Hello
안녕하세요
(Annyeonghaseyo)
こんにちは
(Konnichiwa)
你好
(Ni Hao)
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Love Next Door is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy drama, written by Shin Ha Eun and directed by Yoo Je Won.
The series aired on tvN from August 17, to October 6, 2024, with the series also available to stream on Netflix.
The series has 16 episodes.
Main Cast:
Jung Hae In as Choi Seung Hyo
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Jung So Min as Bae Seok Ryu
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Kim Ji Eun as Jeong Mo Eum
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Yoon Ji On as Kang Dan Ho
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Supporting Cast:
Park Ji Young as Na Mi Sook
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Jo Han Chul and Bae Geun Sik
Jang Young Nam as Seo Hye Sook
Lee Seung Joon as Choi Kyung Jong
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Jeon Seok Ho as Yoon Myung Woo
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Kim Geum Soon as Do Jae Sook
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Han Ye Ju as Bang In Sook
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Lee Seung Hyub as Bae Dong Jin
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Shim So Young as Lee Na Yeon
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Seo Ji Hye as Jang Tae Hui
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Lee Ji Hae as Hwang Young In
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Han Joon Woo as Song Hyeon Jun
Lee Si Hyung as Park Jung Woo
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Special Appearances:
Roh Yoon Seo as Herselg
Lee Bong Ryun as Im Kyung Ran
Love Next Door is a story of a woman who lives the perfect life abroad, being employed by one of the best companies in the world an engaged to an international lawyer. She suddenly returns to Korea. Her mother's friend's son, who is one of her childhood friends, is a top architect in Korea.
Like many of the drama's I've watched, their are songs from the OST that has stuck me with.
Any Day With You - Muzie
What Are We - Ha Sung Woon
What Are We - ZEROBASEONE
꺼내지 못한 말 (The Truth) - Jung Hae In
Choi Seung Hyo is the most noteworthy young architect in Korea, and he runs the architecture firm "Atelier In." Not only is he nearly perfect as an architect, but he is also very attractive and has a great personality. Yet, Choi Seung Hyo has experienced moments that he wants to erase from his life. Those moments usually involve Bae Seok Ryu. When they were 4 years old, their mom's became friends. Because of their mom's, Cho Seung Hyo and Bae Seok Ryu spent a lot of time together, bathing together at a women's bathhouse. Now Choi Seung Hyo meets Bae Seok Ryu as an adult.
While growing up, Bae Seok Ryu's life was smooth sailing. During her school days, she never missed ranking first academically at her school. She was always passionate and energetic in the things she did. After graduation from university, she was hired by a large company. She worked hard as a project manager, but for some reason, she quit her job and returned to Korea. She has been unemployed since then.
I'm a sucker for whenever a drama stars Jung So Min, because I absolutely adore her. I also didn't click that I've already watched Jung Hae In before as he starred in Connect. I'd read lots of good comments on this drama as well as the chemistry between the 2 leads so when I saw it was on Netflix, I knew it would be on top of my to watch list.
I absolutely loved the casting, everyone in this drama brought their A game, I loved each character and loved seeing how the developed and got around the obstacles that they met.
The drama itself was amazing, I loved how it developed, it didn't feel rushed and I wasn't left wondering what happened next. I personally think we were left with closure on the story as well as the cast. It definitely touches on some upsetting subject, especially with the health of the characters, and we also saw the way some parents treat their children differently based on their gender.
I loved Jung Hae In as Choi Seung Hyo, I loved how he portrayed his character, He's very career focused and has been for years since his friendship with Seok Ryu came to a standstill. Part of me thinks this is because he wants to make himself a better version of himself in case they ever came face to face again, but also because that's all he knows since their friendship came to a close.
As expected I loved Jung So Min as Bae Seok Ryu, she always brings something extra special to her roles which is why I always tend to love her drama's. The way Seok Ryu and Seung Hyo bounce off each other is like their friendship never came to a halt and just continued where it left off. Seok Ryu has worked hard throughout her life so as we see what she's gone through in her working life as well as personal life, I can see why she wanted to put a halt to it all and take time out for herself. Something that her mother tends to hold over her head, which often makes her feel like she's no longer good enough.
Kim Ji Eun was adorable as Jeong Mo Eum, I adored her character and she definitely brought the comedy aspect to the drama. Mo Eum has been friends with Seok Ryu and Seung Hyo since they were children and has watched how their relationship developed as they got older. She often pretended to be clueless to their feelings for one another and would help guide them whenever they came to her. But I think she saw how their relationship would eventually develop. She's very career driven and has goals and dreams she wants to achieve. Most of these drama's tend to show them putting goals to one side, but she continues to reach them no matter what else comes her way.
I loved Yoon Ji On as Kang Dan Ho, he definitely brought a naivety and cuteness to the series. We come to find that he has a daughter, but there is more to their relationship that meets the eye. From the start you can tell he's really kind and tries to keep his cards close to his chest when it comes to his own feelings. I loved watching his friendships and relationships develop with Seung Hyo, Seok Ryu and Mo Eum.
I had a love/hate relationship with Park Ji Young as Na Mi Sook, but that's because I hated how she treated Seok Ryu and Dong Jin differently. Mi Sook holds her standing in her social life with a high regard and uses Seok Ryu's achievements as her own, so when Seok Ryu returns, she feels that everyone will judge her for the reason why, and without trying to see Seok Ryu's reasoning she tries to push her back. This being said while she shows disappointment towards Seok Ryu, she tends to allow Dong Jin to make continuous mistakes and often uses his poor health as a child as a reason why she allows it. Just remember my love/hate relationship was with the character, Park Ji Young did an amazing job in her role.
I loved Jo Han Chul and Bae Geun Sik, while Mi Sook focuses on their social standing, Seun Sik doesn't really care about it. He just wants a happy and healthy family, whenever any fights or arguments break out in the family he tries to calm both sides and help the issue be resolved. I love how the drama shows that Mi Sook seems to favour Dong Jin, but Geun Sik seems to favour Seok Ryu and will fight her corner. He definitely adds some comedy to the series but we also get to see raw emotion from him, something that would be seen as weak in Korean men.
I loved Jang Young Nam as Seo Hye Sook, she's a very strong and independent woman, that loves her job, but her relationships with both her husband and son are strained, as she often worked away, it was Mi Sook that raised him, so they have a close relationship. Something I think Hye Sook is jealous off. The more we see her the more you start to question some of her actions, but there's a dark reason to why she seems to act in certain ways.
I really liked Lee Seung Joon as Choi Kyung Jong, like his wife, his relationship with her and their son is strained as he has a busy work life as a doctor. We see he tends to keep his distance from his wife because he believes she's in love with her co-worker and often misunderstands situations he catches them in. We see that he adores his family and is even willing to end his marriage for her to be happier. I love how he begins to fight for his family as well as how his friendships grow. I absolutely adored his friendship with Geun Sik.
I loved Jeon Seok Ho as Yoon Myung Woo, he definitely brought some comedy to the show and I loved that he was more of a friend than a colleague to Seung Hyo, which at times he pushed to far with wanting to focus on their business succeeding, no matter how it pushed against Seung Hyo's wishes.
I really liked Lee Seung Hyub as Bae Dong Jin, I loved his relationship with Seok Ryu, they had the typical love/hate sibling relationship. She was the only one that made him be accountable for his actions, but she also had his back if he needed it. For me they were ying and yang, they needed each other to make each other a better person and rely on each other. He always wants a quick fix to reach his goals no matter how many times it backfires on him. I definitely loves his character development, something which I don't think would have happened if Seok Ryu never returned to Korea.
I think Han Joon Woo did an amazing job as Song Hyeon Jun, we're lead to think at the beginning that he cheated on Seok Ryu and she's just protecting him out of love and respect as well as guilt. But the more we see their past, the more we learn of their love for one another and how he stood by her through everything she was dealing with. It shows us the other side to a spouse dealing with health issues, whether it be physical or mental.
I definitely recommend this drama, for me it has it all, it touches on a lot of topics that people see and live everyday, and it touches on them with respect without trying to make a joke of them. It's been a while since I've come across a drama that I loved the whole dynamic and cast, you laugh with them, you cry with them and you can't help but love and root for them. If you haven't, I definitely think you should give Love Next Door a watch.
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Have you watched Love Next Door?
Were you a fan of the cast?
Did you enjoy the plot?
Let me know in the comments below.
See you soon!
안녕
(Annyeong)
さようなら
(Sayonara)
再见
(ZaiJian)
Bye
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