An attractive man moving in next door could be a good thing, but not when he’s your ex.
Although this drama is called Romance in the House, the apartment building in question is home to more than romance. Some arson maybe. A murder, possibly? A person who comes back from the dead.
One of the tenants of the apartment building is Byeon Mi-rae, played by Son Na-eun. Mi-rae is a talented food merchandiser, who works hard to send her younger brother through school. Her dad, Byeon Moo-jin, played by Ji Jin-hee, had several businesses fail before Mi-rae’s mom, Geum Ye-yeon, played by Kim Ji-soo, decided to end the marriage. Raising the kids by herself was a struggle but they were lucky to have an affordable apartment. However, when the owner of the apartment building dies during a suspicious house fire, they are summoned to the real estate agency office and asked whether they want to move out of their apartment.
Turns out the new building owner is Moo-jin. Yes, that Moo-jin, the father they thought was dead. He’s also rich now and owns the building. If he hasn’t actually been dead for the past year, it’s a little odd that he neglected to stay in touch or mention he was alive. The death of the previous owner was mysterious and it’s easy to imagine he was involved. While he still has feelings for his ex-wife and wants to get closer to his family, Mi-rae isn’t having any of it. She doesn’t want him anywhere near her mother.
Mi-rae has some romantic issues of her own. She has a problematic ex-boyfriend, played by Daniel Choi, and a potential new boyfriend, Nam Tae-pyeong, played sweetly by SHINee’s Minho. Tae-pyeong is a security guard at her company, but he’s hiding a secret.
Like so many Korean dramas this year, a central theme of Romance in the House is divorce. Moo-jin and Ye-yeum may work their way back from divorce like the characters did in The Queen of Tears. Or divorce might finally offer Ye-yeun another chance at love like Jang Nara’s character will hopefully get in Good Partner. It’s hard to imagine exactly where thisstoryline plans to go. Since the first episode features divorce and a grizzly death plus a meet cute, it could go in any direction. Is Moo-jin a lucky entrepreneur or a greedy arsonist? A misunderstood dad who meant well or someone the family was well rid of. As Mi-rae says in the second episode, “it’s the beginning of total madness.”
It’s an interesting cast. Son Na-eun previously appeared in the dramas Lost, Ghost Doctor and Agency. Ji Jin-hee can be seen in Designated Survivor: 60 Days, Misty and Move To Heaven. Kim Ji-soo appears in High Class, 365: Repeat The Year, Where Stars Land and Hwarang. Minho appeared in Yumi’s Cells, Lovestruck in the City, and also had a role in Hwarang. Minho is not the only k-pop star with a role in the drama. Mi-rae’s younger brother is played by Yoon San-ha, a member of the k-pop band Astro.
The JTBC drama is directed by Kim Da-ye and airs on Netflix.
