Jo Bo-ah on Lee Dong-wook: “You Need a Year to Understand Him” – Reveals Tsundere Charm
In a warm and candid moment, actress Jo Bo-ah peeled back the layers of Lee Dong-wook‘s famously guarded personality, calling him a “tsundere” and revealing it takes at least a year to truly understand him.
On May 7, Jo Bo-ah appeared on the YouTube show Narae-sik, hosted by comedian Park Na-rae. The two shared an honest conversation titled “Jo Bo-ah, Are You Avoiding Me?”, touching on past co-stars, friendships, and even personal mishaps.
When asked who she had the best chemistry with in her many melodramas, Jo Bo-ah fondly recalled her time on Tale of the Nine Tailed with Lee Dong-wook and Kim Bum. “Filming that drama was pure joy. Dong-wook has this tsundere charm, while Kim Bum was incredibly sweet and kind,” she said.
Jo reminisced about sending coffee trucks to her co-stars, including one to Lee Dong-wook with a tongue-in-cheek message:
“Dong-wook may grumble, sulk, or say weird things, but it’s all just his way of getting close. Please bear with him at least 10 times.”
Park Na-rae laughed, “That’s a total user manual for Dong-wook!” To which Jo Bo-ah added, “He’s easily misunderstood at first. You might think, ‘Why is he so sharp? Did I do something wrong?’ But it’s really just how he expresses affection. It takes a year to get it.”
The episode also addressed Park Na-rae’s recent home burglary case. Jo Bo-ah expressed concern, and Park revealed she had recovered her stolen luxury items, some of which were found listed online thanks to a persistent friend. “They were sold off but found quickly,” she said, recalling the panic of discovering her designer bag missing before a wedding photo shoot with her comedy peers.
On a lighter note, Park praised Jo Bo-ah’s dry, flawless appearance in extreme heat during a previous variety shoot. Jo joked, “Since I do body hair removal, the sweat finds other exits. I actually sweat from my stomach—sometimes right above my belly button!”
Jo Bo-ah also touched on her marriage to a non-celebrity in October 2024 and her upcoming first post-marriage project, the Netflix series Dear Hongrang, set to premiere on May 16.