Aahana Swrup
The K-drama’ Love Next Door’ excels at the push-and-pull of a dual timeline narrative as it delves into the story of Bae Seok-ryu and Choi Seung-hyo, neighbors who grew up beside one another only to find themselves returning to each other’s orbits in their thirties. After the previous episode’s stirring revelation about teenage infatuation, Episode 4, ‘Past Perfect,’ brings the focus back to Seok-ryu’s current reality. Seung-hyo’s personal life spirals a little after he unearths his past feelings. Still, at least things are looking up in his professional life as his architectural firm receives an opportunity to work with Griep. Yet, things take a precarious turn when he finds himself in need of Seok-ryu’s help, intersecting the latter with a part of her life she would rather forget. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Seung-hyo is Scandalized by His Own Teenage Feelings
The episode picks up right where the last one leaves off, finding Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo in the high school swimming pool, sharing an oddly heartfelt moment that doesn’t sacrifice their unique brand of bickering. Afterward, the duo go through the time capsule together to read the old letters they had written to themselves ten years ago. While Seok-ryu finds no answer to her perpetual search for her passion in the letter, Seung-hyo ends up making a jarring discovery. In his letter, a teenage Seung-hyo has expressed his feelings for Seok-ryu, imagining that his older version must have confessed by now.
However, the older version of Seung-hyo is only surprised by the revelation—and also deeply dedicated to ensuring Seok-ryu doesn’t find out the contents of his letter. In the privacy of his own room, he tries to convince himself that he must have been insane to have any romantic feelings for his neighbor and that, obviously, none of those feelings still persist. Nonetheless, his frantic need for Seok-ryu to remain in the dark about the same suggests otherwise. Furthermore, he also learns that Mo-eum had already dug out the capsule all those years ago to read through her friends’ letters. Even though she claims to have no memory of Seung-hyo’s letter, it seems his secret feelings weren’t entirely a secret from her.
Mo-eum and Dan-ho’s Potential Romance
While Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo’s story continues to progress as the narrative center, another romantic subplot also develops in the in-between moments for Mo-eum. The reporter Dan-ho had been a little smitten by the paramedic during their first meeting, even if the same wasn’t true for the latter. However, unbeknownst to Mo-eum, she has also been taken by Dan-ho in a delightfully complicated way. In the previous episode, the paramedic came across some traffic while driving a sick kid to the hospital.
During this time, a mysterious man in a mudflat shirt regulated the traffic, creating a pathway for the ambulance to call. As such, Mo-eum—with her fascination with superheroes who save the day—couldn’t help but become transfixed by the guy without realizing he’s Dan-ho. Thus, the next time she bumps into him at the grocery store, there’s no love lost between the two. In fact, as the two apparent neighbors continue reaching for the same things at the grocery store, a rivalry of sorts forms between the two as well.
Seok-ryu Revisits Unfortunate Memories of Griep
Seok-ryu happens to be at the Atelier In Office, fondly pestering Seung-hyo when Yoon cheerfully brings in the news that their firm has been recommended for a local project with Griep. As such, once the architects realize they will need an interpreter to work with the international company, Yoon turns to the former Griep employee for help. Even though Seung-hyo attempts to bail her out, she ends up agreeing to help them. However, after an initial video conference, she overhears the Griep team discussing their preference for a more prominent company.
Therefore, upon realizing they have only been humoring Seung-hyo, Seok-ryu tells him the same. Nonetheless, since she had accidentally overheard the conversation, the architect wants to take the company for their official word and stay in the running as long as possible. However, Seok-ryu holds righteous fury over Griep’s attempts to shortlist Atelier In and retracts her help. It remains obvious that her feelings over the matter are more influenced by her own experiences. It seems she’s aware of this, too—since she shows up the next day for the business meeting.
Still, Seok-ryu isn’t prepared to meet Chris again, her former colleague from Griep. As it turns out, Chris was one of the primary reasons Seok-ryu felt so outcasted in her workplace. Initially, he had put on a friendly front, backing her ideas up and assuring her that the two would always have each others’ backs. However, he was actually using her kind disposition and work ethic to slack off while manipulating her into picking up after him. Eventually, she overheard him sharing this “trick” of his with their other colleagues while they ridiculed her for her need for praise. Consequently, Seok-ryu is shaken up when she finds herself face-to-face with Chris again at the meeting.
Chris Get His Just Deserts
Chris’ unexpected presence disarms Seok-ryu enough that she has to excuse herself from the meeting to try and get ahold of herself. Afterward, once she tries to return, another unfortunate run-in with Chris commences. Even now, the man seems to enjoy belittling his former colleague and proceeds to humiliate and demean her. Yet, once Seung-hyo notices their interaction and Seok-ryu’s state, he lunges at the other man for insulting her. Even so, Seok-ryu knows how important the account can be for the firm, so she de-escalates the situation, urging Chris to leave their rivalry out of Griep’s working relationship with Atelier In.
Chris continues to stoop lower and tells Seok-ryu to follow her request with a “please.” No longer able to bear his smugness, the woman punches him across the face all on her own. She further threatens to reveal his plagiarism and toxic workplace behavior to his superiors if he shortlists Seung-hyo’s company any longer. Afterward, she storms out in need of a walk to clear her mind. Naturally, Seung-hyo follows after her—keeping his distance but never letting her out of his eyesight. In fact, he even brings her a change of slippers once he realizes how uncomfortable her “work heels” are on her feet.
Nevertheless, rather than wallowing in the day’s unpleasant proceedings, Seung-hyo takes Seok-ryu to a love-lock bridge. There, they create curses for Chris, attaching his name with minor inconveniences such as hair loss and obesity. Afterward, Yoon calls Seung-hyo to reveal a gratifying turn of events. During Seok-ryu and Chris’ confrontation, Yoon had secretly recorded the conversation. Since a Griep executive coincidentally follows Yoon’s social media, he had the means to report Chris to his superiors, getting him fired from the company.
Yet, the true victory arrives when Griep decides to partner up with Atelier In for a flagship shop. The delightful news leads to an excited hug between Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo that brings back a rush of memories for the latter. He recalls how she had skipped her own exams to attend his championship event when his own parents hadn’t shown up. Likewise, years later, after Seok-ryu had moved to America, Seung-hyo visited her with a boxful of Korean things, including her favorite comics. She had hugged him back then as well—and the feelings Seung-hyo had for her all those years ago now come rushing back to him as he realizes he never stopped feeling that way about her.
Read More: Love Next Door Episode 3 Recap: Stop Line
