Aahana Swrup
In Netflix’s ‘Love Next Door’ K-Drama, Seok-ryu’s personal life becomes unexpectedly complicated right as she figures out the dream she wants to pursue as her profession. As Seung-hyo’s feelings resurface in full force, the man starts avoiding Seok-ryu, inadvertently hurting her in the process. Meanwhile, the latter’s father, Geun-sik, harbors a secret of his own, keeping his wife and kids in the dark. Nonetheless, the two secrets can only be kept hidden for so long. Thus, as Seok-ryu learns the truth about Seung-hyo’s hidden letter, it inevitably changes the duo’s relationship—for better or for worse. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Seung-hyo’s Teenage Secret Unravels
Since Seok-ryu returned to her hometown, her indecisiveness about her career overshadowed most opportunities for nostalgic reminiscence. As a result, having unlocked her passion for cooking, she finally finds the time to go through her childhood diary. She realizes how significantly her life has revolved around Seung-hyo. The same holds true for Seung-hyo, who has been around the woman for so much of her life that he knows all about most “firsts” she has ever experienced.
As the day progresses, Seok-ryu also becomes privy to one of Seung-hyo’s firsts—a secret he has guarded for more than a decade now. After the former’s mother asks her to deliver some food to the Choi household, Seok-ryu finds herself in Seung-hyo’s bedroom and manages to get her hands on his time capsule letter. However, as she scans the letter, she can’t help but take a pause as she discovers his teenage self’s feelings.
Nonetheless, Seung-hyo dismisses the same as a joke, tearing the letter up and throwing it away. Even though both individuals attempt to brush off the incident, Seung-hyo doubles down on his tactic of ignoring Seok-ryu at every turn. From turning down further professional help from her to avoiding plans with excuses of fake meetings, the architect becomes intent on minimizing his interactions with the woman.
Seung-hyo Makes a New Friend
In the aftermath of Seung-hyo’s letter, something intrinsic changes between him and Seok-ryu—if only due to his own fault. Nevertheless, his feelings for the woman are so convoluted he finds himself unprepared to navigate through them. Consequently, when Mo-eum attempts to invite him out to celebrate Seok-ryu’s decision to enroll in a culinary course, he finds excuses to avoid the plans. Thus, a vacuum naturally falls in his recently robust social life, as Seung-hyo finds himself a little lost. Fortunately, his paths cross with Dan-ho.
Even though the reporter and the architect have had run-ins with each other in the past, this meeting remains distinct as Seung-hyo asks the other man to grab a drink with him. Although Dan-ho turns him out on that front—on account of his daughter, who is waiting for him at home—he invites Seung-hyo for some homemade coffee. Consequently, Dan-ho ends up lending him an ear as he cryptically speaks about his dilemma. Seung-hyo’s worries are understandable even as they remain predictable. At the end of the day, he’s only afraid of ruining his friendship with Seok-ryu and re-entering the phase of uncertainty that he existed in during his teenage years.
The Trouble at Geun-sik’s Tteokbokki Shop
While Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo enter an uncharacteristically awkward phase in their friendship, trouble simultaneously brews in the former’s home life. While out having dinner with a group of workers, Seung-hyo notices Geun-sik with a drunken woman outside a bar. The same, coupled with his recent drinking habits and inconsistent working hours, compels the younger man to grow suspicious. As such, he confronts Geun-sik about it the same night. While Seung-hyo was inclined to assume the other man was engaged in an affair of some kind—possibly due to his own yet unrevealed past experiences—a different truth lies at the center of his troubles.
Still, Seung-hyo isn’t the only one to jump to that conclusion, as Seok-ryu’s mother, Mi-sook, also grows suspicious of her husband after learning that he has taken out a loan without talking to her. Shortly afterward, Mi-sook ends up confronting him about the same, asking him if he has been out gambling or partaking in an extramarital affair. As the argument attracts the attention of their kids, Geun-sik grows more and more distraught by the second. Eventually, he reveals the truth of the situation.
Earlier, two online content creators with a significant following had visited Geun-sik’s shop. Although the cook was initially pleased with the prospect, he found his excitement dimming after the duo claimed to have found a hair in their food. Furthermore, after he checked on them, he accidentally jostled some food onto them, which apparently ruined one guy’s exceptionally expensive watch. Therefore, Geun-sik now has a huge debt on his head, which he was trying to pay off by working as a designated driver to drunk clients.
Since Mi-sook and Geun-sik argued so much about money, he was embarrassed to have caused the family such a big loss and wanted to resolve the issue on his own. Once his wife and kids learn about the same, they can’t help but feel terrible for the man. Still, Seok-ryu realizes she can’t do anything as the police are more likely to penalize Geun-sik for breaking the sanitation act. Nonetheless, she comes to a solution, only to find that Seung-hyo has beaten her to the punch.
After Seung-hyo learns about the same, following his earlier confrontation, he reaches out to the business owner across from Geun-sik’s shop and retrieves his security footage. As such, he discovers that the content creators were actually scam artists who have been pulling the same trick on other small business owners. Thus, he sets up a meeting with the duo under the guise of paying off their debt before confronting them about the truth with Dan-ho’s help. In the end, the scammers are caught, resolving Geun-sik’s problem.
A Heated Confrontation Between Seung-hyo and Seok-ryu
After Seung-hyo helps out Geun-sik, inevitably crossing paths with Seok-ryu again, she decides to ask him about his recent behavior. In his defense, the man has nothing to say for himself; therefore, he falls back on righteous anger. Seung-hyo attempts to make Seok-ryu feel bad about constantly pestering him, claiming they have grown up now and have no reason to be in each other’s life. In turn, Seok-ryu is taken aback and equally infuriated at his unreasonable actions.
Still, Seok-ryu attempts to reconcile with him after cooking his favorite Korean dish at her culinary course and bringing a serving for him the next day. On his part, Seung-hyo maintains his hostility and picks another fight with her. In the direct aftermath of this fight, Seok-ryu thinks over his actions and realizes that despite knowing him inside and out, she never knew about his first love.
Adding the same to Seung-hyo’s reaction to the time capsule letter, Seok-ryu begins to realize she’s missing a crucial piece of the puzzle. Ultimately, Seok-ryu decides to confront Seung-hyo head-on, demanding his transparency on his yet cryptic words. If she drives him crazy, she wants to know exactly how. Even though the episode ends before the man can reply, the conversation is bound to pave the path for the rest of their future relationship.
Read More: Love Next Door Episode 5 Recap: Go Back
