In the latest episode of Netflix’s ‘Love Next Door’, Bae Seok-ryoo and Jung Hae-in, two childhood friends, transition from lifelong friends to lovers. The show has been a tvN series with many ups and downs, starting as a story about two childhood friends falling in love and then becoming a story about a girl who overcomes stomach cancer and quits a toxic workforce in the US to find her true vocation – cooking.
The show also features the exes of the two leads, Seo Ji-hye as Jang Tae-Hui and Han Joon-woo as Seok-ryoo’s former fiancé. Their main role seems to be to precipitate the couple’s feelings and give us a glimpse into their past lives. The series also features stories of the lead couples’ parents and a second lead couple, Jeong Mo-eum and Kang Dan-ho, with a fun story of attraction, admiration, and a few small hurdles. With four episodes to go until the finale on October 6, the series holds out promise.
In the show ‘Love Next Door’, Seok-ryoo returns to South Korea after returning from the US, working at a leading MNC called Greip. She quit her job due to workplace harassment and a fiancé’s depression. Seung-ho, a young architect, struggles to maintain his business despite his morals. They revert to old, sometimes childish behaviors when they meet again. The show also features a love story between Seung-ho and Seok-ryoo’s childhood friend Jeong Mo-eum, who falls for a reporter and single dad named Kang Dan-ho. They admire each other and have skirmishes over silly things, such as lollipops in their favorite flavor. Despite their struggles, the scenes built around their story are rom-com gold.
Korean romances often feature two couples finding love simultaneously, as seen in ‘Business Proposal’, ‘Nevertheless’, and ‘Reply 1988’. These dual love stories serve as both foils and reinforcement, showcasing the uniqueness of each story and underlining that love will eventually find a happy ending. The show also highlights the commonality between the three friends, Seung-ho, Seok-ryoo, and Mo-eum, who share a common high school friendship. This connection is crucial to the show’s title, ‘Mom’s Friend’s Son’, which is a mouthful of details. The show’s pre-production working title is ‘Mom’s Friend’s Son’.
Love Next Door, directed by Yoo Je-won, is a romantic drama that explores the lives of high-achieving Asian kids and the pressures they face to outperform others. The show follows the story of a former stockbroker who returns to his coastal town after a guard in his company commits suicide. The story also features a tragic suicide. The director focuses on the aftermath of one’s peak, focusing on how they reimagine and rebuild their lives. The show features a heart-to-heart between Seung-ho and Seok-ryoo, who decide not to return to their original jobs and lives if given the chance. Writer Shin Ha-eun, who has worked with Je-won on ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’, presents a new take on the trope of kids who grew up together realizing they want to be more than friends in ‘Love Next Door’.
