Yoo Yeon-seok, Inspired by His Romance with Chae Soo-bin in ‘When The Phone Rings,’ Expresses Strong Desire for Marriage

Yoo Yeon-seok, who recently celebrated his 40th birthday, sat down for an interview on January 6 at Starship Entertainment’s headquarters in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, where he shared his thoughts on marriage and reflected on his career.

Yoo Yeon-seok is currently starring in “When The Phone Rings,” a secret romance-thriller based on a web novel. The story revolves around a marriage of convenience between a couple in their third year of a show-window marriage, which begins with a threatening phone call. Yoo Yeon-seok plays Baek Sa-eon, the youngest spokesperson for the President’s office, who is stuck in a three-year show-window marriage.

Looking ahead, Yoo Yeon-seok expressed his excitement for future projects. “I want to explore genres I haven’t tried before, and one of those is comedy. Thankfully, my next project, ‘God and Law Office,’ is a human comedy, and I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.

Reflecting on his career, he shared, “I think I spent my 30s very diligently. My fans even gave me the nickname ‘Yeon-So’ (Yeon-seok + so), which I truly appreciate. Having a nickname as an actor is such a valuable thing.” He jokingly added, “This time, I even tried to create the nickname ‘Sexy Eyebrows’ for myself.”

Yoo Yeon-seok also reflected on the significance of gaining nicknames through his roles, saying, “It’s not easy to earn a nickname through a project, and surpassing it is even harder. In my 20s and 30s, I’ve had memorable characters and nicknames that have helped me in my career as a 40-something actor. Thanks to that, I’m now entering my 40s with more expectations than uncertainties.”

Having played a couple with Chae Soo-bin in “When The Phone Rings,” Yoo Yeon-seok also opened up about his thoughts on marriage. “I don’t think I’m someone who hasn’t thought about marriage. I just haven’t met the right person yet. I believe it’s important to be with someone you can communicate well with,” he said.

He continued, “Working on this project made me realize even more the importance of communication. It’s essential to have someone you can talk to comfortably, and I want to marry someone with whom I can enjoy conversations and have fun.”