tvN Sat-Sun Rom-com Love Next Door Hits Midway Point as Ratings and Plot Whiplash
So apparently I do have my limited for watching two stars I love in a genre I love if the story and characters are just that frustrating. Such is the case for Love Next Door with Jung Hae In and Jung So Min which hit midway in airing this weekend, with ratings hitting new lows of 3% on Saturday’s episode but jumping back to near highs of 6% on Sunday. I haven’t mustered up the energy to click watch on this weekend’s new episodes because of some issues that are turning me off. The push-and-pull of the OTP as bickering childhood friends feels so redundant that it hasn’t moved further beyond that, and the return of female lead Seok Ryu’s asshole cheating fiancee is such a joke because, no offense to the actor playing the character, but he’s so wholly unattractive and playing such a douche that the impulse is to punch him in the face when I’m not cringing from the ugly anytime I see him. Then I heard about a big twist in episode 8 that explains further Seok Ryu’s twenty-something career crisis and returning the Korea that I’m like “Da Fuq!?!” I don’t know why the drama is so good at promoting how cute the leads look together and writing what should be swoony scenes but not delivering on it and even making the filler story moment feel so frustrating to watch.
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LND is probably the most promoted drama from TvN this year especially from the leads. They have so many contents but they struggled to get 7% ratings even the previous drama “the auditors” got 7% ratings in Ep 4. I thought 10% would be easy for them.
I’m with you Koala, I’m ditching it for now. The cancer twist in the end is so wtf, isn’t it done in QOT already?!!
None of the characters are likeable. And I am starting to dislike JSM when I was so looking forward to see her with JHI. It’s all shouting and not acting it is tiring to watch.
I keep forcing myself to watch but I find myself liking a mediocre cdrama airing now than watching this to my surprise.
TvN definitely trying so hard to make another QOT success bcs you can see some familiar scenes but they forgot QOT’s success was mostly bcs of the leads. I was excited to see haein with his first romcom drama but it’s so frustrating now lol
I think QOT was destined to succeed, I’m just wondering how many more records it would break if seo yeaji was the lead, Im guessing more.
@Beanie
-_- when are you seo yea ji will calm down already and will stop to shade KJW by any way you can? I don’t like to talk about ratings but none of SYJ dramas got ratings more than 10%, so what’s the point to say with her they would break more records when you don’t even have any proof to that?
@errr
Qot and LND filmed at the same time so I doubt they made similar scenes on purpose.
@Beanie
*Seo Yea Ji’s fan
@Beanie – Gotta hand it to you as a anti of SYJ. Yep you couldn’t resist the urge to drop her name yet again into an article unrelated just to get the heckles up but alas I guess only a couple took the bait to reply below. It’s 2024 for crying out loud sit this one out and just let the posts agree to disagree on the LND drama itself without trying to bring hate to YJ. Your obsession with YJ is enormous and so obvious I forgot to yawn. Next.
Well well well a dedicated KJW fan cut and post the beanie comment with YJ name and placed it on her TW X feed so that all the bias and spite from KJW fans would have a feeding frenzy over it. That is certainly a new low by any means to post about YJ in a unrelated post only to fuel the hate on another platform. Yeah @irablueblouse who has now made her TW X page private.
@Beanie what is your motivation to do stuff like this? genuinely curious on this sociopathic behavior. why do you purposely make controversial comments, bringing in unrelated actresses, to garner them hate? do you just have a lot of time on your hands? did she run your dog over with a car before?
I agree with this. LDN is a super let down. š I held onto hope because Ep 4 was a solid episode but everything went downhill from there. The annoying ex-fiance was already painful to watch but the cancer plot is so unnecessary!! The reason for the drop in ratings is pretty much justified. Iām disappointed because I wanted to like this show because of the leads and director-writer combo. I had to watch a different kdrama after Ep 8 to wash off the wtf did I watch moment.
I was liking the drama for the JSM and JHI interactions but I feel like the plot isn’t evolving enough. I also have to agree with you that the ex-fiance is not a looker and his clingyness is so cringe, like let it go you cheated and now you want her back?! I also find it hard to believe Seok Ryu would choose him over Seung Hyo. I also hope we actually see Seung Hyo design something, i.e. the pool or the memorial site, because I feel we have not seen him do anything architectural for his actual career.
I cant get into kdramas anymore.I find all the dramas relying too much on looks.The acting , plots are getting repetitive.
I didnāt finish QOT but will probably watch this because I like both leads but agree about the writing not being great which is a shame.
What a let down. I tried hard to hang on as well but in the end had to let go. The plot is very messy. The leads had potential chemistry but now even they canāt save this show.
I love this one.
It’s nice to see a couple where the characters really know each other, how they can support each other just by being there. They always banter but their relationship is pretty deep.
I don’t think she will be sick again. I think it’s more about her solitude in USA and how she handles everything alone without talking to her family and friends.
Both JHI and JSM said the 11-16 episodes will be a party.
It changes from the usual format when the couple is dating at the episode 8 with a kiss š
I like it too. I think they are realistic for being slow considering everything. The bickering although annoying is also realistic to them. Their relationship is more than just cute childhood friends to lovers. They have their flaws, experiences and expectations to face. It’s going to be so cute seeing them trying to be different and less childish with each other too. I also like how the other relationships and the family issues are also given serious attention and are not just fillers. Although some recent plots (mainly ex’s) do seem a bit forced and cliche, I won’t leave the rest for it.
I agree. I also don’t think she’d relapse or something, it’s probably a side effect from her surgery, but why would she even consider her ex again, after firmly saying she has made up her mind not to go back to him? I believe he’s the only one that knows of her stomach cancer surgery and all. Google says that doctors wait for five years before they declare a person cured of cancer. Maybe she’s scared she’d relapse or something hence her rejection of ml in the next episode (premium tears coming up in episodes 9 and 10 I predict, and I am so ready for it, then we can party. And I am all so excited from imagining how their first kiss EVER would bešš. Please let it not bee pathetic). Also she talked about doing her best so as not to burden her parents cause her younger brother was already a handful, I guess she just grew with that attitude of not really sharing her problems and just going at it alone. Which can potentially frustrate any relationship. I do think she broke up with her ex, what if it turns out to be her and not him? Also I agree being in the US alone only worsened her not sharing. But I enjoy the show, everyone is Soo flawed, it’s beautiful
I second you, there is something about this drama that i like even if i understand the point of view of @Koala . As you @Sayaris i like the format is not the formula Bickering + falling in love of each other + Kiss scene+ doubt + obstacle + separation+ back together with final kiss . It’s not just about the couple but also about how children ‘s parents education and the place they have in their family can affect the adults they become . Don’t know if someone will understand my meaning .
The drama is a lot about communication.
They don’t talk in his family and they are hurt because of that.
SR carried the burden to be the first child and couldn’t talk to her parents. And when they talk, they scream their whole heart.
@Sayaris, in a few words you wrote exactly what i wanted to say . Thanks . They scream to the point that they aren’t able to ear and de facto to understand each other . As a first child myself i understand JSM’s character .
TvN has been pretty wrong about knowing which script has the potential to be hit this year. They slept on Lovely Runner and only promoted it when it received good word of mouth. Right now, their Mon-Tue drama No gain no love, is much better than LND but that too gets minimum promotion. I’m quite LND, I hoped it would be much better than it is.
Yeah no gain no love definitely is the better romcom, if tvn want to be this season best romcom, ngnl have better chance at it. Lnd isnāt bad but definitely people who came for romcom will hate it
my husband is watching this drama, he likes it..
Your husband has great tasteš¤
Plotwise , acting, and chemistry are horrible
You know I thought I’d hate the ex fiance but I ended up falling for him in episode 8. I don’t know where y’all got that the ex is a douche, till now we still don’t know exactly why she broke up with him, when the mother questioned him in episode 7 or 8, he said he didn’t cheat, she was right there, there was absolutely no reason why she’d cover up for him,yet she didn’t even give him a disgusted look, when she came in the beginning and was so scared of breaking the news, if he actually did cheat, why not say so, her mum would have understood and the verbal and physical beatdown she was so scared of could have been easily averted.Probably after the stomach cancer surgery she just had a life introspection and all and decided she didn’t truly love him at least not in the way she is supposed to love someone she plans on marrying. There was a flashback or sth, but we didn’t see his face, I’m holding on to his goodness and innocence until proven guilty, he came all the way to Korea to win her back and he’s doing everything he can albeit getting on her nerves sometimes but I genuinely see his heart, he loves her. I love the show a lot and I cannot count how many times I have yelled at the ML for being such a douche, then I realized he was written to be so imperfect, which is beautiful to see, because it gives him room for growth. The female lead is the absolute best to me, I admire her patience and dedication and loyalty to the ML despite his failings. Perhaps she has her failings, but her heart is in the right place.I also wanted to ask, before qot, has there never been a or several kdramas wherein the FL or ml had cancer? During qot did anyone lament how used up that was? Nope, it was somewhat innovative and now all of a sudden it’s used up and redundant? Explain that to me please
There is nothing to explain, but here it is anyway. In QOT, the FL dying trope was introduced in the first episode and was the DRIVING narrative to why they leads got back together. Here, it is introduced half way through the show without any buildup or a what, why, how. Itās there simply because there is no other story the writer can think of it seems.
Anyone comparing it to QOT either is being obtuse on purpose, or is really that dense. And Iām saying this as someone who thought QOT was makjang af especially in the last few episodes. But that wasnāt because of the FL dying trope, it was for all the other things the writer decided to throw in the mix (also randomly). Main difference was that the writer and actors were able to grab the audience early on so it never suffered the godawful ratings LND is seeing now.
The ratings of LND are not awful…
And everybody is making a big thing of the information when we don’t know if she’s still sick! And its not a surprise, she had one year hole in her CV and she didn’t answer to the question just saying it was personnal. So we already knew that this hole will be important for the story.
@Sayaris For the money spent on the promotions of this drama, and for how much hopes tvN has placed in it, theyād beg to differ with that assessment. This is a weekend drama with 2 big names in Korea despite not being Hallyu stars. This is also one of the biggest dramas on the second half of the year. Floating between 3-6%? Yea, thatās as awful as it gets unless LND sink to 2% obv.
And disagree entirely with your second para. The writer went with cancer half way through the drama with zero build up. And no, I donāt count the 1 year hold in her CV as a credible build up. That feels like trying to throw the kitchen sink in desperation. I mean, good for those who are taking that in stride, but I aināt one of them.
@sayaris
For the amount of promo they’re doing it’s not looking good. Even welcome to samdalri which had zero promo had higher ratings at this stage.
QOT had high ratings cause of the makjang element like WOW and reborn rich. Lovely runner had lower ratings than love next door and overshadowed QOT, yet how come lovely runner is considered a success. Atleast for now love next door has loads of buzz and I’m still hopeful it can each double digit.
At least you took out time to answer, so thank you. I may not agree, but I respect your answer
Maybe it’s just one of those dramas that you either just really like or you drop. There are some you don’t like per se, but you still watch, apparently those who don’t like this for a lot of reasons can’t find one thing to hold on to, while those like me who like it can’t let goš.
@millie
Millie I think you don’t quite understand. See, the cancer was thrown in, it was always there from the very beginning but wasn’t spelt out. Think about it, she quits, travels back, is jobless and okay with it, for one that has been ambitious and a go getter all her life. She breaks up with her fiance after already sending the wedding invites, despite being misunderstood she won’t even tell her mum why she made all these drastic changes. It seems like what you do, when you almost had a brush with death, don’t you think? It resets you. She didn’t drop everything and go back home and choose to earnestly search for her dreams because she was cheated on( I still insist the young man did not cheat). It was there, the signs were there.
@Imzouun
Lovely Runner dominated the online conversation. It helped TVing beat netflix and get record subscription. The leads were the talk of the town. Their chemistry had everyone speculating if the two are dating in real life. People were using Im Sol’s umbrella at weddings, Sonagi was topping Melon chart and entered Billboard world chart. Every idol, variety show was referencing Im Sol running towards Seon Jae in the rain from episode 2. People visiting Seoul still go to the filming location to take photos aka Im Sol’s house which in reality is a cafe. The script book, album had record number of purchases inside and outside SK. So, Lovely Runner has become a part of the Hallayu phenomenon. Yes, it didn’t have ratings but the impact is different. Love Next Door didn’t quite land the same way. It has decent ratings, moderate buzz but its not really blowing up that way. There’s still 8 episodes left so who knows, it still might.
@gem
Jungjung leads are currently the talk of town too. I’m sorry but even on the good data buzz the lovely runner only started topping it when qot finished on air qot leads were still 1/2nd. And on the dating thing, nearly every onscreen romantic couple gets it, QOT and WTS couples had rumours too it’s silly cause people can’t blur between real and reel. Anyway we’ll see but so far it’s buzzy, it’s the recent episodes thats been annoying and rightfully criticised, I’m too critical I’m just staying for the leads and hoping as jung haein promised that episodes 11-16 is fun.
@Imjouun
Nobody thinks Love Next Door couples are dating. Their chemistry actually is being criticized if you go read the online chatter in korean. Since that’s your only point of rebuttal although I noted several. There’s a reason tvn still makes edits with Sol and Seon Jae. I never mentioned QOT because it was a ratings hit and it had full backing from tvn, it did well by all metrics even if people thought plot was makjaeng. Whereas, CJMN CEO said, they had 0 expectations from Lovely Runner. You can’t compare the two. Lovely Runner has only one official shot poster with the two actors together till date. The fans begged to get the salon drip episode happen which is sitting with 14 million views till date and only joint variety show from them. Its buzzy but whether impact will be the same, time will tell. I would argue Good Partner is more comparable to QOT.
@Millie and @Alyza I don’t want to be the devil’s advocate, specially when im not watching this drama and the plot sounds as a turn off but let’s not base a success of a drama on TV rants alone. We are on streaming era and this kind of drama tends to do well on streaming rather than on TV and that’s where broadcasters tend to focus these days and what makes them fill their pockets with money. Plus a 6% is a ok number for a cable channel, though 3% is a bit low.
True, I have guessed by first 2 eps that there might be a critical illness but the drama didnāt set it up well that I dismissed it only to be thrown with it by ep8. There are so many details not known that it feels like the production is keeping from us instead of dropping hints as the story progresses. There were so many scenes when Iām waiting to know more eg. the ex-gf, the fiancee, but they fell flat with nary anything that moved the story. So it is hard to follow the story nor understand the motivation and direction of where it is going.
Yea, I donāt think the fiancee cheated there might be an inside story but then again how many scenes did they have where he could have explained and yet nothing evolved to this point. I thought the ex-gf and fiancee are guests appearances but seem like they will play support roles.
Just wear me down to watch this drama. Never thought a much awaited JHI JSM drama could be this bad.
There’s no indication from the man’s behavior that the ex-fiance cheated on her. That’s a stretch of the viewers imagination. Just because the parents mentioned it multiple times does not make it a fact. And it’s always the first conclusion that people jump to when they learn that a couple doesn’t make it to the altar, when the truth is, it could possibly be because she was sick, was treated, went into remission and is re-evaluating her life choices.
Anyway, she wouldn’t be sitting with the guy eating lunch as a farewell gesture, if they didn’t have an amicable breakup, nor would she defend him from her parents wrath. Perhaps she even gas-lit him with the break up because she was reevaluating her life choices and realized that the marriage wasn’t what she truly wanted. At this moment, no one knows the truth but the production team, but I’m interested in finding out.
I just think it is quite sad that people jump to crucify a man, when there’s no indication that he’s done something wrong.
@gem
Post a link where are you seeing these comments, what’s the source, here?
@gem
Let’s move on from the dating stuff, Idc jungjung seem to be comfortable and have amazing chemisty. But onscreen where are you seeing the criticisms of their chemistry are you making it up? Lovely runner was a sleeper hit for sure, the viewers definitely helped in the drama getting more promo and buzz.
Go read the naver comments. Like go, do it. I am not making it up at all.
It started out being okay for me, then it became clearer over the episodes that there is a severe lack of proper direction or theme in the show. The writer is just throwing things at the leads’ otherwise pretty uneventful lives, with exes showing up out of nowhere and coincidences happening 5 times per episode. It all feels so forced and unnatural. Imho, I still see no reason for the leads to be together, they can’t even seem to have a proper adult conversation. The show keeps telling me that they like(d) each other, but I can’t SEE it – that’s the biggest problem.
Episode 8 put the nail in the coffin and made it a drop for me. For god’s sake, the year is 2024, not 2004. I’m extremely disappointed that they are resorting to such a gimmick, I honestly think it’s because they ran out of plot and are trying to lazily resolve the issues in the show.
Yep, I totally agree.
I wanted to give this a chance, but everything feels so forced. It makes it hard to actually like the leads and root for them to be together.
And everything about their relationship seems to be in the past tenses. Like do they actually even like each other in the present? Because the show isn’t doing a very good job of conveying it. At least in Doctor Slump, you could see how the leads grew to like each other.
I also think QoT pulled off the illness well, because it was mentioned early and was a major part of the story for the couple to work through together. It was definitely a fresh spin on a clichƩ troupe.
Side note:
Just wanted to mention Miss Night and Day, I think it was an underrated show from this summer. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely felt more like a romcom with a fresh spin.
Itās the first time when I feel kdrama is becoming like a cdrama (modern) where cliche and coincidences abound. Like characters bumping into each other all the time! Scenes lack creativity, just lazy storytelling and constructing scenes where they were convenient to film
I was hooked by the first two episodes since I’m a sucker for this tropeāshows like Fight for My Way,Flowers in the Sand, and Into the Ring are my favorites. But , recent episodes haven’t been clicking for me. The constant bickering feels forced, and the characters’ actions donāt make sense. For example, Haein’s character seems unnecessarily cold out of pettiness, which is frustrating. Somin’s character is suddenly too subdued and lets her cheating ex act like he owns the place. Then there’s the mum , who overly coddles her grown son and overreacts to her daughter’s new passionwhm which is just irritating, she’s truly the worst. There’s also been a noticeable lack of heart-fluttering moments and romantic comedy elements, and even the music is lacking. I’m really disappointed because I love both actor and been waiting for a yr for this now I don’t even care for the constant promos. Even if Haein said it’ll be fun from ep11, we have to bloody force watch the next 2 ep, nah I’m droppinf this.
I am not following the drama, but a couple of weeks ago there was a melon and Kim Soo-Hyun would have a guest role as the cheating boyfriend – I guess not!
I agree that Seok Ryu’s ex is way too ugly (why cant they cast anyone else?), but I think a lot of people misunderstand (so far) the cancer subplot. It serves several purpose (judging from the teaser): first, that there is a secret Seok Ryu holds that will drive a wedge with Seung Hyo and her family – Seok Ryu picked her ex to take her to the hospital because he already knew about it, whereas Seung Hyo (and the rest of the hometown folks) are in the dark (i.e. the title is Her Secret). second, it seems that Seok Ryu is just experiencing after effects of her now recovered cancer – which means that the plot point is not the cancer, but the fact that she kept it a secret from everyone.
@beanie syj and sh drama cant even broke 9% wdym āim guessing moreā ? kjw-sh pairing was loved by the koreans while they didnt care about sh-syj. qot leads carried the show, many continue to watch solely because of the chemistry. I 100% sure this wont happen if syj is the lead. she doenst suit hong haein at all lol
lol her comment also threw me off. Like how did SYJ even become part of this topic? Was she considered for this role? Iām confused
Itās just Doe with a new user name ššš
I saw a tiktok video of a yeaji fan saying the same thing maybe it’s the same person š, it’s odd QOT has been over for 5 months and yet they can’t stop this wishing, it it cause they have this fantasy of their favs being a married couple or is it bitterness since QOT broke all sorts of records. Also, don’t they want yeaji to diversify she played similar roles in her last 2 shows.
Park Ji Eun only casts A-listers so SYJ was never considered even without all her scandals. Even KJW was not her first choice as the role was offered to IU first.
Doe pls, I’m not that hateful; I think Kim ji-won is good, just that her portrayal was more on the softer side. It’s not that deepāI’m just curious how it would be with Yeaji. I still feel like her aura in cold roles is unmatched. My username makes it obvious who I’m a fan of, it’s PMY FYI hence my username.
IU was offered the role too but going by hotel de luna, I don’t even care to imagine.
@Beanie, SYJ is good in b*tchy roles not cold roles and Hong Haein was not just cold. IU was a good choice, but KJW was good as well. SYJ is not in PJEās league to be casted.
Oh Lynn, I can’t take you seriously. IU looked like she was just playing dress-up in Hotel Del Luna, haha. And yes, Yeaji nails the unapologetic, badass rolesāwho can even come close? In IOTNBO , she showed so many other sides too. But IU? Nope, just a cold princess playing dress-up. Kjw doesn’t come across as try hard and is more convincing than IU, I’ll give her that, but even her this is definitely not her best role, she suits lighter roles.
@Beanie, the role was created by Park Ji Eun and PJE and wanted IU to play her. She was offered the role even before KSH was casted as the male lead. SYJ can stick to her psycho roles if anyone is willing to cast her. Itās not PJE. Fans can dream on.
@Beanie
The last KJW light role was Choi Era in Fight for my way 7 years ago, after this she played more complicated characters and she wasn’t flawed by portraying any of them. Maybe for you SYJ the best as to play a cold-hearted CEO, but Hong Haein wasn’t such character. Point of the drama is that her husband and relatives saw her in that light, but she was a warm and a fragile person. I think KJW was amazing, you don’t think so. I really can’t understand what exactly she lacking in that drama for you, but it’s not point to argue about each other opinion about acting, as we see things as we see.
But you didn’t say about acting first, you said that SYJ would break more records than KJW as female lead in QOT, and I can’t understand why you did even bring up this topic. As success of QOT isn’t good enough, even with record ratings someone will go and say “Other can do it better than KJW”. I really started to think she just has haters, because looking at QOT success it sounds ridiculous. You could just said not about breaking records but “SYJ would portray Hong Haen character better”. But SYJ was amazing in IONTBO, and it didn’t break records, so what’s your point in this.
@Lynn
I agree with you on every aspect but just need to point out: KSH and IU were BOTH offered the roles together and there were rumours amongst uenas about the pairing long before the media wrote articles. KSH had been tied to QOT right from the get go, as was IU. Many Uenas believe the reason she declined despite having already worked with the writer and being paired up with a very close friend was due to the backlash re:plagiarism. I donāt buy the theory, but it is a popular one.
All that aside, in no world is SYJ qualified to lead a PJE (or KES) drama both from an image standpoint or a popularity standpoint (in this case, lack thereof). Not clear on if sheās qualified from an acting standpoint. But this is a fruitless debate as she was a. Never offered the role, b. Never had a chance of getting offered the role, c. Already paired up with the ML who was always the first choice and priority for his previous working relationship with the writer.
@Daisy
This theory about rejecting a role due to plagiarism can be a case, but I have doubts in it. CLOY isn’t the first drama that brought plagiarism scandal to PJE, MLFS was the first one, and it was even proven in the court and PJE was obligated to paid to an author of novel she used some plot lines from. And right after MLFS IU worked with PJE as second female lead in Produce. And she made a OST for the CLOY. Also her shooting in When the life gives you tangerines seems was at the same time as QOT shooting, maybe she rejected PJE offer because of that. But still, theory about her rejecting an offer after CLOY plagiarism scandal can be a true, who knows.
What about SYJ being not qualified for KES dramas due to her image and low popularity. As I noticed, poor image not a problem for KES. She offered female lead role to Song Hye Kyo in the DOTS after her tax scandal (not so big as SYJ, but anyway). And she offered male lead role to Lee Byun Hoon in Mr. Sunshine after his scandal. And Kim Taeri wasn’t so popular at the time she was offered to play female lead in Mr. Sunshine.
Honestly itās one of my most anticipated drama because in theory, I thought it would be fab. Good actors who arenāt that popular (therefore no crazy fan wars), really great PD and writer combo, a good rom com premise and potential great chemistry. It somehow managed to deliver none of the above. The characters have no chemistry, Iām not sure why anyone should be rooting for them to be together when they bring out the worse in each other. There is no actual plot half way through the drama and to top it all off, theyāve now introduced a random cancer plot in the middle of nowhere. There was no build up to it, and so far, no rhyme or reason for it either.
This is a shit show of a drama and itās even more disappointing because I had high expectations in a year of rom-coms. The ratings are bang on and if it was being live-shot, Iād be convinced the writer threw in the cancer situation as a last desperate attempt at keeping the ratings afloat. Probably the biggest disappointment of the year and we are only in Sept tooā¦
To be honest, the second couple plot was better written compared to the first couple. Like itās just frustrating see the first couple story
the viewers is too critical when the drama is not reaching a success. It’s not that bad…. please can we just enjoy a drama without looking for their rating and keep making an opinion of why the drama is not success?
The writing is just all over the place. Jung So Min seems overwhelmed with too much, and she is at the moment failing to capture Seok Ryu in a way that I can connect to her. Its weird because she was fantastic in The Smile Has Left Your Eyes but seems to have hit a brick wall here. This week’s episode was just not it. I actually think the chemistry between the leads is getting less and less because they are too busy with everything that shouldn’t matter in a romcom. I will skip next week most likely unless I hear better things. No Gain in Love is far better. TVN again doesn’t know what to promote.
@gem
There’s dating rumours now see it happens for most romance shows.
https://x.com/kdramadaisy/status/1833701952481542239/quotes
Agree with you, no gain no love is what we expect from romcom. And in love next door, somehow the second couple writing is more interesting. Feels like the romcom part is just for the second couple
I must admit I thought I wouldnāt like this drama as well but it captured me and I am now looking forward to the next episode 9! At first all the bickering etc was really off-putting and yes the ex-fiance seems so fugly. But moving past that, thereās a lot to like and this midway wrench thrown only serves to give more depth to this drama and answers a lot of questions leftover from the beginning.
Whenever I come across a mediocre kdrama I always go āCanāt these A-listers tell how bad the material is? Why do they still accept it?ā, and I asked these questions while watching every single episode of LND.
I heard actors only read the first 4 episodes before deciding whether to accept a drama so itās really just a gamble
I wonder too, I have seen many good actors choose mediocre script. Like, Iām sure there is better ones out there(?)
It’s like QOT over again, which too was disappointing and a hard drop.
Why cant we just have a simple romance, I’m just here for jung-jungs chemistry that’s atieast the saving grace, intrigued by comments saying they have none like are u for real šš atleast chemisty is subjective eh.
Imagine claiming QOT was a āhard flopā and then asking others if they are āfor realā in the same breath š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£
@millie No I didn’t say hard flop I said hard drop haha, qot done very well but it was a makjangy, so it’s to be expected.
lovely runner stans everywhere mentioning qot and shade on LND. imagine saying LR overshadowed qot when qot has long list record breaking while your fav drama only has internet buzz.
the ex fiance isn’t ugly at all. He was soooo handsome to me. His vulnerability just melted my heart. Him saying since ‘lasts’ didn’t work he was going with firsts!! I mean how can you be so charming šš. And I just think he’s veryyy fine
There are lots of comments made – so the drama has definitely succeeded in one aspect. I believe there are many people like myself who hardly comments but are silent watchers. I watch it on Netflix because it is there for me to watch while doing mundane housework and I will also switch to Amazon prime or Disney to watch whatever is there. I have dropped QOT, Samdalri, lovely runner, cha cha hometown. So not everyone is interested in the same type of drama. I will probably finish this due to my liking of JSM n Hae in.
Marry my husband also had cancer trope, why none remembers about it…
I don’t think illness trope considered as bad trope, there are a lot of dramas which show illnesses in different way.
I noticed when ratings dropping so harsh it can be some big event in Korea. Like popular baseball match or something like that. Ratings drop for all dramas at such days, so recommend don’t judge so early.
I still didn’t watch that drama, but all criticise above make me want to watch it even more, to make own opinion about it. Some dramas working when you watch all episodes, so who knows.
Oh, and I excitedly waiting when No gain no love will end so I can watch all episodes at once. I have high expectations about this drama (yes, I know this post isn’t about NGNL)
No Gain No love is so so so good at the halfway mark. Get excited. I’m totally going to turn around and rewatch it at the end š
Thanks for review! I’m anticipated about this drama since first teasers, and all positive reviews look promising. If it’s a good drama, when I’m more happy they decided to do a spin-off with second male lead couple, which will air on Tving, as they said, right after No gain No love.
I was also going to mention this before QOT was Marry My Husband this year with cancer trope. Theyāre just being bitter over QOT success smh
When has half way into its run considered ātoo early to judgeā?
@Millie
I’m not about plot, I’m about ratings. They still can improve, not so high, but maybe at 8-10%
Yup and I wasnt about the plot either.
5% avg in a tvN weekender for the first half of the drama run after all the money poured into the promotion. And with the drama hitting its lowest ratings this week? Itās not too early to judge in my books. Itās actually the perfect time for a mid term scorecard. It sure can increase especially as they introduce makjang full force, but for now, itās quite abysmal and thatās just the truth.
Itās interesting to see the different views on this drama. I find it fascinating that are still people enjoying it. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
I think Iāve said all I wanted to about this drama and now am realizing Iāve spent far too much time talking about it when I really donāt care for it at all and really need to cut my losses here šš
For those who love it, believe me when I say Iām genuinely glad for you because I truly wish I was in the same boat.
It’s like welcome to samdalri and Queen of tears, seems most of these dramas with these big names has been divisive. And now with love next door, I’m gonna be for real I’m enjoying due to the chemistry, most of the characters on the annoy me expecially the FL leads mothers as other have mentioned too.
@Imzouun LR never overshadowed QOT lol. qot topped gallup ranking for three consecutive months even after it ended and lr FAILED to do so. qot was mentioned literally everywhere in korea. ceo gooddrama stated that qot is the real hit of the year because it got both internet buzz and high ratings oh and they won best k drama in two awards already. so pls stop being delulu lol just because it has internet buzz doesnt mean it overshadowed qot.
Where did I even undermine QOT? I think you’re confusing me with someone else, I didn’t say it flopped, I said I dropped it.
Since QOT keeps coming up, Iāve got to say, watching LND made me appreciate just how brilliant QOT’s OST is. The way it elevates every scene, absolutely unmatched.
@beanie, aka doe, coming after KJW and KHY wasn’t enough and now it’s IU. All 3 actresses are busy and thriving,yet here you are wondering the ‘what ifs’ of a drama that ended months ago.
No chemistry between leads and oh so frustrating to watch. They only look good in pictures. Lol
Nailed it.
Jung Jung looks great in photos, posters and shoots. But in action, theyāve got no sizzle or any palpable chemistry. Itās exactly the same with SJK&KJW from years ago. On paper, it sounded great but in motion, it was like watching paint dry.
Chemistry is really subjective huh, cause right now it’s JHI and JSM chemistry that is carrying the show even with the annoying side plots. Id take the comparison to SJK and KJW as a complement much better than overrated pairing with KSH.
@imzouun, lol chemistry carrying the show when ratings dipped to 3% last week. Itās not carrying that well then.
@Imzouun overrated pairing that landed second on gallup for most fav pairing in 10 years ? and whereās your fav pairing ? wayy below kjw and ksh lol.
Ignore her LOL she is definitely soohyun’s hater. She can hate soohyun and QOT as much she want but she can’t change the fact QOT is the most popular and most successful drama this year even the pairing was the most loved pairing not only by fans but the public this year LOL
yeah imagine saying lr overshadowed qot with that 5% rating pls š cant even top gallup, cant enter top 10 global netflix, cant even win best drama award. overshadowed ? they wish lol
@hanni
What useless poll is that, my fav pairing? Which is?
@err
How am I KSH hater, by the same token yall are JHI haters…
gallup is the most credible survey done among korean public u dont know that ? no wonder uāre delulu. ālr overshadowed qotā lol
@hanni Where did I say lr overshadowed qot? I don’t even care about lr, talk to @gem haha I’m a fan of the lnd couple.
@imzouun, Iām not hanni but go read your own comments near the top, you said LR overshadowed QoT but then in the next breath said LR couldnāt top the buzz charts until QoT was over. If you donāt know what Gallup is, a quick google search will tell you itās an universally recognized organization, not just used in Korea, but everywhere in the world.
What deserves 94 comments? Oh it’s QoT fans’ hubris galore again. LOL. How is QoT everywhere even on an unrelated post?
I quit at ep2 cos the interaction between the OTP was weird, and I couldn’t take the heroine’s whole family seriously. They were too physical. LOL. Now with more eps out, reviews are mixed. There were positive reviews from some visitors who had recommended pretty good dramas to me in the past. Therefore, I may pick up the drama again. BTW, JHI exposing bare forehead with hair bangs up is so not my cup of tea. He’s cute with bangs down though. LOL
Tbf, itās not even the fans that are bringing qot out but the haters. They just wanna throw it out there all the time.
I canāt wait for ep 9 actually. I watched this drama with no expectations, Iām not liking the female lead as much she seems so abrasive, I loved her in Alchemy and unexpectedly I like the male lead here.
I’m one of those who reallt anticipate this show so much. Both talented leads, CHECK. The friends-to-lovers trope, CHECK. Rom-com, CHECK. I enjoyed the episodes thus far, shoving aside all the criticism about the chemistry, the non-existence plots etc, because I liked the drama enough to move on from one ep to another. I tried to accept its little flaws coz the drama was enjoyable enough for me.
That being said, ep 8 was the straw that breaks it for me. I felt cheated on, because ep 7 ending was such a build-up moment that I was expecting they would capitalise on ep 8 to keep the momentum going. Who cares if the leads not together yet, coz I was expecting a slow-burn kinda drama – the build up was great! When ep 8 happened with such disappointing ending, it gives the audience like me the unnecessary frustration – and you do not want that. I was promised a rom-com, and but I got a whiplash melo. The draggy plots for the ex was too much as well. The ex was supposed to push the plot forward, but in the case where the writing is already weak, the ex becomes the capitalist of hate that drives the plot (and me) crazy.
Yes, I would probably continue watching, but no, I’m not watching it live anymore. Probably would wait for few episodes in before deciding to dive in again. I think they start panicking as well, coz suddenly I started hearing dating rumors (prob to push the chemistry), and the leads’ prev interview that ep 11 onwards would be fun. Well a good drama should be enjoyable throughout the 16 eps, and I don’t like cherrypicking.