"Love Next Door" follows the story of two best friends, Seok Ryu and Seung Ho, who grew up together. However, as life became busier, they gradually distanced. Their paths cross again when Seok Ryu returns to the country, rekindling their connection.

My review is kind of a reality check because Oppa couldn't distract me this time xD

How illness was magical bandage to all the problems:

1. Yeon Du gets a fever and collapses, and suddenly Dan Ho realises his mistake and responsibilities.

2. Poor Seok Ryu has to go through cancer just for her family to finally notice her and have their big emotional redemption arc. It’s as if a regular sickness wouldn’t have been tragic enough to get them to care. It had to be something huge.


3. The younger brother gets priority treatment because he was sick as a kid, and that status never seems to expire. It's not wrong but neglecting the other kid ain't fair either.


4. Then there’s the ML’s mom, whose short-term memory loss from stress is what finally forces them to have a real conversation about marriage. Because talking it out normally? was difficult for the writers:D


5. And, of course, the ML has to get injured at work for the FL SAY OUT LOUD her true feelings.


It’s funny how illness and injury are like the secret sauce to fix everything in this drama.

Things that consistently pissed me off?

1. Her mother. There's a fine line between suggesting a career path and straight-up forcing someone to return to a place they've repeatedly said, in language clear enough for even a toddler to get, they don't want to go back to. But no, she just had to be so persistently annoying about it, like her hearing was selectively off every time Seok Ryu said, "No thanks."

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, we get one episode—one—where she magically redeems herself, only to snap right back to her old ways immediately after. Classic. She continues treating Seok Ryu like she's a clueless 18-year-old, completely ignoring the fact that her daughter has probably figured out a thing or two about life by now. But nah, in mom’s eyes, she's still too young to know anything worth listening to.

The father was the only sane person in her family, but overly dramatic but I guess it was needed for his character.

2. Okay So I love Jung Hae In but his character, UHMMM, I'm not really a fan.

The first incident, when he was walking behind her and she started running because she thought she was being followed by a stranger—why was his response, "You should've looked back"? BROTHER, YOU COULD'VE SAID IT'S YOU OR CALLED HER NAME! What's with the victim blaming? 😭

Then, when Seok Ryu was sick, she tried to reach out to him sooo many times. Forget friendship, it was basic human decency to pick up at least once. Like, they've known each other for at least 10 years—what kind of dickhead behavior is that? I'm sorry, but if you were her friend, you would've put aside your feelings and at least reached out to her once. I SAID WHAT I SAID. They weren't even on bad terms! She has a boyfriend; I will never understand this kind of ghosting. It's not like she was even aware of his feelings, wtf. FELT SOO IMMATURE and then he hits you with a "I should've reached out to you sooner" shit smh.

3. Seok Ryu's ex coming back was the worst and most saddening thing for me. Like, what was even the point of him? I honestly felt bad for the guy. He wasn’t wrong to feel what he felt and to be in that depression mode—he was taking care of everything alone. Her family had no idea, but he was there, and it’s sooo pathetic how at the start it almost leaned toward him cheating on her. Messed up. And then Seok Ryu keeps him around without giving him a proper rejection or any real confrontation.

Things I liked

1. Seok Ryu sucked at being honest about her feelings and emotions, which is sooo relatable as the older sibling. I literally cried for her :( I liked how she finally found her dream.

2. Mo Eum? She’s soooo straightforward and easily the vibey person throughout the whole show—I loved her! Her bond with Yeon Du, I lovedd it so much.

3. One of the things I also liked was the ladies' group. That was one wholesome friendship, and all the ladies were so cutesy.


Honestly, the last few episodes were a bit of a dud. Nothing really happens! And that unnecessary fight between the aunties? Like, WHY was that even a thing:d

Overall, nothing stood out to me. Sure, the corporate culture and work-life stress were highlights, but beyond that... meh. The leads are cute, but that's about it.

Thank you for reading my review:D