Following the success of Queen of Tears, many anticipated the next romance series to come from tvN.
On August 17, 2024, Love Next Door premiered as a strong contender to fill the void left on Saturdays and Sundays.
Love Next Door stars Jung So Min as Bae Seok Ryu, a young woman who had worked in the U.S. as a project manager for a prestigious company, Greip. She mysteriously returns home to Korea, where she meets her childhood friend Choi Seung Hyo (Jung Hae In), an architect with a start-up architectural firm, Atelier.
A woman attempting to reboot her life returns to Korea and becomes entangled with her childhood friend — with whom she shares a complicated history.
— Netflix
The series has been classified as a dramatic, romantic comedy, and many enjoy its lighter nature. However, the most recent episode’s unexpected twist has been the final straw for some viewers.
During the show’s eighth episode, Jung So Min’s character suddenly has stomach pains, ultimately leading to the revelation that she had stomach cancer while in the United States and had 70% of her stomach removed.
아니 진짜 미쳤나
배석류 3년 전에 위암 2기에
위 70%를 절제하고 항암했었댄다.. pic.twitter.com/HZJFIr43N0— 루키 (@sz_rookie) September 8, 2024
The shock of this reveal left many viewers upset over the sudden inclusion of a life-threatening illness, leading to comparisons to Queen Of Tears. In Queen Of Tears, the female lead’s cancer diagnosis was added to the plot of the couple’s reconciliation.
Viewers expressed their thoughts on the sudden twist, with some even expressing they would stop watching.
They really do want think pieces because they started this drama with the ML and a memorial park. This is why kdrama is losing its spice. If it’s romcom, give us cliche romcom. We don’t need all these sides. I don’t know their obsession with trying to be edgy. https://t.co/cYDtDQkYeX
— Oluwabukayomi💜 (@bukayo_) September 8, 2024
every kdrama want to be queen of tears now its so over https://t.co/2UTHv3GBVo
— ً (@czydoll) September 8, 2024
eh?? jdks really hate when they do this. guess i’ll stick to no gain no love for now https://t.co/uzOV0YoLUt
— r 💭 (@uhmkayyyy) September 8, 2024
can kdramas writers come up with something that isn’t fucking cancers is it impossible for them to write a normal romcom like the ones we had years ago https://t.co/MmdvrbvXjw
— amy du lac (@hozierkive) September 8, 2024
