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The story of Love in The Big City, based on Sang Young Park’s (or Park Sang-young) 2021 bestselling novel, took two different forms in 2024: a K-drama starring Nam Yoon-su and a film led by Kim Go-eun and Noh Sang-hyun. Both adaptations brought unique interpretations of the source material, each offering its own take on the complex themes of love, identity, and urban life.
The K-drama, starring Nam Yoon-su as Go Young, is structured as an anthology of interconnected stories, with each set of episodes directed by four filmmakers—Hur Jin-ho, Hong Ji-young, Son Tae-gyum, and Kim Se-in. This structure provided a broad view of the protagonist’s experiences in love and friendship as he navigated Seoul’s vibrant and harsh urban landscape.
In contrast, the film version, starring Kim Go-eun (Exhuma) and Noh Sang-hyun (Pachinko), adopted a more focused, intimate approach. Directed by Lee Eon-hie, the movie zeroes in on a specific part of the novel, concentrating on the relationship between Jae-hee (Kim Go-eun) and Heung-soo (Noh Sang-hyun).
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Jae-hee, a free-spirited woman, and Heung-soo, a closeted gay man, embody contrasting approaches to life and love, making their dynamic central to the film’s emotional core. Meanwhile, the K-drama has featured Heung-soo's character as Go Young and Jae-hee as Choi Mi-ae. The names were switched to add a distinctive tone to both projects.
Love in the Big City — A contrasting representation of a mirroring world
The K-drama, Love in the Big City, was divided into four segments, each comprising two episodes—spanning a total of eight episodes. The first episodes, directed by Son Tae-gyum, explored Go Young’s early love life, focusing on his first love, Kim Nam-gyu (Kwo Hyuk), and his friendship with Mi-ae (Lee Soo-kyung).
Here are 5 differences that set the movie apart from the drama adaptation:
1) The K-drama's anthology approach vs. the film's focused path
The eight episodes delved into his family relationships, particularly with his ailing mother, as well as his second major love story. Directors like Hur Jin-ho (known for the romantic classic Christmas in August) and Hong Ji-young brought their distinctive styles to different parts of the series. The four directors added freshness and a distinct tone, underscoring Go Young’s emotional growth.
Meanwhile, the film spans 13 years of Heung-soo and Jae-hee's lives, starting from their college days, and portrays how their evolving feelings and personal growth affect their connection. Heung-soo, played with subtlety by Noh Sang-hyun, struggled to open up due to his guarded nature and secretive past, while Jae-hee's more spontaneous approach challenged his worldview.
This sharp focus on two characters allowed the film to delve deeply into their emotional journeys, making it more concentrated on their personal connection than the sprawling drama series. Simultaneously, the K-drama adaptation shifted its focus from Heung-soo and Jae-hee's drama counterparts. The drama also traced 10 years of Go Young, representing his friendship with his four gay friends, etc.
2) A broader urban exploration of life's caveats vs. focused intimacy
The K-drama also showed how Mi-ae and Go Young drifted apart in the real world after she got married to Lee Joon-ho, whom she met at work. Even when Go Young attempted s*icide, Mi-ae wasn't aware as she and Go Young rarely kept in touch with one another due to their varied life priorities and responsibilities. Which adds another layer of realism to the drama compared to the rose-tinted movie version.
The film embraced a linear progression, with the plot developing more traditionally as opposed to the time-hopping narrative of the novel and drama. This choice enhanced the emotional stakes, as viewers followed Heung-soo and Jae-hee's evolution in a straightforward arc. The film also highlighted key moments of vulnerability, particularly Heung Soo’s eventual decision to let someone into his life.
Meanwhile, Love in the Big City drama showed the novel’s non-linear style by presenting Go Young’s relationships as both discrete and interconnected, emphasizing the complexity of modern love. Its episodic nature also permitted deeper dives into side characters, including Go Young’s friends (Eun-soo, Ho-min, and Ji-tae), making the drama more expansive in its narrative scope.
3) Love in The Big City film and K-drama's distinctive themes and tone
While both the film and drama explored the themes of love and identity in urban Seoul, the tone and focus of each medium differ significantly. The K-drama, with its varied directorial styles and anthology structure, leaned into the vibrancy and chaos of city life, showing the ups and downs of relationships through different lenses.
The tone shifted from bittersweet to comedic, depending on the story arc, which reflected the multifaceted experiences of the protagonist and his various relationships. It also touched on broader social issues like familial expectations, illness, and the search for self within the city’s bustling anonymity.
The film was more introspective and grounded, focusing primarily on Jae-hee and Heung-soo. It offered a more intimate portrayal of how a man and a woman can share a platonic love and be best friends regardless of their s*xual orientation. The film’s slower pacing and contemplative tone made it more emotional.
4) LGBTQ+ representation in Love in The Big City
Both adaptations maintain the LGBTQ+ themes that are integral to the novel. In the K-drama, Go Young’s relationships with male characters are explored more thoroughly, giving space to his journey as a gay man in Seoul. The drama normalizes his sexuality within the broader narrative of love and relationships, treating it as a central, but not singular, aspect of his character.
Similarly, the film touches on LGBTQ+ themes, particularly through Heung-soo’s struggle with intimacy and self-acceptance. However, the film focused more on his friendship with Jae-hee spanning 13 years rather than engaging deeply with the broader socio-political aspects of queer identity in South Korea.
In the film, Heung Soo's LGBTQ+ identity is more understated, largely serving as a facet of his complex character. While his internal struggle with vulnerability and love is central to the narrative. Meanwhile, the K-drama starring Nam Yoon-su as Go Young shattered the concept of "green flag" male leads as he broke several hearts and also got his own heart broken in love.
5) Visual style and directorial choices in the film and the K-drama
Love in the Big City K-drama's multiple directors and episodic structure resulted in varying visual styles, from romantic and playful tones to somber and introspective scenes. This variety kept the drama feeling fresh and dynamic, as each director brought their own interpretation to different parts of Go Young's life.
Contrastingly, the film’s single director, Lee Eon-hie, maintained a consistent visual tone throughout. She favored quieter, more reflective scenes that emphasized the emotional weight of the characters' journeys. The film’s cinematography was intimate, focusing on small gestures and quiet moments between Jae-hee and Heung-soo, reinforcing the story's focus on personal connection.
In the K-drama, the hustle and bustle of city life is ever-present, often dictating the rhythm of Go Young’s relationships and decisions. The film stripped several societal elements that were prominent in the drama to focus on the internal world of its characters. There’s a certain introspective quality to the film that contrasts with the K-drama's more sociable and chaotic representation of life in Seoul.
Love in the Big City is one expansive and varied cinematic presentation of Park Sang-young's novel. Fans of the novel and newcomers alike will find something to enjoy in both adaptations, whether they prefer a sweeping exploration of love or a more concentrated emotional journey.
Love in the Big City K-drama is streaming on TVING and Viki and was released on October 21, 2024. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 13, 2024, and was released across theaters in South Korea on October 1, 2024. It is yet to be released on OTT platforms.
