Love Next Door: Episode 6
In Episode 5, Seung-hyo is hit with a life-altering realization: he's deeply in love with Seok-ryu. But love, especially between lifelong friends, is never simple. For years, he's buried his feelings, but now they threaten to consume him. The situation is complicated further when he overhears Seok-ryu confessing that her heart still belongs to her ex.
Faced with this painful truth, Seung-hyo retreats, pushing Seok-ryu away to the point where their once unbreakable bond begins to fray. Seok-ryu, puzzled and hurt, can’t understand his sudden distance. All she wants is for her best friend, her partner in crime, to share in the joy of her secret pursuit of a cooking certification. Instead, she’s left wondering if she’s done something wrong—or if Seung-hyo’s harboring a secret of his own.
The episode starts with Seung-hyo remembering how he witnessed all of Seok-ryu's "firsts" in life. Her first lost tooth, her first time riding a bike without training wheels, and of course her first confession/rejection to a senior in school. However, he also realizes despite thinking he knew everything about her, he doesn't know everything about his childhood friend.
When Seok-ryu discovers her passion for cooking, it feels like the universe is sending her all the right signals. Mo-eum confirms that Seok-ryu has always had a flair for the culinary arts, and memories of watching her father in their humble tteokbokki shop flood back, making it clear that this is her calling.
Instead of heading to a bar for drinks, Seung-hyo ends up on Dan-ho’s doorstep, where he meets Dan-ho’s adorable five-year-old daughter, Kang Yeon-du. Instead of whiskey, Seung-hyo is handed an iced misugaru, and they settle into a deep conversation in Dan-ho’s backyard after Yeon-du drifts off to sleep. This bromance is pure gold—Seung-hyo desperately needs someone to talk to, and Dan-ho proves to be the perfect confidant. As they chat, Seung-hyo opens up about his "friend," admitting that he's in love with his childhood companion but can’t bring himself to confess because, well, it's complicated.
Dan-ho, fully aware of who Seung-hyo is really talking about, shares a story about a swimmer who always struggled to start strong but made up for it in the end. “Even if it’s late, I would tell him to muster up courage just like that swimmer did,” he advises. Meanwhile, eavesdropping from a distance is their nosy neighbor, Mo-eum, who’s been piecing this puzzle together since high school and now has all the confirmation she needs.
But just as Seok-ryu is settling into her newfound purpose, storm clouds gather on the horizon. Seung-hyo stumbles upon a shocking sight—Seok-ryu’s father leaving a nightclub, with a woman draped over him. Disturbed by what he’s seen, Seung-hyo confronts her father late that night. Their conversation, kept hidden from us, leaves us with a sense of foreboding. Soon after, Seok-ryu’s mother begins to piece together the clues: her husband’s nightly absences, suspicious receipts, and an undeniable gut feeling. Without hesitation, she confronts him, setting the stage for what might be one of the most explosive plot twists yet.
The truth is out: Seok-ryu’s father is in deep legal trouble. Earlier in the episode, we saw him in high spirits when two YouTubers—NerTubers—showed up at the shop, eager to film. But what seemed like a harmless encounter quickly spiraled into a nightmare. The YouTubers "discovered" a hair in their food, claimed they were "burned" by the soup, and insisted their "luxury" watch was ruined. Now, Dad is beside himself, drowning in debt from their outrageous demands, but too terrified to tell anyone.
Enter Seok-ryu, who adores her father and is determined to protect him. She hatches a plan to catch these shady influencers in the act and rushes to a neighboring store to secure CCTV footage. But she’s too late—Seung-hyo is already one step ahead. He’s not only got the footage, but he’s also orchestrated an epic sting operation. Seung-hyo confronts the scammers, exposes their lies, and invites Dan-ho, a journalist with a keen interest in uncovering this new wave of scam artists targeting local businesses, to document the takedown. This is more than just a fight for justice; it’s a battle to protect the people they love.
When the scammers realize they’re cornered, they make a desperate break for it, and what follows is nothing short of chaotic comedy gold. Watching Seung-hyo and Dan-ho chase after them—and hilariously fail to keep up—is a sight to behold. But the drama doesn’t end there. One scammer crashes headfirst into a pole, while Seok-ryu, ever the fierce daughter, intercepts the other with a swift purse-whack and a fiery “How dare you do that to my dad!” Just as things heat up, Seung-hyo swoops in, ending the chase with a perfectly executed sidekick that takes the scammer down for good.
In the commotion, Seok-ryu ends up on the ground, sporting a nosebleed. But she brushes it off, claiming she’s just been overworked lately (too much vegetable chopping, perhaps?). That doesn’t stop Seung-hyo from tearing off his expensive tie to press it gently against her nose, in a heroic gesture that makes hearts flutter. Meanwhile, the remaining scammer thinks he can still escape—until Seok-ryu’s muscle-bound little brother shows up and lands a decisive kick. And that, folks, is why you should never trust shady influencers.
After their little adventure, Seok-ryu hopes things will return to normal between her and Seung-hyo. But instead, Seung-hyo pulls back, all serious with lines like "we're adults now" and "let’s respect each other’s privacy." His sudden coldness is disappointing, especially when we know that he’s been pouring his heart out to his new neighborhood buddy, Dan-ho.
Seok-ryu is slowly unraveling the mystery behind Seung-hyo’s puzzling behavior. She’s starting to connect the dots—the heartfelt letter he wrote for the time capsule, meant to confess his feelings; the glowing stars he secretly placed on her ceiling; and the countless sweet, caring gestures he’s made throughout her life.
But when Seung-hyo coldly rejects the first meal she’s lovingly prepared in her cooking class—his childhood favorite, no less—Seok-ryu decides enough is enough. She’s done playing by his rules. In a bold move that perfectly captures her fiery spirit, she confronts Seung-hyo head-on, refusing to let him push her out of his life. His walls finally crumble as he blurts out, “You’re going to make me lose my mind!”
Confused and frustrated, Seok-ryu demands to know what he really means, even going so far as to throw her shoe at him in a fit of exasperation. We all know that Seung-hyo’s outburst is his way of saying, “I like you so much I’m barely holding it together”—but will he have the courage to admit it?
Just as the tension reaches its peak, the drama pulls the cruelest move of all, cutting the episode mid-scene, mid-dialogue, mid-moment, leaving us hanging on the edge of our seats until next week. Aghhhh!!!!!!!😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩
DramaZen's Opinion
Episode 6 has officially won me over, 100%. I was on the fence about whether this drama truly deserved all the hype, but the lead couple has completely drawn me in. Seung-hyo is the ultimate green flag male lead—he’s the kind of character that makes you want to hug him and never let go! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Sure, the writing still feels a bit all over the place, with pacing that either speeds through or drags on, but if they keep delivering episodes like this one, I’m more than willing to overlook that.
It also feels like the writers heard our complaints about the Mo-eum/Dan-ho love line from last week because this episode brought back all the charm of their relationship—mutual interest, kindness, and a good dose of honesty. When Mo-eum discovers that her favorite "crop circle girl" is actually Dan-ho’s daughter (thanks to Yeon-du’s fever-induced 119 call), she lays into him. But even though we don’t have the full backstory yet, it’s clear (and Mo-eum can see it too) that Dan-ho is a devoted single dad, doing his best to raise his daughter.
And speaking of untold stories, the drama keeps dropping hints about Seung-hyo’s mysterious family situation—whatever happened there, it’s clearly affecting him. Could this be why he’s hesitating to confess his feelings to Seok-ryu? I’m betting yes, because an Episode 7 confession or kiss might be too much to hope for. But then again, we’ve already cleared the hurdle of the ex-girlfriend appearance trope, so who knows?
It looks like Seok-ryu's ex will make a reappearance in the next episode and maybe it will be the final push that Seung-hyo needs to speak his true feelings for her. I'm so exciting to see their relationship unfold further!!!!
