Listen to Story Release Date: 10 Aug, 2024 A chaotic family reunion and a second chance at romance? The new K-drama 'Romance in the House' is exactly that. An estranged middle-aged couple gets a chance at rekindling their romance, as a young romance brews alongside. The K-drama is peppered with all the rom-com tropes, but is it enough for you to invest and root for the two couples? Byun Moo-jin [Ji Jin-hee] was married to Geum Ae-yeon [Kim Ji-soo] but after his business crashes repetitively, the duo gets divorced.
Now with two kids - Byun Mi-Rae [Son Na-eun] and Byun Hyun-jae [Yoon San-ha], Ae-yeon works part-time at a mart where Mi-rae is in marketing. 11 years later, in a twist of fate, Moo-jin returns into their life as their new landlord, wanting to rekindle the past romance. On the other hand, Mi-Rae finds herself getting attracted to Nam Tae Pyung [Choi Min-ho], a former national level taekwondo athlete and now works disguised as a security guard at his father’s mart.
The first two episodes of the show give you a glimpse at the messy reunion of the family, their struggles and why one must invest in their stories. Writer Kim Young-yoon makes sure to strike an emotional chord with their backstory in the first episode itself. There is also an air of mystery lurking behind as romance takes centre stage, and it is an interesting blend of situational humour, romance, drama, and melodramatic tropes.
A post shared by Netflix K-Content (@netflixkcontent) It is also interesting to see how the show focuses on a matured love story at its own pace, in parallel to the young romance which is yet to ensue. However, this might also work against the show, given that most people would tune in to the show to see Choi Min-ho of SHINee and Son Na-eun of APINK sharing screen space for the first time. And not much has been explored on that front in the first two episodes.
The star cast is quite the right fit. Ji Jin-hee and Kim Ji-soo as an estranged couple onscreen, are “ying to the yang.” There is a sense of vulnerability and intrigue you feel in their love-hate story.
Both bring a sense of novelty to their respective roles. Son Na-eun, on the other hand, is the perfect fit as Mi-Rae who is both sensitive and strong-headed. San-ha as the younger brother brings a lot of comic respite to the narrative.
While Min-ho’s character has not yet been fleshed out enough in the first two episodes, director Kim Da-ye has left enough crumbs for you to watch the love and drama unfold in the upcoming episodes. Watch the trailer here: If only the first two episodes are considered, it is only a warmup to the mess and romance that is to ensue. The cast and the narrative so far are interesting and assures a right amalgamation of rom-com and mystery genre.
'Romance in the House' will have 12 episodes and is available on Netflix. New episodes will drop every Friday and Saturday..
