“What happened to the ROMCOM” — Fans react to an unexpected turn in the romcom series ‘Love Next Door’ 

Love Next Door, starring Jung So-min and Jung Hae-in, is a tvN drama that premiered on August 17, 2024. Every episode has had K-drama fans swooning over the chemistry between the two leads. The show's viewership and ratings rose exponentially as it captivated audiences with its frenemies-to-lovers story, lighthearted charm, and humorous undertones.

However, the recent episode of Love Next Door left viewers feeling disappointed and frustrated. In the eighth episode, So-min's character, Bae Seok-ryu, begins experiencing stomach pains, which lead to the shocking revelation that she had stomach cancer when she was in the United States. She discloses that 70% of her stomach was removed.

Many fans were disheartened by this unexpected turn, as they hoped for a lighthearted, no-stress romcom. However, with a life-threatening illness of Seok-ryu revealed in episode eight, netizens are now worried about the direction the story might take. One fan on X wrote:

"ex bf in every scene, her mom back to being annoying & now its revealed she has CANCER??? what happened to the ROMCOM ??"

Several other fans and viewers expressed similar sentiments on X:

"JUST ONE FULL ROMCOM IS ALL IM ASKING WHY THEY GOTTA DO THIS," a K-drama fan reacted in frustration.

"Out of all the plots ,track, subplot & freaking silly things they could have written in a 'ROMCOM' genre they chose to write TERMINAL ILLNESS????? The only 18+ they meant was this! I m already traumatized by other 2024 shows," a viewer expressed.

"TERMINAL ILLNESS TROPE WAS THE LAST THING I WANTED IN THIS DRAMA FXXK THE WRITERS," an X user reacted.

"ohmygod if she dies at the end of the drama i will be so disappointed this is supposed to be a cutesy friends to lovers romcom WHY IS THERE A CANCER STORYLINE WTFFFFF," another frustrated fan said.

This revelation of the female lead's life-threatening illness in Love Next Door has also led many K-drama fans to compare it to another tvN's hit drama, Queen of Tears, wherein the female lead was also diagnosed with cancer.

"tbh love next door is reminding me of Queen of tears like being good at first then falling off…. Why are you guys throwing in random plots," an X user said.

"Tvn and their obsession with giving their leads cancer/terminal illness is unreal. - Marry my husband (stomach cancer) - Queen of tears ( brain cancer) - love next door (stomach cancer) Next in the line is : Our movie (terminal illness)," another fan noted.

"Seok-ryu had stage 2 cancer three years ago and seems like the tumour is back... I'm officially signing out, I'm not about to watch another Queen of Tears in disguise.. #LoveNextDoor," a disappointed viewer said.

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Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min's Love Next Door

Something in the Rain actor Jung Hae-in and Alchemy of Soul actress Jung So-min teamed up for tvN's recent drama-romcom series, Love Next Door. It is directed by Yoo Je-won and written by Shin Ha-eun, the creators of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. The story follows Bae Seok-ryu (Jung So-min), who comes back to South Korea with a secret. On her very first day, she crosses paths with her childhood friend, Choi Seung-hyo (Jung Hae-min).

Their mothers have been close friends since they were young and have always been engaged in competition with each other about whose child is thriving more. This competition has not brought the two children any good and has only strained their relationship and well-being. However, Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo get closer as they begin confiding each other with their secrets and vulnerabilities.

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Viewers can catch Love Next Door on Netflix, with new episodes premiering every Saturday and Sunday until October 6, 2024. The series is available with multiple subtitle options, including English, Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai, and Turkish.