Cha In Pyo: I rushed my marriage to Shin Ae Ra as a private

Actor Cha In Pyo has opened up about why he rushed into marriage with his wife, Shin Ae Ra. Choosing to marry while serving in the military just as he was entering his prime as an actor, he compared the decision to an "adventure," stating that there are moments in life when one must follow intuition rather than calculation.

Cha appeared on the fourth episode of the MBC entertainment program "Songs That Survived Today - Playlist 109," which aired on the 11th, to share stories about his romance and marriage.

Cha rose to stardom instantly after his debut drama, "Love in Your Arms," became a massive hit. At the point where his career was just beginning its upward trajectory, he met Shin Ae Ra and decided to marry.

During the broadcast, DinDin addressed the situation, asking, "You met your partner and even married right when you should have been enjoying the success of your lead roles. Wouldn't there be some regrets? I wonder if you ever think about what it would have been like if you had enjoyed that youth."

Cha explained that he instead accepted the marriage as one of the most important choices of his life.

"There are moments in life when you have to roll the dice. I felt exactly that," he said. "I felt that if I didn't grab this woman now, I wouldn't be able to hold onto her or marry her."

He added, "I went to the military and married while on leave as a private. It was rushed," and noted, "Marriage is an adventure."

This explains how, even though it was a time when his career was beginning to expand in earnest, he chose to bet an important life decision on his relationship with the person he loved rather than waiting for a stable future.

Lee Seok Hoon, who also appeared on the show, expressed empathy by mentioning his own marriage experience. Lee revealed that he also made the decision to marry during his military service, stating, "I did it in the military too. I registered our marriage first when I was a corporal."

When DinDin speculated, "Isn't it because you become desperate in the military? Like you feel this person might leave you, and you realize there is no one but them?" Lee agreed.

However, Cha drew a line, saying, "It can vary by case," showing the stance that marriage cannot be explained solely by the situation of military service. Lee also described his marriage as "rolling the dice."

What Cha emphasized was not just the courage at the moment of deciding to marry. He also revealed his view on marriage: that to maintain a long-lasting marriage, one must make the act of expressing love a part of daily life.

When Lee asked, "It's been a while since you got married, do you express your love often?" Cha answered firmly, "That is something you must do."

As DinDin marveled, asking if it's something you should do "as often as you eat," Cha compared a married couple to a single community.

"My wife is my teammate. It's the same as cheering for them when playing a match together," he said, adding, "When I see her face in the morning, I say 'I love you.'"

He explained that beyond a simple expression of emotion, repeatedly using positive language in a marital relationship is one way to maintain the relationship.

When DinDin raised the question, "If you keep saying it like that, doesn't it lack sincerity?" Cha expressed his thoughts even more clearly.

"Whether there is sincerity or not is a secondary issue. You have to build it up like a habit. 'I love you,' 'You're pretty.' It is all an effort."

To him, love is not a passive state of waiting for emotions to occur naturally, but rather an active act that must be continuously performed within the relationship. He finds the continuity of love in the repetition of expressions and actions rather than the intensity of emotion.

Lee Joon also agreed with Cha's opinion, saying, "It is much better than not doing it."

Cha and Shin married in 1995. Cha chose to marry at a time when he was beginning to receive the most rapid attention as an actor, and has since maintained a long-lasting marriage.

The view of marriage he revealed on this broadcast pierces through both his choice at the time and his current relationship. He once dove into the adventure of marriage with the intuition that "if not now, I might lose her," and since then, he has sustained the relationship by making the act of expressing love a daily habit.

Ultimately, the marriage Cha speaks of is not about possessing a completed emotion, but is closer to a process of constantly choosing and confirming the relationship. He explains that the act of saying "I love you" is as important as feeling the love, and that this repetition accumulates as the emotional foundation of the relationship.