Park Jae-won, played by Ji Chang-wook, falls in love with Lee Eun-oh, played by Kim Ji-won, after a summer romance on a beach. The architect sets out to find her again through the streets of Seoul, and the search forms the spine of Lovestruck in the City.
Trailer, via Netflix K-Content.
The Seoul Search
Jae-won’s quest runs through the city’s streets, and the show leans on the contrast between the two leads to drive its drama. Kim Ji-won plays Eun-oh as free-spirited and spontaneous, while Ji Chang-wook plays Jae-won as driven and precise. Their chemistry carries the series, and the tension between their opposite ways of living gives the romance its shape.
Kim Min-seok plays Choi Kyung-joon, and So Joo-yeon plays Seo Rin-yi, both filling supporting roles around the central couple. Ryu Kyung-soo plays Kang Geon, and Han Ji-eun plays Oh Sun-young, rounding out the cast that moves through Seoul with Jae-won.
What the Show Actually Does
The show is built as an interview format, with six individuals talking about their experiences with dating. That framing gives the show a documentary feel, even as it follows a romantic arc between two leads. The format works best when it lets the characters speak naturally rather than leaning on the interview frame too heavily.
The show is the first part of the multi-part City Couple’s Way of Love project, and it premiered on KakaoTV on December 22, 2020. New episodes arrived every Tuesday and Friday at 17:00 KST. The show also landed on Netflix, reaching audiences beyond South Korea.
Behind the Scenes
The casting came together over the course of 2020. Kim Ji-won and Ji Chang-wook were first reported to be in talks in July 2020. By September 2020, both leads were confirmed. Later that month, Kim Min-seok and So Joo-yeon joined the cast in supporting roles. The script reading happened in September 2020.
The Way of Love of City Men and Women
That title, taken from the Korean original, sums up the show’s approach: love as a method, not a destination. The show treats dating as a process rather than a goal, and Jae-won’s search for Eun-oh becomes a way of life rather than a simple chase.
Our View
Lovestruck in the City is strongest when it stays close to its leads and weakest when it leans on the interview frame too hard. The chemistry between Ji Chang-wook and Kim Ji-won is the engine of the show, and the city itself serves as a character alongside them. The supporting cast adds color without taking focus away from the central couple.
The show earns its place as the first entry in a larger project, and its presence on Netflix means it reached a wide audience. Its score sits at 7.7 out of 10, a mark we share after watching it through.
- Six individuals talk about dating in the interview format
- Episodes arrive every Tuesday and Friday at 17:00 KST
- First installment in the City Couple’s Way of Love project
- Premiered on KakaoTV on December 22, 2020
- Available on Netflix internationally
We think the show’s strength comes from its two leads and the city they move through. The interview frame is a useful device, but it should serve the story rather than define it. As it stands, Lovestruck in the City succeeds because Jae-won and Eun-oh feel like real people, not just figures in a formula.
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