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Love Next Door starring Jung Hae-in, Jung So-min, Kim Ji-eun, and more aired episodes 1 and 2 on August 17 and 18 on Netflix and tvN. Love Next Door follows the story of two friends Choi Seung-hyo (Jung Hae-in) and Bae Seok-ryu (Jung So-min), who spent most of their childhood together because of their mothers’ friendship.
In Love Next Door, Jung Hae-in's Choi Seung-hyo is a remarkable architect who has worked on renowned structures and buildings in Korea and abroad. Besides, being good at his work, he is also handsome. Choi Seung-hyo wants to forget some of his childhood memories which involve Bae Seok-ryu.
Jung So-min plays Bae Seok-ryu a model student who never failed to rank first in school. She studied at a prestigious university in the US and worked as a project manager. Bae Seok-ryu returned to South Korea after quitting her well-paying job for an unknown reason.
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After years, Bae Seok-ryu is reunited with Choi Seung-hyo as an adult, and they both lead completely different lives. Although they fight with each other whenever they meet, they still hold special places in each other's hearts.
Love Next Door ep 1-2 recap:
Choi Seung-hyo & Bae Seok-ryu's reunion
Love Next Door starts with Choi Seung-hyo's mother Seo Hye-suk (Jang Young-Nam) and Bae Seok-ryu’s mother Na Mi-suk (Park Ji-young), bragging about their kids before their friends. The two compete about how well their children are doing and by the end Na Mi-suk hands out Bae Seok-ryu's wedding invitation as she is set to marry an International Lawyer in the US.
Meanwhile, Bae Seok-ryu returns to South Korea without telling her family about it. Bae Seok-ryu is picked up by her childhood best friend Jung Mo-eum (Kim Ji-eun). They decide to surprise her parents, but being a 119 paramedic Jung Mo-eum has to leave her for an emergency.
Bae Seok-ryu goes to her neighborhood alone where she coincidentally meets Choi Seung-hyo, another one of her childhood friends, and the two start bickering from the get-go. Choi Seung-hyo also reveals that his office is right there.
In the meantime, Bae Seok-ryu sees their mothers and her father Bae Geun-sik (Jo Han-chul) coming towards Choi Seung-hyo's office and trying to hide under a carton. Although Choi Seung-hyo is not interested in helping her, he goes along with her and they successfully avoid her parents.
The scene turns chaotic as Bae Seok-ryu enters Choi Seung-hyo's office making an excuse that she has to use the washroom. Due to a small accident caused by Bae Seok-ryu, a heavy showpiece falls on Choi Seung-hyo's back, reminding her of their childhood.
Bae Seok-ryu is caught by her mother
The two childhood friends live next to each other and as they reach Bae Seok-ryu’s house she gets scared to go inside. Choi Seung-hyo asks her why she is avoiding her mother to which she reveals that she has called off her wedding, without realizing that their parents were standing right behind them.
Bae Geun-sik is left in shock but Na Mi-suk was furious hearing this. She immediately starts to hit Bae Seok-ryu with the vegetables, but she uses Choi Seung-hyo as her shield. She also reveales that she has quit her job.
Na Mi-suk asks if her fiancé has cheated on her and Bae Seok-ryu states that he does not do anything. Out of curiosity, Na Mi-suk asks if she has cheated on him to which she does not respond.
Assuming that Bae Seok-ryu cheated on her fiancé, Na Mi-suk is even more infuriated. However, Bae Seok-ryu holds Choi Seung-hyo and runs away from the scene. Choi Seung-hyo asks her what is going on as he did not believe the cheating scenario. However, he then nonchalantly states that he is not interested in her life but suggests she should tell her mother about it.
By the end of Love Next Door episode 1, Choi Seung-hyo drops Bae Seok-ryu at her place as they believe Na Mi-suk has calmed down. They reach home and see Na Mi-suk seemingly crying, Bae Seok-ryu gets worried about her and goes straight to her only to find her with a stick. As Bae Seok-ryu goes towards Choi Seung-hyo, he betrays her and runs away from the mother and the daughter.
Bae Seok-ryu feels unwanted at home
In episode two of Love Next Door, the next morning Na Mi-suk is angry at Bae Seok-ryu as she finds her reason to move back absurd.
Jung Mo-eum and Choi Seung-hyo join them for morning breakfast, but Bae Seok-ryu is treated as if she is not there at all. She even asks Jung Mo-eum to find out the real reason behind Bae Seok-ryu coming back.
At the inauguration, Na Mi-suk is embarrassed as her friends are looking down on her because of Bae Seok-ryu’s impulsive decision. When Na Mi-suk sees Bae Seok-ryu at the event, she is worried her friends will see her. Na Mi-suk awkwardly introduces Bae Seok-ryu to her friends and says that she will go back to the US, lying that she received offers from reputed companies.
The real reason behind Bae Seok-ryu's return
In episode 2 of Love Next Door, it is revealed that Bae Seok-ryu has faced prejudice at her workspace for being Korean and experienced burnout. She also found her fiancé was cheating on her but did not tell her parents.
As soon as Bae Seok-ryu and Na Mi-suk reach home, they get into a heated argument. Na Mi-suk asks her to immediately go back to the US and find a better job and states that everyone faces hardships in their lives.
After the fight, Bae Seok-ryu leaves her house. Choi Seung-hyo, who happens to hear them fight, finds Bae Seok-ryu at a playground and they sit together while it rains. Bae Seok-ryu starts reminiscing about their childhood. Choi Seung-hyo asks her to stop forcing her to laugh and cry if she wants to. As Bae Seok-ryu is unable to hold back her tears anymore, her mother also gets emotional at home.
Choi Seung-hyo redesigns Bae Seok-ryu's bedroom
At the end of Love Next Door episode two, Bae Seok-ryu leaves home early for an appointment, and when she returns later, she finds out that the storeroom is again redesigned to her bedroom. Na Mi-suk reveals that she left early so Choi Seung-hyo could help her redesign the room on priority.
Choi Seung-hyo turned her room into how it was before she left for the States, with each detail from the bed, and dressing table, to the desk and the night glow stickers on the ceiling. Looking at her ceiling, Bae Seok-ryu calls Choi Seung-hyo to ask how he remembered everything.
As she opened her window, she saw Choi Seung-hyo in his parents' house, in the room where he used to live before. He reveals that he has moved back to his parent’s house. It is yet to see what happens next on Love Next Door.
Love Next Door is scheduled to air every Saturday and Sunday on tvN and Netflix.
