The 2020 South Korean romantic drama series “Lovestruck in the City” captivated viewers with its realistic portrayal of young people navigating romance in busy, modern-day Seoul. Directed by Park Shin Woo, the unconventional series stood out for its mockumentary format, interviewing six random young adults about their love lives. As the series progressed, the stories of these characters became intertwined in surprising ways.
1. Plot Summary
In particular, the show centered around the relationship between Jae Won (Ji Chang Wook), a successful architect, and Eun Oh (Kim Ji Won), a woman struggling to reinvent herself after a broken engagement. After a brief, whirlwind summer romance where Jae Won falls head over heels for the free-spirited Eun Oh (posing as “Yoon Seon Ah”), Eun Oh disappears without explanation, leaving Jae Won bewildered and heartbroken.
The series finale finally brings resolution to this central couple, as well as insight into the other characters’ romantic troubles. Ultimately, “Lovestruck in the City” ends on an open-ended, bittersweet note, suggesting that while romantic complications may not always resolve into “happy endings,” there is still room for hope.
2. Role of Fallen Wedding Rings
When Jae Won and Eun Oh unexpectedly reunite in Seoul, the truth of her dual identity comes spilling out. Understandably, Jae Won feels shocked, hurt, and betrayed by her deception. His pride and bitterness make it difficult for him to hear her out or give her another chance.
However, fate intervenes when Eun Oh’s necklace — still holding their “wedding rings” — breaks during an argument. As they scramble to collect the rings, the intimacy of the moment softens Jae Won’s heart. He is finally ready to listen to Eun Oh’s story with empathy.
Eun Oh explains that she was in a dark place after her broken engagement, struggling with depression and identity issues. The carefree persona she adopted in Yangyang was an escape from her painful realities. While she admits that deceiving him was inexcusable, she asserts that her feelings over the summer were genuine.
Ultimately, Eun Oh’s honesty combined with Jae Won’s compassion leads them to reconcile. They agree to start fresh in Seoul, taking the time to truly get to know one another. The ending suggests that with open communication, mutual understanding, and forgiveness, there is hope for them to heal and build a lasting relationship.
3. Struggles of Long-Term Relationships
While Jae Won and Eun Oh’s summer fling embodies the intoxicating “honeymoon phase” of new love, Kyung Jun and Rin Yi showcase the realities of maintaining a long-term relationship. After five years together, Rin Yi breaks up with Kyung Jun, tired of him trying to change her carefree, part-time job lifestyle.
Kyung Jun wants Rin Yi to pursue higher education and a more stable career. However, his vision for her future fails to align with her own dreams and values. Their fundamentally different attitudes and priorities, combined with poor communication, lead to the disintegration of their once comfortable partnership.
Through this couple’s downfall, the show thoughtfully depicts how difficult it can be to sustain an intimate connection as people naturally grow and evolve. Maintaining mutual understanding and respect through life’s changes is an ongoing challenge.
4. Search for Self For Each Character
While romantic relationships drive much of the plot, the deeper conflict involves the characters searching for their true selves amidst demanding corporate careers and cutthroat social expectations. Kang Geon grapples with loneliness and dejection over his failed writing career. Sun Young continues clinging to her ex despite knowing he is unreliable.
Eun Oh, too, is struggling with her sense of identity following her broken engagement. Her unresolved pain, self-doubt, and lack of direction motivate her to temporarily adopt her carefree alter ego Yoon Seon Ah.
Ultimately, Eun Oh realizes she needs to let go of Yoon Seon Ah and focus on discovering her authentic self. The ending suggests that finding one’s grounding and purpose as an individual is essential for fostering healthy, mutually fulfilling relationships.
Does ‘Lovestruck in the City’ Have a Happy Ending?
The main couple, Jae Won and Eun Oh, does reunite but their future is uncertain, one secondary couple, Kyung Jun and Rin Yi, breaks up, another secondary couple’s future is undetermined, and a surprise couple, Dong Shik and Ha Nae, has a happy ending.
The overall tone seems to be bittersweet rather than a definitive fairy tale ending for all. The open-ended and realistic conclusion suggests that while romantic complications may not get neatly resolved, there is still room for hope.
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So in summary – while a clean-cut happy ending would have been satisfying, the messier conclusion of “Lovestruck in the City” has merit. Not everyone finds blissful resolution in the span of 16 episodes; often life is more complicated.
By leaving questions open-ended and relationships unfinished, the show emphasizes that the journey of self-understanding and finding meaningful connections is lifelong and nonlinear.
