December 22, 2020 (2020-12-22) – February 16, 2021 (2021-02-16)
Lovestruck in the City (
Korean: 도시남녀의 사랑법;
Hanja: 都市男女의 사랑法;
RR: Dosinamnyeoui Sarangbeop;
lit. The Way of Love of City Men and Women) is a South Korean
streaming television series starring
Ji Chang-wook and
Kim Ji-won.[1] Directed by Park Shin-woo, the series depicts the real love stories of young people who live fiercely in a complex city.[2][3][4] This short form drama, which is the first in a multi-part series titled as City Couple’s Way of Love, was premiered on
KakaoTV on December 22, 2020,[5] and aired every Tuesday and Friday at 17:00 (
KST). It is available worldwide for streaming on
Netflix.[6][7]
Synopsis
The storyline of the series is in interview format—six people talking about their dating life.
Park Jae-won (
Ji Chang-wook), a 32-year-old architect who has a passionate and honest personality. He is not able to forget the woman, whom he calls a "camera thief", who stole his heart and disappeared. Lee Eun-o (
Kim Ji-won), a 29-year-old freelance marketer, lives an ordinary life but has an alter ego called Yoon Seon-a. She meets Park Jae-won under her fake identity in Yangyang Beach and ends up falling in love with him.
Choi Kyeong-jun (
Kim Min-seok), 29-year-old architect, and Seo Rin-i (
So Joo-yeon) appear to be a steady couple. Kang Geon (
Ryu Kyung-soo), a 29-year-old novelist, tends to fall in love with the woman he dates. Oh Seon-yeong (
Han Ji-eun), a 30-year-old gym teacher, is a 'serial dater' by self admission.
Kim Ji-won as Lee Eun-o / Yoon Seon-a, 29-year-old freelance marketer[8]
Kim Min-seok as Choi Kyeong-jun, 29-year-old architect working in a firm established by his father and uncle; Rin-i's boyfriend.[9]
So Joo-yeon as Suh Rin-i, a 29-year-old part-timer doing many jobs and going steady with Kyeong-jun. She is a good friend of both Kang Geon and Eun-o.[10]
Ryu Kyung-soo as Kang Geon, 29-year-old novelist who has not dated for 2 years. He is Eun-o's roommate and best friend.
Han Ji-eun as Oh Seon-yeong, 30-year-old gym teacher in high school who is a serial dater by self-admission; Geon's ex-girlfriend.[11]
Others
Son Jong-hak as CEO Park, father of Park Jae-won and uncle of Choi Kyeong-jun
First episode introduces the main characters: Park Jae-won (
Ji Chang-wook), 32 years old architect. Lee Eun-o (
Kim Ji-won), 29 years old marketer. Choi Kyeong-jun (
Kim Min-seok), 29 years old architect working in firm established by his father and uncle. Suh Rin-i (
So Joo-yeon), 29 years old part timer doing many jobs. Kang Geon (
Ryu Kyung-soo), 29 years old novelist. Oh Seon-yeong (
Han Ji-eun), 30 years old gym teacher in high school, serial dater by self admission. The first dating story of Park Jae-won and Lee Eun-o is in flashback of September 2019. Park Jae-won goes to beachside town of
Yang Yang for surfing, staying in a camper. There he meets Lee Eun-o, a part-timer in Ra-Ra
Ramyeon under false name of Yeon Seon-a. She picks him from airport and both are attracted to each other.
2
"How Do You Initiate Your First Sex?"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
December 25, 2020 (2020-12-25)
The interview continues as the interviewer asked another question as to how do they initiate sex? The story of Jae-won and Seon-a unfolds that Seon-a teaches him to drive a camper and he teaches her surfing. They get close and have intense moments. In those moments he tells her that he loves her. In the morning Jae-won sees her with someone and feels used.
3
"She Drove Me Crazy!"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
December 29, 2020 (2020-12-29)
The discussion starts as to why Seon-a is ignoring Jae-won. Maybe it was just a 'one night stand'. Seon-a is trying little bit of everything, like playing ukulele, roller skating, beach ball and surfing... Kang Geon and Oh Seon-yeong had a fling 5 years back. Jae-won, falling for her is puzzled by her aloofness. Finally Seon-a also develops feelings for him. The episode ends with both missing each other in the present.
4
"What Did She Do with the Ring?"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
January 1, 2021 (2021-01-01)
Seon-a and Jae-won start their fast track romance. They dance in rain. He serenades proposal on phone and they stage a mock wedding. She asks him to extend his stay by one month. They exchange rings, the one he still wears. He wonders, "What did she do with the ring?". Their romance ends when he is suddenly called back to Seoul by his company. He gives her his phone number and fixed a meeting point in Seoul to meet on Saturday. She never calls or meet. In present she contacts an old acquaintance for assignment for her own company O3. He is still wondering what wrong he did that she dumped him. Others think that she faked her feelings for him.
5
"What Do You Do With the Memory Box After Breaking Up?"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
January 5, 2021 (2021-01-05)
Jae-won talks about the fact that he left three of his cameras with Seon-a when he hurried back to Seoul. Since they never met again, he never had a chance to get them back. Geon and Seon-yeong have a messy break-up, where she demands to have returned everything that she bought for him. In the present, Geon is seen living with Seon-a/Eun-o. She seems to still have the film rolls from Jae-won's cameras, and goes to get them developed. The photographer seems to recognize the man in her photos.
6
"Somebody Stole My Camera"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
January 8, 2021 (2021-01-08)
Kyeong-joon and Rin-i's love story of many years is revealed. They were classmates in primary school, who met again in high school, became friends and eventually ended up dating. Geon and Rin-i seem to be related. Four of them -- Eun-o, Geon, Kyeong-jun and Rin-i are shown to be friends, and meet up to play a fast-paced game of
Halli Galli together. Eun-o reveals that the second reason why she did not contact Jae-won again was the fact that she found out that he was Kyeong-jun's cousin. She almost runs into Jae-won, while trying to avoid him.
7
"I'll Forget It! I'll Throw It Away!"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
January 12, 2021 (2021-01-12)
After unexpectedly running into Seon-a, Jae-won drinks and shows up at a police station demanding that the camera thief be found. It is revealed that Geon, Eun-o and Rin-i are friends from kindergarten, and maintain a very close friendship even now. This also seems to be the reason why Geon and Seon-yeong broke up. Jae-won and Eun-o both try to get rid of the surfboards that they painted together, only Eun-o successfully goes through with it.
8
"Love Is Supposed to Be Crazy"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
January 15, 2021 (2021-01-15)
Jae-won finds that he has no footage of Seon-a from his car to show Kyeong-jun. He thinks his problem of getting drunk and ruminating over his past relationship is getting out of hand, and so he seeks help from a therapist. Jae-won thinks he might be having hallucinations of Seon-a whenever he drinks, but Seon-a/Eun-o reveals that on one of those occasions, they actually did meet. When Jae-won was drinking at a bar, Seon-a actually went up to him and they had an entire conversation, but Jae-won does not remember this. Jae-won decides it is finally time to move on, when he sees Seon-a again. She tries to flee once again, but ends up getting arrested for being the 'camera thief'.
9
"What if You Run Into Your Ex?"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
January 19, 2021 (2021-01-19)
Geon and Seon-yeong meet again a while after their break-up, but his friendship with Eun-o and Rin-i gets in the way yet again. Seon-a and Jae-won get taken to the police station. When questioned on why she stole Jae-won's cameras, Seon-a remains silent initially, as she does not want him to find out her true identity. The truth is revealed when she is forced to give her registration number for police record. Jae-won is shocked and angry at this revelation, and even throws his wedding ring away. Seon-a tries to catch up with him, but to no avail.
10
"Lee Eun-o? Lee Eun-o!"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
January 22, 2021 (2021-01-22)
Eun-o attempts to retrieve the surfboard that she had attempted to discard. The rest of the interviewees find out that Jae-won finally caught the camera thief, and speculate about who she could be. Geon tells his friends that Eun-o has been acting really strange all week. A chance meeting at work leads Kyeong-jun and Rin-i to run into a man who seems to have caused a lot of trouble for Eun-o in the past. Jae-won puts two and two together and finally discovers that Eun-o/Seon-a is a friend of Kyeong-jun's.
11
"Is There Such a Thing as a Proper Break-Up?"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
January 26, 2021 (2021-01-26)
If there's a right way to break up is the question the episode begins with. With a psychologist, the interviewees' debate over the healthy way of breaking up with someone. Eun-o receives a call regarding her work while Jae-Won is hung up over the male voice he heard on the phone during his call with Eun-o. He asks Kyeong-Jun about Eun-o, he wants to know what sort of girl she is. Kyeong-Jun explains Eun-o's past. After work, the group prepare for a rooftop dinner and Kyeong-Jun invites Jae-Won for the same. Eun-o is troubled but Jae-Won doesn’t make a scene in front of anyone else and shakes Eun-o’s hand politely. When pointed out, he mentions throwing the ring away because everything he knew about the girl was fake.
12
"That's How I Became Yoon Seon-a"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
January 29, 2021 (2021-01-29)
The rooftop camping continues, and Choi Kyeong-jun accuses Jae-won of being an alcoholic and doesn’t want him to drink. They all make a toast for “friends”. The group continue asking Jae-won about the “camera thief”. Jae-won and Lee Eun-o indirectly argue and with him getting frustrated. Kyeong-jun asks about Lee Eun-o’s necklace, and she gets defensive before walking off. Lee Eun-o and Jae-won try to talk, at least explain everything. He acts rudely toward her and leaves while Lee Eun-o sobs to herself and drunk, she decides to leave once again. Lee Eun-o's past is shown in detail which led her to Park Jae-won. Later, Lee Eun-o wakes up frantically and doesn’t know where she is only to find Jae-won, realizing that she’s in his apartment.
13
"Have You Ever Blacked Out?"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
February 2, 2021 (2021-02-02)
Blacking out and drunk texting leads Eun-o to Jae-won picking her up. She’s anxious and tries sneaking out of the house but Jae-won knows what she’s doing and finds her hiding. They had an awkward breakfast and Jae-won tries to investigate her, being rude, sarcastic, and rude to her. She walks away, but it begins to rain. Jae-won ponders but then decides to help her get home in his car. Focusing on the present, Jae-won brings his seat back and says he doesn’t drive when it’s raining. She wants to leave, though. He tells her not to be mad because she has no right to and then puts their song on from the trip. Lee Eun-o tries to change the song, but he slaps her hand away. Eun-o looks away, and she narrates: “Jae-won is silly. That’s why I loved him”. Jae-won then asks if she’s hungry and hungover. In his head, he narrates “I just can’t hate her”. In the end, Geon and Rin-i sees Jae-won dropping Eun-o off and asks why they are both together.
14
"What Kind of Woman is She?"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
February 5, 2021 (2021-02-05)
They both lied it was “work-related” then Geon and Rin-i then invite Jae-won for ramyeon, which irritates Eun-o. Geon tells Eun-o that the rent is going up which causes her to burst out in annoyance, puzzling Jae-won over her attitude, trying to work out exactly who is Eun-o. Keong-Jun makes some spaghetti for Rin-i to cheer her up after she loses her job at the cosmetic store but Rin-i is in surprisingly high spirits about it all when he suggests she study to become a teacher, offering to pay for her tuition. Rin-i simply tells her she’s happy with her life. Later, Jae-Won learns that Lee Eun-o is not over him via Instagram and drives up to her apartment only to crash his car into Eun-o’s car. They begin to talk with the argument turning heated and intense until the rings fall off her necklace. Confirmed, she hasn't moved on too, Jae-Won pleads to admit her true feelings when she leans forward and kisses him. Jae-Won kisses back.
15
"It's So Hard to Get Honest"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
February 9, 2021 (2021-02-09)
Jae-Won seems to be blushy and giddy after kissing Eun-o but she regrets despite accepting her feelings for him and being the one to kiss him first. Jae-Won phones through to Eun-o for round 2 of their argument later that evening but she simply hangs up on him though (twice) in her sleepy state. The third time's a charm when she stays on the phone and they discuss the regret Eun-o has. She doesn’t regret meeting him, admitting she loved every minute she was with him but presently, she doesn’t know who she is and needs to figure herself out which means right now there's no room for loving Jae-won. The next day, Jae-Won arrives and drives Eun-o’s car to the garage. He gives her back her suitcase while she hands over his camera bag. Jae-Won tells her to take care. Meanwhile, Seon-Yeong messages Kang Geon. Kang Geon heads out for drinks with Seon-Yeong where they discuss their past, eventually leading them to go their separate ways. They shake hands, clinging on a little longer before she turns and leaves. Eun-o lights a candle and begins to explain her disappearance, admitting to being Seon-a.
16
"What Do You Think Love Is?"
Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
February 12, 2021 (2021-02-12)
The characters talk about the feeling of someone liking you back and an ideal relationship. Geon ponders over his recent official break-up with Seon-yeong. There are clearly feelings lingering. Lee Eun-o has a client meeting with Jae-won and Kyeong-jun. Kyeong-jun tells Eun-o that she kept staring at Jae-won and asks her if she thinks he’s good looking, who is not informed on the latest developments. The marketing event is in full swing, Eun-o watches Jae-won on the CCTV, and she cannot stop thinking about him. Kyeong-jun and Rin-i deal with a major change in their relationship. Jae-won is asked to drop Eun-o off but they meet on the building roof and they have a talk. Jae-won tells Eun-o that instead of removing things she needs to fix, they should get to know them together. He suggests they date first and they kiss. They are officially a couple.
17
"Winter, Midnight, Seoul"
Im Chae-rim, Lee Kyung-koo & Park Shin-woo
Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun
February 16, 2021 (2021-02-16)
Production
Development
Originally planned for 16 episodes, the series was extended to 17 episodes to show the romance of police officer Oh Dong-sik played by
Choi Min-ho.[14]
On November 12, the stills photos from filming of the series were released.[20] With the announcement of release date the stills from location were released on November 19, 2020.[21][22] On November 24, 2020, filming was stopped as one of the assistant actors was tested positive for COVID-19.[23] On November 26, it was confirmed that
Kim Ji-won tested negative for COVID-19.[24] On December 4, production team released the character posters, and the crew remarked, "We are going to provide a variety of fun by harmonizing stories of strong characters."[25]
Promotion and release
Ji Chang-wook, Kim Min-seok and Ryu Kyung-soo, the lead actors of the drama Lovestruck in the City appeared in the
260th episode of the entertainment program Knowing Bros broadcast on December 19, 2020, to promote the series.[26]
On December 2, it was officially announced that in the aftermath of COVID-19, keeping in view the safety of the site and personnel, the first episode of the series, which was scheduled to air on December 8, is postponed to December 22, 2020.[27]
Joel Keller of Decider opines that the six characters stand apart so as to be distinctive of each other. Keller feels that the characters of Jae-won and Eun-o are like
Ross and
Rachel from Friends. Concluding his review, he writes that "Lovestruck in the City is a light rom-com that is a good entry into the world of K-dramas, because the character types are very familiar to people used to American and British sitcoms involving will-they-won't-they romances."[41]
References
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^Moon, Ji-yeon (November 18, 2020).
"지창욱X김지원 '도시남녀의 사랑법', 연애세포 깨우는 메인 포스터 공개" [Ji Chang-wook x Kim Ji-won's'How to love between men and women in the city' reveals main poster to wake up love cells]. Naver. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
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"도시남녀의 사랑법' 이상윤·이상우·박진주, 감칠맛 더할 특별출연" [Lee Sang-yoon, Lee Sang-woo, and Park Jin-ju appeared in the'How to love between men and women in the city']. tenasia.hankyung (in Korean). Retrieved December 24, 2020.
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^"[단독] '도시남녀의 사랑법' 김민석·소주연 출연…현실 연애 그린다" [[Exclusive] Appearing in'How to love between men and women in the city' Kim Min-seok and So Ju-yeon… I draw a real love affair]. [단독] ‘도시남녀의 사랑법’ 김민석·소주연 출연…현실 연애 그린다. September 21, 2020.
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"'도시남녀의 사랑법' 지창욱♥김지원, 첫 만남부터 설레는 케미..완벽 시너지" [Ji Chang-wook Kim Ji-won,'the way to love between men and women in the city', chemistry that excites from the first meeting.]. Chosun. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
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"'도시남녀의 사랑법' 지창욱→김지원, 투명한 속마음...로맨스 드림팀 출격" ['How to love between men and women in the city' Ji Chang-wook → Kim Ji-won, transparent heart...Romance Dream Team]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean).
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