Actor Lee Pil-mo Recounts University CC Romance and Love Triangle Drama

Actor Lee Pil-mo has candidly shared his experiences as a campus couple (CC) during his university days and revealed an intriguing love triangle that unfolded at the time.

The episode of Channel A's 'Close Friends' Barbecue Pit - A Table for Four', aired on the 15th, featured Lee Pil-mo and his wife Seo Soo-yeon hosting Park Kyung-lim, Lee Jong-hyuk, and Kim Min-gyo at their home. As fellow classmates from the Class of '93 in the theater department at Seoul Institute of the Arts, the three friends reminisced about their university days.

Lee Pil-mo admitted to feeling a sense of disconnect upon entering university. He recalled seeing peers with long hair and multiple piercings on one ear, thinking, "Do I really have to attend school with these kinds of people?" This initial feeling of not belonging lingered for a while.

He described Lee Jong-hyuk as a studious, model student, and Kim Min-gyo as someone who seemed to have many girlfriends. Lee Pil-mo confessed that he was so nervous around female students that he couldn't even call them by their names properly. Lee Jong-hyuk, coming from an all-boys high school, was surprised by how casually seniors would hug female classmates, while Kim Min-gyo displayed a more outgoing approach.

When Park Kyung-lim brought up a supposed love triangle involving the two men, Lee Pil-mo detailed the university dating culture and his efforts to pursue a relationship. He explained, "We didn't go through formal dating; it was about being manly and just grabbing a wrist, saying 'Let's be a CC from today.'" However, he noted the lukewarm response. "We never had a proper meal, just coffee twice, but I always waited to walk her home and took the subway back. I even called her from the army until right before my discharge." The plot thickened when Kim Min-gyo revealed that he had been dating the same woman.

"Years later, Min-gyo told me, 'I don't know if I should say this, but we were dating,'" Lee Pil-mo recounted, visibly surprised. Kim Min-gyo elaborated, "I thought we were dating. I was also walking her home like you. Then suddenly, Pil-mo said he liked her. Seeing you walk her home, I figured she'd go for the better-looking guy, so I stepped back." When Lee Jong-hyuk expressed concern about his wife watching, Lee Pil-mo emphasized, "It was strictly platonic with her," much to everyone's amusement.

Born in 1976, Lee Pil-mo's romance with Seo Soo-yeon began after they met on the first season of TV Chosun's dating show 'Taste of Love' in 2018. They transitioned from the show to a real-life relationship and married in 2019, and they now have a son. Beyond his acting career, Lee has actively appeared on various variety shows, cultivating a friendly image among the public.