Love Next Door ep 9-10 recap: Bae Seok-ryu's secret revealed while Choi Seung-hyo regrets his past actions

Love Next Door, starring Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min, aired episodes 9 and 10 on September 14 and 15, respectively, on tvN and Netflix. Love Next Door episode 9 begins with Bae Seok-ryu (Jung So-min) in the hospital emergency room after having stomach pain. Choi Seung-hyo (Jung Hae-in) found out the hospital she was taken to and reached there.

Meanwhile, Bae Seok-ryu realized Choi Seung-hyo's father, Choi Gyeong-jong (Lee Seung-joon), was a doctor at the same hospital and left immediately. She met Song Hyeon-jun (Han Joon-woo) and Choi Seung-hyo outside. This time, she decided to go home with Choi Seung-hyo as he lived next door.

The next day, Choi Seung-hyo met Jeong Mo-eum (Kim Ji-eun) and discussed his feelings about Bae Seok-ryu choosing Song Hyeon-jun and not him for going to the hospital. He stated that he felt awful and jealous.

In the recent developments of Love Next Door, Choi Seung-hyo found out about Bae Seok-ryu's stomach cancer. He regretted his past actions and blamed himself for not checking up on her.

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Love Next Door ep 9-10 recap: Choi Seung-hyo helps Bae Seok-ryu bid farewell to Song Hyeon-jun

In episode 9 of Love Next Door, Choi Seung-hyo and Bae Seok-ryu met at the playground, where she revealed receiving a marriage proposal from Song Hyeon-jun. She made it seem that it might not end her relationship with her ex-fiancé and stated Choi Seung-hyo was nothing more than a mother's friend's son.

Bae Seok-ryu further judged Choi Seung-hyo's feelings for her to be a duckling and a mother's love. This was because they had spent most of their lives together. Choi Seung-hyo got worked up as he was speechless and told her that she had no right to judge his feelings even if she could not reciprocate his feelings.

The next day, Bae Seok-ryu's mother, Na Mi-Sook (Park Ji-Young), invited Choi Seung-hyo for dinner, as he seemed exhausted. Na Mi-sook left for a neighborhood meeting while Choi Seung-hyo had dinner.

Bae Seok-ryu, who didn't know about this, saw Choi Seung-hyo at her home. She replied to his confession, stating he would not be more than a friend to her. She also said they would be awkward for a while but would get over it soon.

Later, in Love Next Door episode 9, it was revealed that three years ago, Bae Seok-ryu developed second-stage stomach cancer. She decided to hide this from her family and friends, and with the help of surgery and chemotherapy, she was able to overcome the disease. Her then-boyfriend, Song Hyeon-jun, looked after her and helped her get back on her feet.

However, a year later, Bae Seok-ryu developed depression, and the two started to drift apart, as Song Hyeon-jun could not handle it. Bae Seok-ryu also did not want to put anymore burden on him. In the present, after receiving a marriage proposal from Song Hyeon-jun, she declined as she believed their journey had ended.

At the end of Love Next Door episode 9, Bae Seok-ryu visited Choi Seung-hyo at his house as he was sick. While she was getting food for her, Choi Seung-hyo found her bag on the floor. As he picked it up, he saw her diagnosis result and found out she had stomach cancer three years ago.

Choi Seung-hyo was extremely angry at Bae Seok-ryu for hiding this from him and everyone. Coincidentally, Na Mi-sook and Choi Seung-hyo’s mother, Seo Hye-sook (Jang Young-Nam), entered the house. The mothers were in shock hearing this, and as soon as Na Mi-sook found out it was about Bae Seok-ryu, she hugged her.

In episode 10 of Love Next Door, everyone around Bae Seok-ryu, including her father, her brother, Na Mi-sook’s friends, and her best friend Jeong Mo-eum, learned about her past cancer diagnosis. It was revealed that Bae Seok-ryu tried to contact Choi Seung-hyo when she was in the States. However, he looked away.

Furthermore, during his visit to the States, he saw her with Song Hyeon-jun but did not contact her. Jeong Mo-eum's reaction to this situation was different from Choi Seung-hyo's. She did not argue or ask for an explanation but instead just hugged Bae Seok-ryu, saying she had been through a hard time.

Jeong Mo-eum shared her feelings about Bae Seok-ryu’s news with Kang Dan-oh (Yoon Ji-on). Kang Dan-oh also opened up about how he lost his wife. As the two got emotional, Jeong Mo-eum kissed him, got flustered, and ran away.

Meanwhile, Bae Seok-ryu went missing, and her phone was also at home. Choi Seung-hyo looked for her everywhere he could and found her at the beach. The two had another argument, during which Bae Seok-ryu said she was frustrated with everyone walking on eggshells because of her, so she went there.

Choi Seung-hyo took her inside the water and asked her to let everything out. He told her that he found out about her depression as well. Bae Seok-ryu confronted Choi Seung-hyo for ignoring her calls and messages.

He stated that he regretted missing her signals and apologized. When they returned, Bae Seok-ryu's family and Jeong Mo-eum threw a belated welcome back party for her on Choi Seung-hyo’s suggestion.

Later, in Love Next Door episode 10, Song Hyeon-jun saw Bae Seok-ryu with her family and friends and realized that she would be better with them in South Korea. He called her and stated that this could be their last call and wished her well. Bae Seok-ryu also said that she was grateful to him for doing as much as he could for her.

Towards the end of Love Next Door episode 10, Choi Seung-hyo received a message from Song Hyeon-jun about his departure from South Korea. He dragged Bae Seok-ryu to the airport so that she could bid him farewell face to face.

As Song Hyeon-jun left, Bae Seok-ryu burst into tears. Choi Seung-hyo could not see her cry and put his blazer on her head. He told her that he felt hot and asked her to let it hang on her head. This marked the end of Love Next Door episode 10.

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Love Next Door airs every Saturday and Sunday on tvN and Netflix.