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Love Next Door Ep 13-14 Review: No amount of Jung Hae In-Jung So Min chemistry can save show’s downward spiral
In the latest episodes of Love Next Door, fans were treated to ‘couple’ moments of Jung Hae In and Jung So Min, and here’s what we thought of it. Read the review below.
Name: Love Next Door
Premiere Date: 17 August, 2024
Cast: Jung Hae In, Jung So Min, Kim Ji Eun, Yoon Ji On, Lee Seung Hyub
Director: Yoo Je Won
Writer: Shin Ha Eun
No. of episodes: 16
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Language: Korean
Where to watch: tvN, Netflix
Love Next Door synopsis
Choi Seung Hyo (Jung Hae In) is an established architect who has just launched his own company, and just one day before the inauguration, his childhood friend Bae Seok Ryu (Jung So Min) returns from the US after leaving her high-paying job and breaking off her engagement with a long-term boyfriend. The two extremely close neighbors meet again as adults and suppressed emotions threaten to burst out on top.
Love Next Door trailer
Love Next Door Ep 11-12 Recap
After a long-winded run, an abrupt confession from Jung So Min takes place in the middle of a sunflower field where she accepts his feelings and confesses her own. While we're not sure if this is what the viewers had expected from Love Next Door; however, the second lead couple goes through a much ‘harder’ ordeal with a direct rejection from Yoon Ji On’s character Kang Dan Oh, adding some spice to an otherwise flat story. There is still hope that a massive twist will bring some added fun to the show.
Love Next Door Ep 13-14 Review
With the sudden acceptance of Jung Hae In’s confession on Jung So Min’s end, the show furthered a rocky start for the leads who have so far boasted fairly good acting despite an unbelievably crashing writing. Not much changes this time around as the two decide to keep their relationship a secret and it takes every ounce of resistance in us to not pen a letter to the screenwriter, wanting to ask what happened to the rom-com that we were promised with such a stellar cast. The bickering on the parents’ end can only keep us entertained for so long.
Another question we’d like to ask the makers of the show is about the lack of development in the potential third lead couple; and if they were to be used as a filler, why give them such crucial positions in the show then? Lee Seung Hyub, who has gained immense praise for his wholesome presence in Lovely Runner, is being immensely underused in Love Next Door, with his arc as the so-called underachieving brother not adding the needed sadness to the story.
What happened to Jung Hae In and Jung So Min?
The two fantastically talented actors who have been known globally for their immersive portrayals also seem to be having trouble getting Love Next Door to work its magic. Their conversations are awkward and appear forced despite displaying all the right expressions and taking what seems to be all the right steps- only the path being carved for them is the opposite way.
On the positive side, the second lead couple has managed to confess in a semi-adorable fashion and come together after all the hardships and honestly appreciated all the moments they were onscreen, as it gave us some breather.
With the finale week drawing near by the minute, we hope the show does not drag the parents’ disapproval arc too long and gives us some interesting content that would we really like. It’s a hopeful wish, one that we don’t really expect them to fulfil.
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