These two episodes weren’t my favorite. It was a bit of step down from the first two.

I didn’t particularly enjoy the workplace scenarios from her past. The acting and writing was quite cringe. And a Car of Doom??!!!

Did the second leads take a character U-turn? Who acts this way in convenience stores? does the writer think only bickering is a way to express liking someone??

I still like our leads. Their attraction is subtle and nice to see. I get his reluctance because he values her friendship more.

I enjoy the architect office colleagues. They are fun. Na Yun (?) is cute and fun. And also perceptive.

I agree about the second leads, their squabbling was not doing it for me. Like which 33 year old in their right mind cares about getting the flavor of drink or lollipop they want at the expense of being a jerk to someone you are supposed to admire? But honestly that’s the only issue I had this week. Sure, it’s a lot like Lovely Runner, and sure, it’s not super original in other ways, but I love dramas like this, and I’m not sick of their bickering at all. Maybe those Big Scenes are just doing it for me hahaha!

One thing I noticed more this week (and need to go back to figure out what they were for last week) is the title of the episode changing at the end. Ep 3 went from “Stop Line” at the beginning to “Start Line” as they were in the pool together at the end and Seok-ryu had just said she wouldn’t go back and change things even if she could. Then Ep 4 changed from “Past Perfect” to “Past Perfect Continuous” as Seung-hyo’s heart is racing for Seok-ryu all over again. Y’all know I love a grammar reference and this one was so sweet and perfect!

The swimming pool scenes in episode 3 were really lovely, but I hated the whole Greip arc in episode 4. The writing and acting were flat and one-dimensional, like an afterschool special. Also, this is an ongoing complaint about Kdramas, but if you're going to write a character who has lived in the United States for many years, please hire an actor who actually speaks English fluently.

The truck of Doom, but just his leg, lol.

Also the English and "America" scenes were so bad, lol. No one and I mean no one in the US talks like "Peter and Susan" or "Chris" lol. That being said we needed to get from point A to point B and we got there. I mean the man follows her around like a puppy, how he doesn't realize he still likes her is crazy. Anyone with eyes can see that. Jung Hae In and hugs😜, they get him every time.

As for our reporter, he is obviously a single father or is at least raising a child. They were all in high school at the same time, but it is all good because our paramedic already likes his alien child. Win-Win.

Although I’m not too high on how this story will move forward, It’s still a very easy watch nonetheless.

I’ll admit, I thought that Chris was the ex-fiance. And the classic wiretap is too predictable, co-CEO is too nice not to care. And when it comes to unemployment, Seok-ryu is definitely more relatable to me than I thought😂

I always have to smile when ML and FL, when asked if they are childhood friends, vehemently emphasise each time that it's actually only their mothers who are friends and that's why they grew up together. Totally (un)believable, especially when you see how much they are there for each other.

It was clear from the start that ML had feelings for FL. But I'm glad ML thought he was long over it by the time they met again. I'm too much of a realist to find it romantic when someone is one-sidedly in love with one person for most of their life and doesn't act in any way to change it.
The comparison with MY LOVELY RUNNER wouldn't have crossed my mind, but that may also be because I wasn't overly enthusiastic about this drama and quickly forgot about it. LND, on the other hand, works much better for me.

Apart from the scene in the swimming pool, I liked the one with the voodoo love lock the best. K- superstition really does have the potential to become the latest export hit.

And Chris should definitely look at his own nose when he makes fun of other people's English. I hardly understood a word of what he said.

I now have fun guessing at the beginning of an episode what the episode title will be at the end. I was at least half right with ‘present perfect’ instead of ‘present perfect continuous’.

One of the things I dislike most about Kdramas on Netflix is that the english isn't subbed and it's always kinda low so I have to turn my tv volume up high only to still not be able to make out what's being said. I can't make out what's being said because english in kdramas isn't always great. I know I have to be patient since english is the foreign language but yeah, it's... something.

Once again the timing of events is weird to me. Exactly what could have been recorded and when that it was enough "evidence" to get the guy fired? Didn't he say most of insults before the guys got there? Was it the way he was speaking to her and how he was saying "you need to say please when asking for a favor?" Because after that Seong Ryu & the jerk moved a bit away (I think) and just her saying she could get proof of his terrible actions doesn't equal proof of it. Plus they were standing a bit away so how was that even recorded?! I know I should just go along with it but when that reveal scene happened, I was completely consumed with these questions that I didn't even retain much of the remaining time.

Also that 180 when jerk coworker was reminded he was in Korea and he was the younger one there made me chuckle. I don't know, I know it's about the respect hierarchy but he reacted as if now he was about to be beaten up by the government or something. "Yes sir, sorry sir" after only like *seconds* earlier being like "these bastards don't know their place, you bastard". It was just weirdly amusing to me.

So, I'm guessing the girl is the reporter's daughter or niece and he's raising her alone for whatever reason.
I like the little back & forth between the friend and the reporter.
This was the first time I've ever heard of a Durian flavored thing talked about favorably.

Sidenote: what a good memory the reporter has to vaguely remember a girl due to a random picture taken a decade or so ago haha

I felt bad for Seong Ryu. She was just trying her best and for that she was used, mocked, and mistreated. What a lonely experience.

I don't agree with the Lovely Runner's comparison and the advice to watch LR instead.

Both dramas and characters are very different but overall their relationship. None of them is better than the other, just different.

There is a lot of bickering between the leads but under there is a lot of serious themes. He's an idealist and she's the pragmatic one, they need each other. I love the swimming pool scene, she loves to control things but she jumped in when she can't swim and could relax enough to float alone. There is a total trust in each other. I loved their new tradition to curse people on a padlock!

I didn't think it was weird she knew people from Greip. It's normal they will send people used to work with Korean people.

I like how she wants to do something like helping her parents or finding a new job but understood she needed time to find something she loves. I wonder what will be her dream job.

I'm curious about the one year gap in her CV.

SH is an idealist but I like his passion for his job and even if he's less interested in a project, he won't do anything by halves, he's a perfectionist. His family's situation is sad. The parents really need to talk! Because she's running away from home.

I wonder if Dan-ho has a cute daughter interested in aliens :p

This show is starting to lose me. Episode 3 is the biggest offender, and quite frankly, the entire first half of that episode just felt boring, and the only thing that saved it was a better second half. Episode 4 as a whole was luckily better, but that's like going from something painfully mediocre to something that's at least kinda good.

But I'm also left wondering what this show is trying to be. It seems obvious, and that's probably the right answer, but I don't think it's fully working. Is the show trying to be a comedy? Well, it's not funny enough. Is it trying to be a sort of healing drama? Well, it's just not interesting enough. Is it trying to be a romance? Well, of course it is, and that's actually working, but that alone cannot carry a 75 minute episode, and it certainly won't be able to carry 16 episodes. And aside from the 4 leads and the co-worker/ partner, none of the characters really interest me either yet. The show does have some interesting themes, and story potential, but so far the writing just doesn't seem engaging enough. I know I seem harsh on this show, but I'm just left feeling very disappointed, and it's not a good thing when I constantly get the feeling that I've seen all of this done better elsewhere.

And, yeah, while I loved them in the first 3 episodes, the second leads also left me disappointed in episode 4. Why are they suddenly bickering like kids? Seriously, where did that come from? This works with the leads (for now), but here it just comes out of nowhere.

Oh, and speaking of coincidental writing, that kid that Mo-eum just so happened to meet is totally related to Dan-ho, isn't she? I'm actually hoping that's his daughter, because that would actually be a potentially interesting storyline.

Dan-ho's a single dad, isn't he? It hit me when Seok-ryu asked Mo-eum the crop circle girl's name and where she lived, and Mo-eum didn't know. Suddenly what Mo-eum's mom said all made sense on why he can't date Seok-ryu. And how the girl kept talking about her dad to not talk to strangers. (If so, this really is like Doctor Slump.)

Even before Mo-eum revealed that she had read their letters from the time capsule, we knew that she knew when she agreed that Seung-hyo likes manhwas with tragic love stories and sad endings. I truly hope Seok-ryu going to his swim competition means she liked him too because it would make our childhood-friends-to-lovers transition a lot less awkward. I wonder where she keeps his gold medal.

I love how Seok-ryu agreed to help with the Greip deal, despite it being a sore point for her, because it's Seung-hyo. I love more how she fusses over whether he eats while he works. I breathed a sigh of relief when she told him right away about Griep already deciding against Atelier In instead of keeping it from him like he did to CEO Myung-woo, who is hilarious by the way with his "You can do it."

So Seung-hyo was going to confess but missed his chance because Seok-ryu immigrated to the U.S. I'm most curious about how much our BFFs kept in touch with each other during their ten years apart. I feel like we'll see this same scenario with slimy Chris when her ex-fiancé comes back in town. What's the mystery behind Seok-ryu's one-year break from work three years ago? I really hope that she wasn't sick.

More background from high school with no unexpected reveals. Apparently the SUV of Doom only causes loss of dreams and not life. It would seem Seung-Hyo’s injury was not as traumatic as it was inferred (since he was not paralyzed). Olympic athletes have overcome worse: In July 2023, Brody Malone had to relearn how to walk. 

In July 2024, he took take center stage in Paris as an Olympian. The former Stanford gymnastics student-athlete suffered what many may have considered to be a career-ending injury in March 2023. During the dismount of his high bar routine and crashed to the mat causing a tibial plateau fracture in his right knee, a fully torn LCL, a torn meniscus, a partially torn PCL and some cartilage damage. After undergoing three surgeries since March 2023, Malone returned to the mat and claimed his third all-around national title in June, his 2024 Olympic dream was still very much alive. Considering Seung-Hyo outrunning Seok-Ryu, I think his end-of-dream fall-out is exaggerated to add an unnecessary level of pity.

Meanwhile, Seok-Ryu needs to get a grip on Greip (Google?) as her “taken advantaged” former job places her back with former colleagues. It is SOP that Silicon Valley tech employees are overworked and under-appreciated by their bosses. Doing more work than a colleague is typical in most large companies. It is OK for her to quit, but another exaggeration that she would violent against a person her friend is trying to win an assignment (however rigged). The happy conclusion was farfetched in the real world of architecture project management. If it was to show how the leads could bond in a common goal, it fell just as flat as the time capsule scenes.

The leads unrequited love story still takes a back seat to the 2FL and 2ML’s unfolding story of action over words. So far, I think the secondary characters and support cast (including the now tempered mom’s group) are carrying a lot of the show as I am just not invested in the leads or their current lives. Mo-Eum’s encounter with her younger self, park girl Ji-Yoo, was great. I immediately thought that Ji-Yoo would turn out to be Dan-Ho’s daughter, but it looks like her role was just a one episode cameo. Too bad. But Dan-Ho seems to have a closer backstory to the main group (the secret background guy trope.) The show is not getting better or worse; it is just average.

The lead couple dynamics are fantastic. I love how they bicker like kids but it doesn't feel smarmy or juvenile, it's just really entertaining. I hope they don't lose it when the romance kicks in. Somin is especially luminous and magnetic, she's so good at comedy, physical or otherwise, and Haein is a good foil for her.

I had initially thought the end of the swimming career was maybe something to do with a family member, to explain the troubled parent dynamics, but the flashback was nicely done. I liked the parallel to Seokryu being the one to get him out of his funk then, with Seonghyo being the one to do it for her now.

Their dynamic really is what is keeping me fully entertained and eager for new episodes, because the rest of the writing is kind of lolzy. The work stuff was so childishly written, the writers didn't bother to give it any subtlety or nuance, and while her snapping out of her fugue to give Chris what he deserved was a cool drama moment, the whole thing was mediocrely written. It's like the writers spent all their time perfecting the couple stuff so it's amazing and then just throw in whatever else at the last minute for the rest of the story. I love all the actors playing the parents but even their scenes are not very nuanced. I assume it's meant to be about both pairs going through a slump but so far it doesn't even look like either pair cared for each other, it's not well done.

I guess I'm just going to keep handwaving the rest because Seokryu and Seonghyo are entertaining enough to keep me going.

Great recap!
And your thoughts are very spot on!
Yes LR is pretty similar too! And a must watch for lovers of well done RomComs! (Both ML’s were swimmers… I guess that allows for shirtless scenes that are “natural” - 🤔
Even though ep 3 & 4 May not be as good as 1 & 2 the bar was set very high with those episodes.

There is a lot of backstory here that the writer feels is needed. They been friends, very close friends for 25 years!

Looking forward to episode 5 & 6!

✔ MVP of the Week award goes to: Na-Yoon
-- For single-handedly preventing the breakup of Atelier In with a smooth serving of E.Q. sugar-coating that bitter pill ("Your idealism comes from privilege") Well played, girl

✔ Wing-woman of the Decade award goes to: Mo-eum
-- The early bird not only catches the worm, but gets to read her two besties' letters in time capsule. I swear, all that incessant badgering in Eps1-2 to "let's call SH to join us" makes sense now. It's Morse code for "I-am-low-key-shipping-my-clueless-bestie" cos she has read SH's love confession!

✔ Most Prophetic Line: 'I nearly lost my best friend to a random kid." Plot prediction: I'm with the beanies' corner betting on crop-circle girl being the kid of Dan-Ho (or at least he has to be a legal guardian of sort to her). So yes, tis a matter of time before Mo-eum lose her heart to the dad-daughter team (and it's hilarious how she winsomely offers chocolates to the kiddo but fights tooth and nail with the dad for a lollipop)

✔ Best upending of Dating Trope: I never expected to see the famous lovers' locks bridge of Namsan Tower (a popular dating hotspot) being subverted as a cursing ritual as the besties huddle to vent 🤣 priceless

I adored the swimming pool scene and the flashback where the FL climbs into the ML's room and starts cussing him out until she breaks him out of his post-accident funk was HILARIOUS!

But yeah - the Greip scene was cringeworthy.

I'm pretty happy that the romance is coming to the forefront now.

I'm enjoying the show despite some of the flaws people have mentioned. I just love the leads so much, they can sell anything.

I feel a bit sorry for the show with all the (understandable) Lovely Runner comparisons - the show would have been in development way before LR aired so the timing is unfortunate.

The most baffling bit of this week's episodes to me was the idea that Korean drivers don't know how to get out of the way of an ambulance?! No way that the ambulance drivers just sit there shrugging and that the cars don't move. I liked the character moment for the second leads but the whole thing was so absurd.

I am done with this one. There's nothing special or unique about it. 80% it felt like doctor slump and the remaining scenes I have seen from every other romcoms. Romcoms struggles with storyline but they can bring the charm and uniqueness too. Even when the stories are similar execution can be different.

I really want to love this show, but honestly … maybe I *should* go watch Lovely Runner again. There is nothing really surprising or unexpected - that he has loved her all the time and still does is the very point of this drama.

I kind of get why foreign languages are often so bad. I do the same when I speak Japanese: freeze completely in utter nervousness, totally afraid (hoping for? )I will spontaneously combust when I inevitably make the first mistake, then I fire the whole sentenceinonepieceandwishsomesinkholeswallowsmewhole.
Which is what happened here, too.
It could be so much easier for actors - hire a language coach, get the melody right, relax and just enjoy the language.

Jung Hae-in is a winner in this.

I am absolutely loving this show!!!

The violent or comedic bits that I hated have been mostly toned down, and so, ever since, I've been walking around with heart eyes for our two leads. They're precious together, whether trading barbs, or helping each other out, or just sitting quietly working side by side. The scene where she shows him a mirror to his own privilege was so good, and in return, the passion he showed for his work to her, will hopefully guide her to find her own dream. Despite the comedic angle, what is hypnotic, and has me grinning like a loon, is the blatant *understanding* that runs through their every interaction, the hyper-awareness of every word, segueing in a heartbeat from tart to utterly sweet.

Yes, they're the ones totally selling this show for me, but the other characters are holding their own too. Bestie Mo Eum doing her utmost to bring the two together with her all-knowing side-eyes cracks me up. It looks like both sets of parents will also be dealing with their own issues in their own Kdrama way. I love the counselor junior employee who speaks the truth from her own generational perspective. The millennial partner who turned the tables on Chris thanks to his bougie social media posts, he could be me.

There're lots of niggles of course, especially the cringe English dialogue at Greip, but just like I did with Serendipity, I'm overlooking all of them, just for the general happiness I feel watching it.

I hate the constant negative comparisons to Runner (that I had zero interest in, so didn't touch) or Slump/Samdalri (that I dropped), because I'm taking this show for what it's giving me, and that's a really nicely blossoming exploration of friendship across the years, burning out, and healing. You do your thing, pomegranate tree... bloom and bless.

I have nothing substantial to say other than this show makes me smile from ear to ear! Bring on the bickering, I don’t even mind the second leads arguing over a lollipop flavour, tho my brain can’t compute that the reporter guy is the same actor who played the pathetic ex in SERENDIPITY’S EMBRACE 🤷‍♀️
Regardless I’m sucker for characters dealing with burnout, a lot of kdramas glorify overworking so I hope whether or not Seok-ryu finds a career she’s passionate about, she’ll have a better work life balance

Love Next Door and Lovely Runner are two very different dramas, so it's weird to compare the two because of a few similar plot points. Ones that are very common at that.

Anyway, the bickering is honestly what I come for. It's a romcom staple and I haven't seen it in awhile. The leads bounce off each other very well and when it's time to be serious they do it. They've known each other a long time so they know how to push each others' buttons and how to talk through the tough stuff. I'm curious to see how romance affects this relationship.

The work stuff works for me because of the emotion behind it all. I understand Seokryu's burnout and jadedness. I understand why Seunghyo is so optimistic despite being this close to going under. It was a nice touch for Nayun to point out being able to dream like he does is a privilege he has because of his wealth. I can overlook the English for the story.

I really liked these episodes and hope we find out that the little girl is Danho's daughter soon.

Still enjoying this a lot. In the first episodes there seemed not that much like friends but reluctant childhood friends because of their mothers. Instead they deeply care and support each other.

Also Dan-ho totally is the father of the little girl and that's why he is not "eligible".

Thanks for the recap, @missvictrix!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt that the writing was off in episodes 3 & 4. It seemed all over the place, and that we had regressed to building more introductions rather than moving forward with traction. It was also a bit jarring to go from cutesy character scenes (between the dads, between Mo-eun and Dan-ho) to such a traumatic sequence between Seok-Ryu and Chris.

That being said, I'm still committed to this show for now.

BICKERING

I like how the bickering amongst the characters are used to different effects. Seung-Hyo and Myeong-U’s argument about potential clients is similar yet vastly different from his argument with Seok-Ryu over career choices. In both cases Seung-Hyo’s idealism runs up against the more prosaic but also pragmatic attitudes of Myeong-U and Seok-Ryu.

Whereas the argument between the partners show the incompatibility of their professional motivations, Seung-Hyo’s argument with Seok-Ryu showed that they are ultimately coming from the same place - both have suffered failures and disappointments (“winters”), but both long for a dream to be realized (although for Seok-Ryu there is the added layer to figure out what her dream really is).

I especially like the swimming pool scene because we start to see their two worlds - past and present - being bridged. We have the teasing and the fighting (running around the pools like children), but then also the more adult, serious questions and vulnerabilities (like asking if they could have a re-do, would they). I like the theme of “second chances”, and how the two are the perfect foil to challenge one another out of their respective prisons and limitations.

Side characters
I’m not put off by the second leads’ bickering. I think it would be a mistake to think just because people are selfless in one area, that they are completely selfless. Everyone needs to have their own needs met (especially people in high stress environments, like being a paramedic) - so I think it’s only natural that Mo-eun gives 110% of herself to her patients, but wants a specific drink or lollipop to unwind.

I TOTALLY MISSED the K-drama connection between alien-crop-circle-seeking girl and Dan-Ho! I’ve obviously been away from K-dramas for too long since everyone else got the link but I was like “Why is Mo-eun meeting this random girl??” I think Dan-Ho is the girl’s legal guardian, possibly an uncle who has to take care of his niece because his sibling died. That would explain the sudden shift from being a workaholic to not.

Although contrived, I actually liked the meal between the two fathers (Geun-sik and Gyeong-jong): both discontent, both thinking the other has it better. I couldn’t tell if I should be sad for them, or just frustrated that they couldn’t figure out a way to reconnect with their wife.

But, I felt so gutted on Geun-sik’s behalf when he was describing the inability for the poor to buy nicer...