2
10
1
1
1
2
Charming, Emotional Love Story with a Side of Supernatural —Not Perfect, But Worth Your Time
I started this drama for Park Eun Bin—she's one of my favorite actresses, and I have full faith in her talent. Every work of hers I've seen has been great and makes me look forward to her projects. The second reason was the male lead, Yang Se Jong. I've seen him in only two roles, but I was smitten with him in Still 17, so I was thrilled to see him cast here—a welcome comeback for me.
Moreover, the premise looked very promising. I personally love stories with themes of life beyond death or where you help the deceased—having seen and loved dramas like "Move to Heaven", "Tomorrow," and "May I Help You". All of this came together as a great mix that spelled a good drama. I watched it as it aired and was completely hooked from Episode 1. Every weekend delivered a great ghost case while progressing the main characters' background arcs and love story with finesse. As expected, the acting was top-notch, the pacing was good, the romance mature and endearing without being overbearing, and the cliffhangers extremely well done. Even with the rom-com cliches, it never felt over the top and fit well into the narrative.
Still, I wouldn’t call it a perfect 10 or a masterpiece—it had flaws. But despite them, it remained engaging, charming, and one of the noteworthy dramas of 2026.
➥ PROs:
(1) Storyline:
The drama balanced ghost cases with the heroine’s curse, her romance, and chaebol politics. None of these threads were left hanging, which is a mark of good storytelling. Midway, I discovered it was connected to the hit movie Spellbound. Rewatching the film reminded me why I loved it, and while the drama shares elements, it takes its own direction. Like the movie, it’s equally charming and deserves praise.
(2) The Acting & Romance:
The main leads—Park Eun Bin and Yang Se Jong—were remarkable. They're extremely talented and able to convey a range of emotions, so I had no doubts it would be great to see them together. Their chemistry and romance were mature—nothing over the top, but rather a quiet love that blooms, which is what I love. There were some cliches, but nothing extraordinary. In fact, the love confession was one of the best I've seen in K-dramas. I personally loved it—mature, sincere, and even with limited dialogue and no fanfare, it gave me butterflies and made me smile so much. Full credit to their acting—I love how they convey so much, especially through their eyes.
Even the supporting cast—the FL's grandmother, secretaries, ML's grandmother, and co-workers—blended in seamlessly with the main story. They were exactly as they were meant to be: supportive without outshining the leads, with their own characters and stakes, making everything harmonious. This was a great facet of the drama.
(3) The OST:
After a very long time, I've loved more than one song in a drama. In fact, all the OSTs were beautiful and fit so well with every scene—emotional, romantic, or when the FL-ML duo solved cases together. My favorite remains "Promised Rings by Kim Tae Rae" —when you watch the drama, you'll get the context, and it will hold more meaning than listening to it standalone. It's earned a place in my playlist. The last drama to achieve this feat (more than one song added to my playlist) was probably "Lovely Runner", as far as I can recall (I added four from that one). Other songs dear to me are "Stay with Me" and "Love and Ghost"
(4) The Styling, Direction:
Given this was a ghost/mystery-solving story, I loved how it was directed. It wasn't scary or spooky, but it kept the element of surprise at every twist and turn within an episode—and, of course, at the end of each episode with a great cliffhanger. The story narrative plus clever direction, going back and forth without confusing the audience, really kept you wanting more of both the cases and the main leads' stories.
FL - Eun Bin's styling was especially great—I loved her clothes, accessories, and hair color (now on my wishlist). Her overall look made her appear super graceful and chic. I was surprised myself; I'm usually not a fan of chaebol styling because I feel it's too blingy and over the top, and such characters are often portrayed as ostentatious. Maybe it felt endearing because we knew the FL was kind—she acted cold but wasn't. There was a vulnerable, sad side to her, so it never seemed flashy. She seemed in control, graceful, and made you want to root for her.
(5) Green Flag ML, Strong FL:
I liked that both the ML and FL were shown to be equally good at their work. No one was dependent on the other, and there was no damsel in distress. In fact, the FL was strong and literally kicked ass—I love such characters. And the ML was such a green flag—caring and honest. There came a point where he had to choose between love and family, and he handled it with such poise, without hurting either party, that it was really well done. Bit of a spoiler: I really liked when it was said that the ML would have to support the FL because her work would be larger in scope than his. This pissed off the ML's grandmother, but the ML handled it super well. I personally loved this—especially in this age, where women in leadership still face many challenges, it was refreshing to watch.
➥ CONs:
(1) Weak Antagonists:
The villains—family rivals and the SML—felt underutilized. They had potential to be cruel and add fire to the story, but were never fully developed. It was as if they were simply there to cause issues for the main leads, like any good story needs a villain - but with low impact. It doesn't affect the overall narrative, but some scenes of their plotting felt like bumps in an otherwise smooth story.
(2) Low Rewatch Score + Not Masterpiece:
While everything about it is incredibly charming, I'm not compelled to label it flawless or a masterpiece per my own rating system. Again, this is because of the comparison with so many other dramas I've watched. So while this run was good, it's not a drama I might come back to or recall specific scenes to rewatch.
(3) Convenient Plot Points:
Certain recoveries, clues, and assists felt too convenient, leaving some arcs abrupt. A few extra episodes might have allowed these elements—and the antagonists—to be fleshed out better. Minor flaws, but noticeable overall.
➥ OVERALL:
Spooky in Love is an enjoyable and charming drama—a love story with an emotional, supernatural angle. It’s not flawless, but its strengths outweigh its weaknesses. For anyone exploring 2026 K-dramas, this one is worth watching.
Moreover, the premise looked very promising. I personally love stories with themes of life beyond death or where you help the deceased—having seen and loved dramas like "Move to Heaven", "Tomorrow," and "May I Help You". All of this came together as a great mix that spelled a good drama. I watched it as it aired and was completely hooked from Episode 1. Every weekend delivered a great ghost case while progressing the main characters' background arcs and love story with finesse. As expected, the acting was top-notch, the pacing was good, the romance mature and endearing without being overbearing, and the cliffhangers extremely well done. Even with the rom-com cliches, it never felt over the top and fit well into the narrative.
Still, I wouldn’t call it a perfect 10 or a masterpiece—it had flaws. But despite them, it remained engaging, charming, and one of the noteworthy dramas of 2026.
➥ PROs:
(1) Storyline:
The drama balanced ghost cases with the heroine’s curse, her romance, and chaebol politics. None of these threads were left hanging, which is a mark of good storytelling. Midway, I discovered it was connected to the hit movie Spellbound. Rewatching the film reminded me why I loved it, and while the drama shares elements, it takes its own direction. Like the movie, it’s equally charming and deserves praise.
(2) The Acting & Romance:
The main leads—Park Eun Bin and Yang Se Jong—were remarkable. They're extremely talented and able to convey a range of emotions, so I had no doubts it would be great to see them together. Their chemistry and romance were mature—nothing over the top, but rather a quiet love that blooms, which is what I love. There were some cliches, but nothing extraordinary. In fact, the love confession was one of the best I've seen in K-dramas. I personally loved it—mature, sincere, and even with limited dialogue and no fanfare, it gave me butterflies and made me smile so much. Full credit to their acting—I love how they convey so much, especially through their eyes.
Even the supporting cast—the FL's grandmother, secretaries, ML's grandmother, and co-workers—blended in seamlessly with the main story. They were exactly as they were meant to be: supportive without outshining the leads, with their own characters and stakes, making everything harmonious. This was a great facet of the drama.
(3) The OST:
After a very long time, I've loved more than one song in a drama. In fact, all the OSTs were beautiful and fit so well with every scene—emotional, romantic, or when the FL-ML duo solved cases together. My favorite remains "Promised Rings by Kim Tae Rae" —when you watch the drama, you'll get the context, and it will hold more meaning than listening to it standalone. It's earned a place in my playlist. The last drama to achieve this feat (more than one song added to my playlist) was probably "Lovely Runner", as far as I can recall (I added four from that one). Other songs dear to me are "Stay with Me" and "Love and Ghost"
(4) The Styling, Direction:
Given this was a ghost/mystery-solving story, I loved how it was directed. It wasn't scary or spooky, but it kept the element of surprise at every twist and turn within an episode—and, of course, at the end of each episode with a great cliffhanger. The story narrative plus clever direction, going back and forth without confusing the audience, really kept you wanting more of both the cases and the main leads' stories.
FL - Eun Bin's styling was especially great—I loved her clothes, accessories, and hair color (now on my wishlist). Her overall look made her appear super graceful and chic. I was surprised myself; I'm usually not a fan of chaebol styling because I feel it's too blingy and over the top, and such characters are often portrayed as ostentatious. Maybe it felt endearing because we knew the FL was kind—she acted cold but wasn't. There was a vulnerable, sad side to her, so it never seemed flashy. She seemed in control, graceful, and made you want to root for her.
(5) Green Flag ML, Strong FL:
I liked that both the ML and FL were shown to be equally good at their work. No one was dependent on the other, and there was no damsel in distress. In fact, the FL was strong and literally kicked ass—I love such characters. And the ML was such a green flag—caring and honest. There came a point where he had to choose between love and family, and he handled it with such poise, without hurting either party, that it was really well done. Bit of a spoiler: I really liked when it was said that the ML would have to support the FL because her work would be larger in scope than his. This pissed off the ML's grandmother, but the ML handled it super well. I personally loved this—especially in this age, where women in leadership still face many challenges, it was refreshing to watch.
➥ CONs:
(1) Weak Antagonists:
The villains—family rivals and the SML—felt underutilized. They had potential to be cruel and add fire to the story, but were never fully developed. It was as if they were simply there to cause issues for the main leads, like any good story needs a villain - but with low impact. It doesn't affect the overall narrative, but some scenes of their plotting felt like bumps in an otherwise smooth story.
(2) Low Rewatch Score + Not Masterpiece:
While everything about it is incredibly charming, I'm not compelled to label it flawless or a masterpiece per my own rating system. Again, this is because of the comparison with so many other dramas I've watched. So while this run was good, it's not a drama I might come back to or recall specific scenes to rewatch.
(3) Convenient Plot Points:
Certain recoveries, clues, and assists felt too convenient, leaving some arcs abrupt. A few extra episodes might have allowed these elements—and the antagonists—to be fleshed out better. Minor flaws, but noticeable overall.
➥ OVERALL:
Spooky in Love is an enjoyable and charming drama—a love story with an emotional, supernatural angle. It’s not flawless, but its strengths outweigh its weaknesses. For anyone exploring 2026 K-dramas, this one is worth watching.
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