"This definitely hit home with a lot of us" — Internet gets emotional over Seok-ryu's struggles as a trophy kid in 'Love Next Door' Episode 2

Netflix and tvN's latest K-drama, Love Next Door, aired episode 2 on August 18, 2024. The series stars Jung Hae-in as Choi Seung-hyo and Jung So-min as Baek Seok-ryu. A scene from episode 2 became the talk of the town on social media where Seok-ryu's mother tries to throw her suitcase out of the house and asks her to go back to the US.

In the scenario, Seok-ryu's mother bemoans the fact that her daughter chose to leave her lucrative US job. Seok-ryu calling off her engagement with her fiancé infuriated her mother even more. She shouts at Seok-ryu in a fit of wrath for betraying her by giving up her successful life.

A crying Seok-ryu lashes back at her mother and asks to be treated like their daughter rather than their "pride." Seok-ryu confides in her, saying she is tired and worn out from her life as her parents' trophy child. She adds that she was overworked to the bone in the US. The scene resonated with netizens and it went viral online.

Viewers discussed how they empathized with Seok-ryu's burnout and struggles as the firstborn kid and one X user wrote,

"This definitely hit home with a lot of us growing up with our parents."

The writer of Love Next Door received appreciation from the public for including a moment that most viewers were familiar with. Viewers shared similar anecdotes from their personal lives while they discussed the scene online.

"As the eldest daughter, I got teary-eyed watching this scene. The pressure to be good and successful is so draining and painful," one X user commented.

"(Most asian) mothers-daughters can relate to: mothers wish their daughters to be successful & achieve better things they couldn't do bcs the price to pay for being a wife & mom means letting go of their career & dreams. Thank you Shin Haeun for writing this," another X user said.

"Not only for first Borns actually:(( hugs with consent to all who have been their parents' trophy child; acting all independent and strong but deep inside feels so heavy, empty, and pressured," one other X user added.

Some even noted that Love Next Door episode 2 reminded them of a similar scene from the popular K-drama, Doctor Slump. In Doctor Slump episode 2, Park Shin-hye's character quits her high-demanding job as a doctor and relapses into depression.

"This whole scene reminds me of #DoctorSlumpEp2," one X user wrote.

"Hits too close to home. Sometimes parents forget that their kids have their own lives and feelings. Kids are not commodities that replace sth you didn’t have in your own life," another X user empathized.

"This drama is hitting me on so many levels. I can relate to her man!" one other X user wrote.

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Love Next Door episode 2 leaves viewers giddy with Seung-hyo's wholesome feelings towards Seok-ryu

Love Next Door is Jung Hae-in's first rom-com since the South Korean actor is popularly known for picking contemporary K-drama pieces like Something in The Rain, Snowdrop, D.P., and more. Viewers were delighted to see Jung Hae-in play the role of Choi Seung-hyo, an affluent and awarded architect and founder of an architecture firm.

Seung-hyo and Seok-ryu have been neighbors since they were kids and both their mothers have been friends for decades. Both of their families live next door to one another. The story revolves around Seung-hyo and Seok-ryu, who are opposite friends and despise each other.

However, Love Next Door episode 2 shows the 34-year-old Seung-hyo's subtle affections towards Seok-ryu. He renovates her bedroom despite having a crisis at his firm and runs behind Seok-ryu to console her after she fights with her mother. Furthermore, Seung-hyo even moves back to his parents' home.

Much to the fans' delight, his bedroom window opens in the direction of Seok-ryu's room window. At the end of Love Next Door episode 2, Seung-hyo and Seok-ryu are seen talking through their respective windows when Seung-hyo tells her that he moved back to his house.

The episode's last scene shows a glimpse from 15 years ago, when both of them were in high school and Seok-ryu was pasting the glowing star stickers on her bedroom's ceiling. She falls down from the chair and Seung-hyo saves her, hinting at the possible arc of Seung-hyo being in love with her since high school. However, this will be revealed in the next few episodes.

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Love Next Door episodes 3 and 4 will be released on Netflix and tvN at 9.20 PM (KST) on August 24 and 25, respectively.