Love in Contract review: Is the Netflix release worth watching?

Love in Contract starring Park Min-young, Go Kyung-pyo, and Kim Jae-young was released on Netflix on November 10, 2024, two years after it aired on tvN in 2022. The drama follows the story of Choi Sang-eun portrayed by Park Min-young, a contract marriage manager.

Choi Sang-eun assists her clients by becoming their ideal partners and assisting them in living a single life, so avoiding the social pressures of marriage.

Meanwhile, Go Kyung-pyo's character, Jung Ji-ho, is one of her clients, and they have been together for five years. Jung Ji-ho, who visits his contract wife on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, is mysterious and socially awkward. Jung Ji-ho is someone Choi Sang-eun knows very little about, but she develops unexpected feelings for him.

On the other hand, Kang Hae-jin played by Kim Jae-young is Choi Sang-eun’s latest client who she meets every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Kang Hae-jin, a renowned star in South Korea starts wooing Choi Sang-eun. Given her professional responsibilities, Choi Sang-eun finds herself in a sticky situation where she has to pick between the two men.

Love in Contract is a drama with a great start but becomes monotonous as the end approaches. Although the drama had the vision to be a memorable rom-com, the execution of the ideas is done poorly.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions.

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Love in Contract: Go Kyung-pyo’s best performance in yet another one-time watch rom-com series

Love in Contract originally aired between September and November 2022 on tvN. The series is penned by author Ha Goo-dam and helmed by director Nam Seong-woo.

The drama tells a captivating story about a woman, Choi Sang-eun who has been raised and groomed to marry into a chaebol family. However, she refuses to be a pawn of the rich and instead uses her skills to assist individuals to live a life free of commitment by acting as their temporary partner.

Park Min-young known for her classic roles in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, Her Private Life, and more, has played her part as Choi Sang-eun adeptly.

Reply 1988 and D.P. star Go Kyung-pyo completely steals the show with his socially inept personality, a beginner in learning to mingle with people. Go Kyung-pyo's acting skills shone throughout the show and stands as one of the best performances in his acting career. His character Jung Ji-ho is underrated and given Love in Contract's limitations, many people are yet to notice it.

One thing to look forward to is Choi Sang-eun's gay best friend, Woo Gwang-nam, who is an absolute delight to watch, and a lot more could have been explored with Woo Gwang-nam's character. On the other hand, Choi Sang-eun and Madam Yoo, the lady who raised her, pique viewers' interest at first, but the writer then throws a cliché finale to their connection, which may disappoint the viewers.

Kim Jae-young's Kang Hae-jin is charming at some points but fails to show an impact as some of his actions in some scenes are questionable. The drama has some favorable moments for the main characters, The show has anticipated development, closure, and chemistry, but is dragged in the second half and the ending feels rushed.

The writer's take on contract marriage at first is quite intriguing but adding the usual K-drama tropes and predictable climax makes it rather boring and as years pass it is easily forgettable. Despite its flaws, one may want to give it a chance for the cast's remarkable performance and heart-fluttering chemistry.

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Love in Contract is now available on Netflix for streaming.