Love Next Door – K-drama Episode 3 Recap & Review

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Episode 3 of “Love Next Door” begins with a flashback into Seung-hyo and Seok-ryu’s past. Seung-hyo competes in a swimming competition where neither of his parents can attend since his mother is a diplomat and his father is a doctor.

With no one there for him, Seok-ryu is in the crowd, manically cheering for him. This scene highlights how close Seung-hyo and Seok-ryu are despite their usual squabbles. Seung-hyo ultimately wins the race.

The next day, it becomes clear that something is off with Seung-hyo’s family. At work, Seung-hyo learns about a new client looking to build a luxury retirement home for the wealthy, but his heart is set on the design competition to build his school gymnasium, where he used to swim.

Meanwhile, as the saying goes, old habits die hard. Seok-ryu literally codes an unemployment schedule for herself, which looks something like this: play games, space out, watch TV, take a nap, and so on. She later invites Seung-hyo to read a comic with her but is comically brushed aside.

Later though, Seung-hyo and Mo-eun do spend time with her at the bookstore before heading to their respective work, while Seok-ryu brainstorms what to do next for her free time schedule from 8 pm to 10 pm!

The next day, she accidentally meets her homeroom teacher, who’s now the principal of their school. While helping her carry an order from her parents’ restaurant, they come across Seung-hyo, who’s visiting the gym for the design competition.

When her teacher mentions her former company, Seok-ryu doesn’t deny working there and somehow ends up giving a special lecture to the students as an alumna, only to wonder what her childhood dream had been when one of the students asks her.

After she concludes the lecture, Seung-hyo makes her help him dig up the time capsule in which the three friends had placed letters for themselves to read 10 years later. They don’t find it, though, and Seung-hyo leaves for home.

Mo-eun, while on her way to the hospital in an ambulance, notices a man helping to clear the traffic and declares to her co-workers that he’s her “ideal type.” The man is actually reporter Dan-ho, but she is oblivious to this.

Seung-hyo and his co-founder Myeong-u have a meeting with their prospective client, but Seung-hyo doesn’t want to work with them because they want him to plagiarize architectural designs. This leads to an argument between the two founders regarding the future of the company.

Elsewhere, Seok-ryu meets with a prospective client who is eager to recruit her. Seung-hyo oversees this and reminds Seok-ryu to chase her dreams, questioning whether she really wants to re-enter a job she didn’t like. Seok-ryu argues that having an enjoyable job is a privilege. The two then enter into an argument as well. Sigh.

In a flashback scene, we learn that Seung-hyo was involved in a car accident that shattered his chances of competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was forced to quit his dream of becoming an athlete.

The next day, thanks to the intervention of Seung-hyo’s employee and junior, he and Myeong-u resolve their conflict. Meanwhile, Seok-ryu debates the path she’s heading down in life.

To determine what her dream had been, she tries to dig up the time capsule again, but to no avail. Her teacher crosses paths with her, and Seok-ryu confesses the truth about quitting her job. Her teacher is supportive and encourages her to follow the path she chooses for herself.

While leaving, she meets Seung-hyo in the gymnasium and finds that he had already found the time capsule and teases her about the letter she wrote to herself as a teenager. He jumps into the water and shares that it’s been a long time since he’s entered a swimming pool since his accident. After a little provoking, Seok-ryu jumps in with him and almost drowns, but Seung-hyo makes sure she doesn’t.

In a flashback sequence, we see Seok-ryu trying to cheer up a dejected and heartbroken Seung-hyo after his accident. Back to the present, they hypothetically question each other about their life problems, and it’s officially revealed through the time capsule letters that Seung-hyo has liked Seok-ryu since they were in high school!

The Episode Review

“Love Next Door” is like a breath of fresh air. It’s evident that the plot is typical of a good romcom Kdrama and shares many tonal overlaps with some of the popular K-dramas of 2024, but Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min add that sparkle of pixie dust that makes the show as entertaining and enjoyable as it is.

We are slowly moving into the romance plot for both our first and second couples while developing the background of the characters, especially Seok-ryu, as she grapples with her existential crisis.

Some of the highlights of this episode have most definitely been its humor, with Seok-ryu putting in so much effort (she codes!) to create an unemployment schedule.

Not only this, but Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo’s banter is so relatable, and the actors do such a great job that it’s hard to imagine they aren’t really childhood friends in real life! Overall, it’s another great episode from “Love Next Door”!