the wife he fell for at first sight, saying, "I happened to be walking around the college area and when I first saw my wife a bell rang in my ear. I decided I had to marry her as soon as I saw her."
He said, "But back then people in Korea thought women over 28 couldn't get married. Because of the perception that you must not be late, early marriage in your 20s was natural. But my wife's marriage timing was delayed while she dated me. She was 32 when we married. When my wife was attending church, the pastor told couples who hadn't married yet to hurry. On her birthday, without asking for permission I went ahead and registered our marriage," revealing the love story.
Despite opposition from both families, they began by registering the marriage. Kwon Oh-jung said, "We had to find a house but it was tight. We began our newlywed life in a semi-basement monthly rental. Then I called my mother-in-law to tell her we had registered our marriage and both families went crazy. Both sets of parents wanted at least the wedding to be done properly," he revealed the behind-the-scenes story of the belated wedding.
However, even though Kwon Oh-jung is a devoted romantic at heart, he was not happy throughout the marriage. In response to Hwang Shin-hye's question asking whether he was practically exhausted, Kwon Oh-jung confessed, "Actually the happiness didn't last long. I thought that after marriage I would always be joyful and happy with my husband, but because the husband is an entertainer he has to socialize with people and I couldn't help but use that as an excuse. It's not that I went out because I liked it," admitting he neglected his family in the early married days.
He continued, "So my wife seemed to be lonely. The loneliness accumulated, and it was harder because the child was uncomfortable too. I liked people and drinking more than being family-oriented. My wife's heart hurt and it was hard, but it piled up and became painful. As my wife suffered, I suffered, and the child suffered too. I had lived too selfishly until then, so when I realized my wife was ill and needed care, I thought I should cherish her, and for several years I was with her 365 days a year," he confessed.
Kwon Oh-jung said, "As that happened, I began to love her again. As my wife received the husband's love, her recovery quickened. Since last year my wife has been recovering and I've recovered too. So I thought working to restore things to their original state would complete the recovery, so I planned to work," he said with self-deprecating humor, adding, "but now there is no work."
[Photo] Provided by KBS.
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