[Sportschosun Reporter Minjeong Cho] Could the love story between Sunwoo and Bora from 'Reply 1988' still not be over? Ko Kyung-pyo and Ryu Hye-young have repeatedly shown a real-life chemistry that seems to go beyond their 16-year friendship, prompting renewed speculation that there may be something romantic between them.
Ryu Hye-young appeared on the YouTube variety show 'Zzanbro,' released on the 14th, and opened up about her honest feelings toward her longtime best friend, Ko Kyung-pyo.
When Minho, who appeared on the show with her, asked bluntly, "Have you ever felt attracted to Ko Kyung-pyo, even just once?" Ryu Hye-young answered without hesitation, "I always feel a flutter," causing a stir in the studio.
Ryu Hye-young explained of Ko Kyung-pyo, "As a person, he’s tall and a handsome man, isn’t he?" However, she immediately drew a line, emphasizing that she did not have romantic feelings: "It’s completely different from love. It’s like looking at a handsome celebrity."
This was not the first time the two had created a romantic atmosphere. Ko Kyung-pyo and Ryu Hye-young appeared together on MBC's 'I Live Alone' last month, revealing the comfortable everyday dynamic of friends who have known each other for 16 years. After the broadcast, some viewers even commented that they seemed like more than friends.
The two first met and became acquainted when they entered university. Although they were an upperclassman and underclassman one year apart, they grew closer after Ko Kyung-pyo suggested that they speak casually and become friends. Since their university days, when both dreamed of becoming actors, they have shared their concerns with each other.
It was also revealed that Ryu Hye-young was close enough to Ko Kyung-pyo’s family to meet his parents at his apartment while he was away. Their 16-year history shows that they have maintained a deep friendship that goes beyond being colleagues who simply became close through a project.
On 'I Live Alone,' the two ate cold noodles and then walked together around Namsan. Ryu Hye-young explained, "When the two of us meet, we walk endlessly," while Ko Kyung-pyo casually reached out during their stroll and fixed Ryu Hye-young’s tousled bangs.
The studio quickly erupted over the pair’s remarkably natural physical contact. Seeing the adult Sunwoo and Bora, who were beloved as an older-woman-younger-man couple in 'Reply 1988,' seemingly reunite in real life, the cast members also became deeply invested in the possibility.
Although Ryu Hye-young actively explained the situation, Jun Hyun-moo left room for speculation by saying, "You never know what can happen between people." Kian84 also made everyone laugh by casting doubt on the relationship, saying, "They always end up doing that again after saying they won’t."
Ko Kyung-pyo’s willingness to eat the food Ryu Hye-young had left unfinished also became a belated topic of discussion. Some online communities speculated, "Couldn’t their relationship be more than friendship?" arguing that it was not something even longtime friends would easily do.
On 'Zzanbro,' Minho explained, "The Kyung-pyo I know is greedy when it comes to food. He could easily do that." He added, "Ko Kyung-pyo probably saw only the food, not Ryu Hye-young," pouring cold water on the romantic speculation.
However, Ryu Hye-young’s remark, "I always feel a flutter," has once again reignited speculation about a love story between the two. Although she herself draws a clear line by saying it is friendship rather than love, their comfortable 16-year relationship and seemingly casual yet affectionate behavior continue to prompt viewers to become deeply invested.
Ko Kyung-pyo and Ryu Hye-young played Sunwoo and Bora, respectively, in tvN's 'Reply 1988,' which aired in 2015. After secretly dating, breaking up, reuniting, and eventually getting married in the drama, the two were widely loved as the “Sunwoo–Bora couple.”
Minjeong Cho mj.cho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
