There are some who travel far and wide to meet the love of their life, and there are also those who find it right next door. K-dramas have given us timeless stories of childhood besties who have transitioned into something more than friends. But there have also been cool, confident male leads who clam up when it comes to confessing their feelings to the girl next door. Jung Hae In‘s Seung Hyo had to not only wait but needed every ounce of courage to confess his feelings to Jung So Min‘s Seok Ryu in “Love Next Door.” The dynamics between the two, be it their constant bickering, their teasing banter, or the chemistry between them, gave us some real endearing on-screen moments.
If you are missing “Love Next Door,” here are five such couples who also found love next door, but it came with its fair share of longing, waiting, and in some cases involved a bit of time travel as well.
“Reply 1988”
Choi Taek (Park Bo Gum) and Duk Sun (Hyeri) have been friends forever. Taek had moved into Ssangmun when he was quite young and had been immediately embraced by Duk Sun and her friends, which include Sun Woo (Go Kyung Pyo), Jung Hwan (Ryu Jun Yeol), and Dong Ryong (Lee Dong Hwi). The quintet is inseparable and are literally in and out of each other’s homes. Duk Sun is a lazy student and a die hard romantic, given the time and energy she devotes to reading romantic novels. There is a time when she is infatuated by Sun Woo and also confused with her feelings towards Jung Hwan. However, there’s also the reserved and stoic Taek, a baduk champion, who has always doted on her but has never mustered the courage to confess his feelings. Duk Sun, unaware of how Taek feels towards her, regards him as her best buddy. Inadvertently, Ssangmun gets its own love triangle between Taek, Jung Hwan, and Duk Sun. It’s so much so that viewers also took sides, with Team Taek vs. Team Jung Hwan, coming up with fan theories to support one over the other.
“Reply 1988” remains an all-time classic and fan favorite. The coming-of-age story of five friends as they navigate love and heartbreak as well as growing pains found resonance amongst audiences. Park Bo Gum as the shy and self-contained Taek, Ryu Jun Yeol as the brooding Jung Hwan, and Hyeri as the tomboyish Duk Sun with her antics became household names.
Start watching “Reply 1988”:
“She Was Pretty”
Ji Sung Joon (Park Seo Joon) comes back home to Seoul, after having spent years in the United States. The only person he wants to connect with is his childhood friend and crush Kim Hye Jin, who was also his neighbor. Hye Jin, then a pretty and popular girl in the neighborhood, had always been protective and caring toward Sung Joon, who was a chubby and unsure young boy. Though they managed to keep in touch, the two haven’t met since Sung Joon moved. However, the twist is that the grown up Hye Jin (Hwang Jung Eun) is extremely conscious about her looks, since she is no longer as pretty as she was. She is hustling between part-time jobs, while Sung Joon is a celebrated magazine editor.
Hye Jin asks her friend Hye Ri to take her place to meet Sung Joon instead. However, when Hye Jin joins Sung Joon’s office as an intern, that’s when things gets interesting. Sung Joon, who is more than exasperated by the intern Hye Jin, wonders why she seems so familiar. It also makes him wonder why he’d be jealous of a co-worker, Shin Hyuk (Choi Siwon), being attentive toward her. In the meantime, Hye Ri has fallen for Sung Joon, who thinks she is Hye Jin but cannot stop thinking about the scatter-brained intern at work.
“She Was Pretty” is a cute rom-com and comes with the eternal message that beauty is more on the inside than on the outside. Park Seo Joon and Hwang Jung Eun’s delightful moments aside, it’s Choi Siwan’s cocky charm that will win you over.
Start watching ” She Was Pretty”:
“Welcome to Samdalri”
Jo Yong Pil (Ji Chang Wook) and Jo Sam Dal (Shin Hye Sun) have been together since the day they were born. With their mothers being best friends, these two have been joined at the hip as far as they can remember. So it comes as no surprise when the two also fall in love as young adults, after all, who would know you better than your bestie? But that was years ago, and when Sam Dal broke Yong Pil’s heart, she stayed in Seoul.
Sam Dal, now a famous fashion photographer, is back home in Samdalri. Her career is ruined after a scandal, and the last person she wants to meet is her former boyfriend, Yong Pil. Yong Pil is a weather forecaster and the pride of Samdalri, given his caring personality. When the two come face to face, it seems there are no grudges, except that Sam Dal does not want to get back with Yong Pil.
“Welcome to Samdalri” is a heartwarming drama, which goes beyond just romance. The unbreakable ties of friendships and family apart, the drama highlights issues of unresolved grief, trauma, guilt, and regrets. Ji Chang Wook is perfect as Yong Pil and has an innate knack for comedy. And Shin Hye Sun gives a nuanced performance as the impulsive yet vulnerable Sam Dal.
“Lovely Runner”
Im Sol (Kim Hye Yoon) is bedridden after a near fatal accident. An upcoming singer, Ryu Sun Jae (Byeon Woo Seok), tries to instill hope in her on a radio show, even though she snaps back at him. Years later, Im Sol is a die-hard fan of the very same Ryu Sun Jae and his band Eclipse. But tragedy strikes when it is announced that Sun Jae has fallen to his death. Devastated, Im Sol, who wants to confirm the news for herself, finds herself taken back in time to when she was in high school, only to discover that Sun Jae was actually her next door neighbor. Can Im Sol change the course of Sun Jae’s future? It is during the course of her passage into time that Im Sol makes startling discoveries, one being that she has a large role to play in Sun Jae’s future, but it comes at a heavy cost.
“Lovely Runner” has achieved a cult-like status amongst K-drama fans. The love story of Sun Jae and Im Sol is one for keeps, and both Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon made their characters feel so lived in, becoming an iconic onscreen couple in drama land. “Lovely Runner” is also charming and comes with an amazing soundtrack.
Start watching “Lovely Runner”:
“Fight My Way”
Dong Man (Park Seo Joon) and Choi Ae Ra (Kim Ji Won) have been childhood friends who now share the same residential complex in bustling Seoul along with one of their friends.
Dong Man is a taekwondo and martial arts expert who is going through a career slump, and his girlfriend too has left him for a rich man. Ae Ra aspires to be a TV presenter, but is unable to get a break into the broadcast world. Both protective and supportive towards the other, they realize that their feelings are deeper and go beyond just friends. When Dong Man decides to return to the fighting arena, Ae Ra is not too keen, but stands by him. He, on the other hand, instills confidence in her that she has it to become a presenter and an announcer.
“Fight My Way” struck a chord for its realistic portrayal of young adults as they struggle to achieve their dreams and aspirations. Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won won hearts with their delightful chemistry. The actors are in perfect sync with each other and impress with their comedic timing.
Start watching “Fight My Way”:
Hey Soompiers, which one of these is your favorite drama? Let us know all about it in the comments below!
Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yang Yang and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.
Currently watching: “No Gain No Love”