Love Next Door makes one huge K-drama change, and fans are split

You might have noticed a romantic K-drama pattern developing off-screen (Queen of Tears, looking at you), but Netflix’s Love Next Door has gone against the grain and split opinion.

Any good K-drama – whether it’s on Netflix or not – needs some kind of romantic chemistry to make it memorable. Whether it’s devastating like Lovely Runner or less popular like Hierarchy, getting the people talking is all that matters.

Netflix’s Love Next Door has done the same, but for a more surprising reason. Its lead actors, Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min aren’t a couple off-screen… and fans have noticed.

Across many new TV shows this year, fans have frequently seen real-life couples take on the roles of fictional ones. Queen of Tears is a great example, with Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun rumored to be together off-screen.

According to fans, the chemistry makes a big difference to the show’s drama, and it’s split fans. Posting side-by-side clips of how the “Jung couple” and “Kim couple” act on press trips, one fan wrote: “The difference between dating and non-dating co-stars…”

“The difference is that some fans are being delusional,” one replied, with another weighing in: “When you allow the world of imagination to mingle with the real world. It’s always going to look funny. I’ve never been interested in the Kim couple, but I’m surprised that you have fantasies about other couples.”

“Isn’t the Kim couple enough to create imagination?”

Though nothing about their personal lives has been publicly confirmed, it’s widely thought that both Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min are single. Jung So-min was previously known to date fellow Korean actor Lee Joon, but the pair have since split.

In Love Next Door, the co-stars play a woman who wants to change her life, and a mother’s friend’s son who knows about her ‘shameful’ childhood.

While K-drama fans think comparing the Jungs to other actors will start an unnecessary debate, others are already digging their chemistry.

One wrote: “Love Next Door premieres the 17th of August on Netflix, so do tune in to watch NON DATING actors do what they are getting paid to do bring fictional characters to life and have a time while doing so.”

“I’m already loving Love Next Door. Chemistry is already giving, that childhood trope is working well, and the sub-family arc adds color to the series. Kdrama slump over,” another mused.

Even Netflix has weighed in, posting a video claiming the pair’s chemistry is “perfect.”

“Watching Love Next Door and realizing SooWon’s chemistry was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it will take a few years for a new couple to have that chemistry again,” another fan disagreed, comparing it to binge-worthy TV show Queen of Tears.

The good news is that both shows are available on the streaming service, meaning you can decide which romantic couple you prefer.

Catch up with the Queen of Tears special episodes, the most anticipated K-dramas of the year, and find more TV shows streaming this month.