New K-Drama “Love Next Door” Draws Criticism For English Scenes

One actor especially has been criticized.
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Koreaboo

Spoiler Alert

This article reveals plot details of a current movie or series.

Currently, tvN‘s new K-Drama Love Next Door (also known as Mom’s Friend’s Son) is gaining popularity internationally via Netflix. It stars Jung So Min as Bae Seok Ryu, a young woman who had worked in the U.S. as a project manager for a prestigious company, Greip. She mysteriously returns home to Korea, where she meets her childhood friend Choi Seung Hyo (Jung Hae In), an architect with a start-up architectural firm, Atelier.

A woman attempting to reboot her life returns to Korea and becomes entangled with her childhood friend — with whom she shares a complicated history.

— Netflix

Jung Hae In (left) and Jung So Min (right)
Jung Hae In (left) and Jung So Min (right)

The K-Drama has been receiving praise so far due to the actors’ chemistry and mix of genres: romance, comedy, and drama. Yet, one episode received some criticism due to one of its guest actors.

In Episode 4, Seok Ryu’s former company, Greip, contacts Atelier for a potential project, seeking an architect. Looking to help her friend, Seok Ryu agrees to assist in communication since she knows the people involved in the project and she can communicate in English.

Unfortunately, one of the people responsible for her quitting the job ended up coming. Tensions rose with former colleague Chris (Hayden Won), who is Korean American.

Seok Ryu attempted to remain calm but eventually excused herself to collect herself in the bathroom. Chris suggested everyone take a break, so he cornered Seok Ryu when she exited the bathroom.

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Chris continued to harass her and went so far as to try to pet her head—but Choi Seung Hyo arrived just in time to grab Chris by the collar.

Eventually, Seok Ryu got involved again. She ultimately beat Chris up as the two continued to fight.

One moment that raised eyebrows was Chris telling Seok Ryu she needed to work on her English, claiming it still sucked. Viewers thought this was a wild thing to say, as in every scene with Chris leading up to this, he was “indecipherable.” By the way, if you turn on English with Closed Captions, the English-speaking portions will also have subtitles.

@haitsjanice

He has the audacity to say that line HAHHAHA #kdrama #korean #netflix

♬ original sound – Janice Ha

Many netizens complained about the English scenes involving the Chris character. Some attempted to increase the volume, but they still didn’t understand him.

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Screen Shot 2024-09-04 at 3.22.23 PM

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Actor Hayden Won, who portrayed Chris, wrote a reflective post with the release of his episode of Love Next Door in both Korean and English. He even referenced his character’s controversial line, “My English is not sucks.” He revealed his struggle to learn English, admiring his progress and still giving his best efforts.

Watching this drama, I saw my past self. Four years ago, I sat alone in my room, struggling to pronounce English words thousands of times. There were countless moments when I wanted to give up, but I pushed through day after day. Each small achievement became a sticky note, and I eventually used them to build a Hollywood sign on my wall.

Those experiences built the person I am today—Chris.

Some people still laugh at my dreams and dismiss them as foolish, but compared to four years ago, I’ve proven myself little by little, and those skeptical looks have significantly decreased. Now, there are far more people who support, encourage, and want to join me. Isn’t that what life is about? Constantly learning and growing. The journey ends with death, so until that day comes, I’ll keep living every day with my best effort, just as I did yesterday and today. Watching this drama, I was reminded of the strength I had back then. I’m incredibly grateful to those who gave me the opportunity and helped me bring this character to life.

I’m super Korean, my eng is not still good. But I’m make it better also today and tomorrow. Go forward.

— Hayden Won

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Hayden Won, 원성연 (@hayden_won)

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