JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Love Next Door Ep 3-4 Review: Jung Hae In starrer can only do so much with cliche plot despite Jung So Min’s best attempts
In the newest episodes of Love Next Door starring Jung Hae In and Jung So Min, childhood friends and neighbors face their past. Read our 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 plot
Two childhood friends, Bae Seok Ryu, played by Jung So Min, and Choi Seung Hyo, played by Jung Hae In, who are also neighbors, have a chance at romance as the former returns from the US after quitting her high-paying but equally stressful job and the latter becomes a successful architect about to go bankrupt. Old wounds reopen, and their memories, as well as growth, make the two realize just how well they know each other. New emotions break through amid tough moments in life as they lean on each other In Love Next Door.
Watch Love Next Door teaser
Love Next Door Episode 3 and 4 Review
The show resumes after last week’s reunions between old schoolmates who have now turned into responsible adults with their own sad stories. Jung Hae In delivers his handsomeness on a platter as Jung So Min throws around her rom-com genius with ease. The initial spark between the new pairing is refreshing, and the fact that this is Jung Hae In’s debut lead role in a rom-com is also not lost on us. However, as the show goes into its second week of airing, we cannot help but notice how his melodramatic eyes are not doing it for us anymore.
The hopeful gaze Choi Seung Hyo launches at Bae Seok Ryu with every heartfelt dialogue that is missed by the girl, with underlying his long un-confessed love is a trope far tried and tested for it to just work on its own. While there appears to be no major fallback at the moment, the repetitive nature of the storyline, without much uniqueness of its own, seems to be not hitting the right chords anymore.
What’s working for Love Next Door?
Jung So Min’s ability to slip into her characters and make them her own. The actress has managed to become Bae Seok Ryu completely while almost embodying a ventriloquist to belt out her dialogues. A slowed-down look at her diction will attest to that. On the other hand, Jung Hae In’s character is a fresh face in the rom-com world despite many cliches following him around. This has so far worked in his favor.
What can Love Next Door change in coming episodes?
Jung Hae In and Jung So Min are two very appreciated actors in the Korean entertainment scene. Their drama successes once brought together, seemed enough to launch Love Next Door into a frenzy of fame. So, while the acting doesn’t seem to be at fault here, amid the two bickering leads, the actual progression of their impending love story seems like a long wait as of now. As the kids would say, the chemistry is not chemistry-ing yet.
Latest Articles
