Extremely Endearing Characters
I finally finished Love Next Door after hearing people called boring day and night, and I have thoughts. Let’s start with the biggest crime of all: where was the wedding?! Like, come on. They built up the romance, gave us all these heartwarming moments, and then just… left us hanging? Not even a single frame of the ceremony? Not even a glimpse of Danoh and Moeum’s reunion in the South Pole?? We deserved those crumbs! The audacity!
But okay, let’s rewind a little, because this drama had me feeling things along the way. First off, let’s talk about Seokryu’s entire situation, because it was honestly frustrating in the best way. Her ex-fiancé coming back was already bad enough, but the fact that her own mother was trying to push them back together?? After everything he did to her? After he hurt her so much that she literally had to run back to Korea?? It was insane. And her mom wasn’t even trying to look out for Seokryu’s happiness—she just wanted to parade her daughter around like some trophy for the sake of appearances. It wasn’t even about going back to an “original” life; it was about forcing Seokryu back into a fake life just because it looked better to others. The lack of support, the pressure, the complete dismissal of what Seokryu actually wanted—it was so annoying.
Now, moving on to the relationship dynamics in this show, because wow. At some point, I had to stop and ask—what is Love Next Door’s obsession with rejection first and then acceptance?! Every single relationship in this drama had to go through this formula. Every. Single. One. Seunghyo got rejected by Seokryu twice, then got accepted. Kang Danoh and Jung Moeum’s relationship? Rejected by Moeum’s mom first, then accepted. Moeum got rejected by Danoh twice before finally being accepted. And just when Seokryu and Seunghyo were finally happy with their relationship, boom, their moms had to come in and disapprove. Like, what is UP with this show?? I’m not fully complaining because it still worked in the end, but I am complaining a little because it was so obvious and repetitive. It’s like they were following a strict rejection-to-acceptance rulebook, and it started feeling too much. And while I could somewhat understand the whole rejection-acceptance pattern, and the reasons for everyones rejection, the one thing I could NOT understand was Seokryu’s mother. Like, why was she so against Seokryu and Seunghyo’s relationship?? Something about her worrying about Hye-suk looking down on Seokryu? I really thought that was cheap considering they had been friends for 4 decades, to think like that about your bestfriend does not sit right with me. Even after everything, even after seeing her daughter struggle and finally find happiness, why was she still in denial?! It just didn’t make sense to me.
That said, I really liked Seokryu’s character arc and how her decisions all stemmed from her low self-esteem and fear of failure. She had already experienced so much—her failed marriage, her failed job—so it made sense that she was overly cautious about everything. When Seunghyo proposed to her, her immediate reaction was to reject him, not because she didn’t love him, but because she didn’t want him to end up like her ex-husband. She didn't want to trouble Seunghyo. She was so afraid of abandonment that she shut herself off before anyone else could. That fear of getting sick again, of losing everything, of being left behind—it explained so much about why she was the way she was.
But one of the best parts of this drama was how well it handled the different family dynamics of Seokryu and Seunghyo. Every family here was given depth, and it really made the story feel grounded. Seokryu’s family, despite being frustrating at times, felt so real—I could actually relate to it. Even Dongjin, who honestly had one of the best character arcs in the show, was written with so much care. His whole crashout moment, was incredible. Watching him hit rock bottom and then slowly rebuild himself and his relation with Seokryu was so satisfying. And even though Seokryu’s mother was annoying, she was still understandable. That detail of her playing the drums when she was extra mad? So good. It made her more than just a frustrating character—it gave her personality. Seunghyo’s parents were another highlight—starting off so distant, but slowly coming back together after years of separation. Their arc felt really touching, and the way they reconnected in the end was so well done. Also, the boss suddenly announcing, “I am gay” was so random but so funny. That moment was gold.
Seokryu and Seunghyo had such a mature, deeply emotional relationship that felt so raw and real. Their love wasn’t just about grand gestures but about understanding, about slowly breaking down walls and finding comfort in each other. Leaning on one another in times of trouble, giving each other space when needed but still wanting to be with one another, ah, my heart! And then there’s Danoh and Moeum—THEY WERE ADORABLE!! Every scene with them had me giggling and kicking my feet; their dynamic was just so fun and full of that youthful, almost chaotic kind of love that makes your heart flutter. Though Moeum wanting to be a mom to Yeongdu was pretty jagging, like yes she loved Yeongdu a lot, I mean, who would not, but still it was pretty suprising. And don’t even get me started on Yeongdu—my precious baby!! She was literally the cutest, every time she was on screen I just wanted to squish her!! There’s so much to love about this drama, from the relationships to the little character details that made them feel so real. It just had this perfect balance of warmth, humor, and heartfelt moments that made it so special!
Overall, Love Next Door was endearing, full of fantastic character work, and had a lot of heart. But that ending?? I needed just a little bit more. 8.5/10 because I loved it, but I’m still mad about those missing scenes. And well, at times, yes it was boring! Some scenes definetly felt filler, just there to extend time, but its definitely worth pulling through to see the actual attraction — the endearing characters and family dynamics.
But okay, let’s rewind a little, because this drama had me feeling things along the way. First off, let’s talk about Seokryu’s entire situation, because it was honestly frustrating in the best way. Her ex-fiancé coming back was already bad enough, but the fact that her own mother was trying to push them back together?? After everything he did to her? After he hurt her so much that she literally had to run back to Korea?? It was insane. And her mom wasn’t even trying to look out for Seokryu’s happiness—she just wanted to parade her daughter around like some trophy for the sake of appearances. It wasn’t even about going back to an “original” life; it was about forcing Seokryu back into a fake life just because it looked better to others. The lack of support, the pressure, the complete dismissal of what Seokryu actually wanted—it was so annoying.
Now, moving on to the relationship dynamics in this show, because wow. At some point, I had to stop and ask—what is Love Next Door’s obsession with rejection first and then acceptance?! Every single relationship in this drama had to go through this formula. Every. Single. One. Seunghyo got rejected by Seokryu twice, then got accepted. Kang Danoh and Jung Moeum’s relationship? Rejected by Moeum’s mom first, then accepted. Moeum got rejected by Danoh twice before finally being accepted. And just when Seokryu and Seunghyo were finally happy with their relationship, boom, their moms had to come in and disapprove. Like, what is UP with this show?? I’m not fully complaining because it still worked in the end, but I am complaining a little because it was so obvious and repetitive. It’s like they were following a strict rejection-to-acceptance rulebook, and it started feeling too much. And while I could somewhat understand the whole rejection-acceptance pattern, and the reasons for everyones rejection, the one thing I could NOT understand was Seokryu’s mother. Like, why was she so against Seokryu and Seunghyo’s relationship?? Something about her worrying about Hye-suk looking down on Seokryu? I really thought that was cheap considering they had been friends for 4 decades, to think like that about your bestfriend does not sit right with me. Even after everything, even after seeing her daughter struggle and finally find happiness, why was she still in denial?! It just didn’t make sense to me.
That said, I really liked Seokryu’s character arc and how her decisions all stemmed from her low self-esteem and fear of failure. She had already experienced so much—her failed marriage, her failed job—so it made sense that she was overly cautious about everything. When Seunghyo proposed to her, her immediate reaction was to reject him, not because she didn’t love him, but because she didn’t want him to end up like her ex-husband. She didn't want to trouble Seunghyo. She was so afraid of abandonment that she shut herself off before anyone else could. That fear of getting sick again, of losing everything, of being left behind—it explained so much about why she was the way she was.
But one of the best parts of this drama was how well it handled the different family dynamics of Seokryu and Seunghyo. Every family here was given depth, and it really made the story feel grounded. Seokryu’s family, despite being frustrating at times, felt so real—I could actually relate to it. Even Dongjin, who honestly had one of the best character arcs in the show, was written with so much care. His whole crashout moment, was incredible. Watching him hit rock bottom and then slowly rebuild himself and his relation with Seokryu was so satisfying. And even though Seokryu’s mother was annoying, she was still understandable. That detail of her playing the drums when she was extra mad? So good. It made her more than just a frustrating character—it gave her personality. Seunghyo’s parents were another highlight—starting off so distant, but slowly coming back together after years of separation. Their arc felt really touching, and the way they reconnected in the end was so well done. Also, the boss suddenly announcing, “I am gay” was so random but so funny. That moment was gold.
Seokryu and Seunghyo had such a mature, deeply emotional relationship that felt so raw and real. Their love wasn’t just about grand gestures but about understanding, about slowly breaking down walls and finding comfort in each other. Leaning on one another in times of trouble, giving each other space when needed but still wanting to be with one another, ah, my heart! And then there’s Danoh and Moeum—THEY WERE ADORABLE!! Every scene with them had me giggling and kicking my feet; their dynamic was just so fun and full of that youthful, almost chaotic kind of love that makes your heart flutter. Though Moeum wanting to be a mom to Yeongdu was pretty jagging, like yes she loved Yeongdu a lot, I mean, who would not, but still it was pretty suprising. And don’t even get me started on Yeongdu—my precious baby!! She was literally the cutest, every time she was on screen I just wanted to squish her!! There’s so much to love about this drama, from the relationships to the little character details that made them feel so real. It just had this perfect balance of warmth, humor, and heartfelt moments that made it so special!
Overall, Love Next Door was endearing, full of fantastic character work, and had a lot of heart. But that ending?? I needed just a little bit more. 8.5/10 because I loved it, but I’m still mad about those missing scenes. And well, at times, yes it was boring! Some scenes definetly felt filler, just there to extend time, but its definitely worth pulling through to see the actual attraction — the endearing characters and family dynamics.
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