Make way for Love Like a K-drama on Netflix, as it brings a captivating twist to the dating series genre. This show features Japanese and Korean actors uniting to compete for episodic couple roles, all in pursuit of the ultimate prize – securing lead roles in a K-drama.
Add a bit of high-stakes drama and fans are in for a treat. Love Like a K-drama takes four Japanese female actors and four Korean male actors in the bidding to land leading roles in a real K-drama. The contestants will live together in Seoul and create pairs. The pairs will then audition for each episode hoping to star in it.
Love Like a K-drama’s rules are fairly simple, but will create needed rift and drama among the contestants. The first four episodes have already created turmoil among the actors as some have already developed feelings for their initial partner.
To add to the drama, the storylines for each episode’s audition range from love triangles, heated romance, and a K-drama favorite – kiss scenes. Here’s a breakdown of the pairs so far and the episode storylines. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Love Like a K-drama Episode 1
During the initial meet and greet, the first couples were made. The female contestants first met Kim Won-shik with three of the female contestants showing interest in being paired with him. But Won-shik decided on Honoka Kitahara.
At the second cafe location, the remaining three met Song Ji-hyuk. Initially, none of the women showed great interest until Rio Yamashita made the decision to be paired with him. Next to a highway bridge, Ayano Kudo and Nozomi Bando met Lee Tae-gyun. Both showed their interest in him, with Tae-gyun picking Ayano. With only two contestants left, Nozomi and Kim Dong-kyu were paired together.
For the Episode 1 audition, the storyline involved a lot of tears and a kiss. Ultimately Rio and Kin-hyuk did the best out of the other couples and won to lead the first episode.
Titled “The Last Goodbye,” the storyline focused on an engaged couple who were excited about their future. Rio starred as Aoi, a Japanese exchange student, and Min Woo, played by Ji-hyuk. He fell for Aoi at first glance. Aoi was set to go on a trip without Min Woo despite his insistence on going. He gets the tragic news of her passing and they both deal with the emotional turmoil and saying goodbye.
Love Like a K-drama Episode 2
The dating series threw in a curveball. Per the rules, the couples had to be changed but at the decision of the male contestants. Both Ji-hyuk and Tae-gyun wanted to pair with Rio. Ji-hyuk explained he had grown fond of Rio and wanted to explore more with her. But Tae-gyun said he couldn’t explain why he was interested in her.
Unable to come to a decision, Won-shik and Dong-gyun decided for them. They both agreed Tae-gyun needed to have a chance at getting to know Rio. For Love Like a K-drama Episode 2, the couples were Tae-gyun and Rio, Won-shik and Honoka, Dong-kyun and Nozomi, Tae-gyun and Rio, and Ji-hyuk and Ayano.
The storyline for Episode 2 would further cause some turmoil as it is a love triangle. They were once again judged by an industry professor with Honoka and Won-shik having passed the audition. But seeing as it’s a love triangle, Honoka had to choose another male lead. She chose Tae-gyun.
“She is the One’ has two men fall in love with the same woman with the female lead sharing a kiss with both that shakes her to the core. Honoka stars as Nana working in Korea as a Japanese interpreter. Won-shik plays the role of Byeong Gwan, Nana’s boyfriend and chaebol heir.
Sang Gu is played by Tae-gyun, someone who has had a secret crush on Nana for a long time. Nana learns that Byeong Gwan wants to break up. While sitting in the rain, Sang Gu comes to her rescue and takes her home. In the heat of his apartment, they share a kiss. Unknown to her, Byeong Gwan is truly in love with her and is trying to protect her. After realizing her love for him, she finds him fishing and they share a kiss.
Love Like a K-drama Episode 3
After Episode 2, Honoka broke the news to Won-shik that she would choose someone else for the next round. In a twist, Love Like a K-drama leaves the couple’s decision to the women. The male contestants each drew an item they would like to receive as a gift. Each female contestant must choose who they want to be partnered with, run to buy the item, and get back in time to be the first to give it to them.
Both Rio and Nozomi chose Dong-kyu and his flower. But only Nozomi got back in time. Meanwhile, Honoka and Ayano chose Tae-gyun’s headphones. Again, only one made it just in time to be first with Ayano being paired with him.
Rio and Honoka didn’t get their picks and must make a choice between Won-shik and Ji-hyun. Ultimately Honoka bought a T-shirt for Ji-hyun, pairing them together. Rio was left buying a keychain for Won-shik, forcing them to be paired together for Episode 3.
For the auditions, the couples were judged by two industry professionals and acting students. The storyline was about a female painter and a man in special circumstances. Their love blossoms with an unexpected kiss. By the end of the audition, Ayano and Tae-gyun won to star in Episode 3.
The storyline for Episode 3 was revealed in Episode 4 of Love Like a K-drama. Titled “Love Sketch,” Ayano is a painter working in Korea. Tae-gyun and Ayano fall in love instantly, but Tae-gyun has personal reasons why he can’t be with her. The episode plays out with Tae-gyun admiring a painting of a couple kissing with their eyes wide open.
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When Ayano sees him, she kisses him unexpectedly to mimic the painting. He then learns she’s the artist. They have a steamy night together and the following morning Ayano says she wants to introduce him to her father. It’s revealed Tae-gyun is a single father to his daughter. They fight over meeting Ayano’s father. She then draws a painting of him and later learns from her friends that he went to her father’s restaurant to talk to him.
One day, a young girl goes to the gallery and the new painting. She says it’s her father. Ayano goes to see Tae-gyun and they reconcile.
Love Like a K-drama Episode 4
For the main cast of Love Like a K-drama to act our Episode 4, choosing the couples is a bit different. While complex feelings are flourishing between certain people, fortune will decide. The cast meets with a fortune teller who tells them their fate and will determine the couples based on compatibility.
After each person was told their fortune, the couples were announced. First was Ayano and Ji-hyuk who were told they would be very compatible if they got married. Second was Nozomi and Tae-gyun who were described as a married couple. Rio and Dong-kyu were the third pair and comically accurate as the two have been paired before – with Rio having feelings for Dong-kyu. The fortune teller called their compatibility like friends.
The last couple for Episode 4 of Love Like a K-drama was Honoka and Won-shik. An interesting pair as Honoka made it clear to Won-shik she didn’t have feelings for him when he did. Their compatibility was described as a couple who often breaks up and gets back together.
For Episode 4, the storyline centers on a forbidden relationship between a singer and her manager. The twist is that the female participants will have to sing during the audition. Rio and Dong-kyu ultimately won over the judges and landed the lead roles for Episode 4.
Rio’s character is trying to embark on a solo career after her group disbanded. Dong-hyuk plays her manager who supports her career while working at a pub. They both chase after a dream while living together.
Love Like a K-drama Epiosde 5
Going into the casting of new couples for a K-drama episode, things are heating up between the cast of Love Like a K-drama. Before the auditions for Episode 5, the cast got to choose their desired partners – but with a twist. They would each write the person’s name on a card.
Chosen pairs can overlap with one cast member possibly having more than one partner. The first pair was Rio and Dong-kyu, with Rio having chosen him. The second was Nozomi and Won-shik, with Won-shik having chosen her. Ayano and Ji-hyuk were the third pair, with Ji-hyuk having chosen her. Ayano also paired with Tae-gyun as he chose her as well.
The fifth pair wasn’t announced as it was already revealed with the couple having matched. It was Ayano and Tae-gyun with both cast members having chosen each other. The sixth was Honoka and Won-shik, with Honoka having chosen him. The seventh pair was already formed with Rio and Dong-kyu having chosen each other. For the final pair, Nozomi was paired with Dong-kyu, with her having chosen him.
For Love Like a K-drama Episode 5, each couple had to audition for a fantasy episode titled “Time Machine Love.” It focuses on a popular female college student and a shy male student who has a secret crush on her. The scene is a kiss where they fall in love and swap candy between them.
After the auditions, Nozomi got her chance and was chosen as the female lead alongside Dong-kyu. Episode 5 has Nozomie be the most popular girl in school that every man goes after. Dong-kyu falls in love with her at first sight. But he struggles to win her over. In a sudden twist, he’s able to travel through time to try and win her affection.
Love Like a K-drama Episode 6
Episode 6 proved to be the most heartbreaking and emotional couple pairing of the season. This time, the women got to choose the person they wanted to be paired with for the next audition. But drama ensued when both Nozomi and Honoka showed interest in being with Won-shik.
At the start of the series, Honoka rebuffed his advances for someone else. Nozomi over time began to develop feelings for him. As both female contestants cried, Honoka admitted she wanted to thank him for making her feel comfortable. The only problem is that both Honoka and Nozomi have fallen in love with him. Unable to decide, they left the choice up to Won-shik.
Back in the audition room, Rip and Dong-kyu were revealed to have been paired with Tae-gyun and Ayano also a pair. Won-shik ultimately chose Nozomi – leaving Honoka to be paired with Ji-hyuk.
The finale episode is titled, “The Sad Wedding.” It focuses on a man who proposes to a sick woman in the hospital who only has a short time to live. The couples will act out he episodes climax as the story combines love and death.
In a twist of fate, Won-shik and Nozomi passed the audition to star in the episode. Nozomi stars as a Japanese patient with little time to live. Won-shik is a boxer who falls in love with her while in the hospital. They nurture their love with what time they have left. Wanting her last memories to be about love, he proposes.
Love Like a K-drama will air weekly on Tuesday on Netflix.
Read more K-drama news here, details about Single’s Inferno Season 3 here, and Physical: 100 Season 2 here.