Hwang Jae-gyun "Ji-yeon and I mentioned 'children' within 10 minutes of first meeting"

Baseball player Hwang Jae-gyun revealed the story behind his first meeting with his wife, Ji-yeon.

SBS' 'Strong Heart VS', which aired on the 2nd, featured a special feature of 'I Live Alone', which shows the wonderful single life vs. the couple's entertainment show 'Same Bed, Different Dreams'. Lee Hyeon-i, Hwang Jae-gyun, and Lee Eun-hyung, ‘married people’ who pursue a stable family, and Lee Joo-seung and Kim Sae-rom, ‘singlers’ who enjoy the single life, appeared.

Hwang Jae-gyun recalled his first meeting with Ji-yeon. Hwang Jae-gyun said, “Ji-yeon opened the door and came in, and she was so pretty.” Hwang Jae-gyun also shared the story of how his first meeting with Ji-yeon almost turned out to be his last. The arranger who helped the two meet was drunk and said, 'It would be so pretty if you two got married and had babies.' Hwang Jae-gyun confessed that he felt hopeless because Ji-yeon may have felt burdened by the words, which were too advanced in a relationship between a man and a woman who had only known each other for 10 minutes. However, it is said that the two met again after two days. The two had a five-hour date in the car late in the morning. Hwang Jae-gyun said, "I asked to meet first. We had a five-hour date in the car in front of Jiyeon's house."

Jae-gyun Hwang told the story of his proposal and wedding. Hwang Jae-gyun and Ji-yeon got married in December 2022, after five months of dating. Hwang Jae-gyun said, "I decided to get married because of the sound of my wife's laughter. Ji-yeon laughs brightly. Isn't she cute?" He also said, "There were times when I was depressed because my grades weren't good while playing baseball, but (delayed laughter) made me feel better. He actively asked me to marry him."

Hwang Jae-gyun said, “The wedding was carried out purely according to my desires,” and revealed the wedding preparation period that was filled with more romance for the groom than for Ji-yeon as the bride. Hwang Jae-gyun, who held a grand wedding ceremony, said, "Ever since I was young, I wanted everyone to congratulate me on my once-in-a-lifetime wedding. Jiyeon actually wanted a small wedding, but I absolutely wanted a hotel, so I said I would take care of it." He also said that during his father's congratulatory speech during the wedding, he burst out in tears that he had been holding back.

Jae-gyun Hwang revealed that he proposed to Ji-yeon with a diamond ring, a handwritten letter, baby shoes, perfume, shoes, and a necklace. Hwang Jae-gyun expressed his feelings by writing down the meaning of each gift. It is said that Jiyeon shed tears after receiving the proposal.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr