Modern Love

Three couples participate in video interviews about their love life while their real relationships play out at the same time, which makes the k-drama Lovestruck in the City fun and very funny. The most modern romantic series I've seen thus far (Because This is My First Life now takes second place), it also features a wonderful cast and highly addictive storylines.

All six characters have compelling stories, but the one that will grab your heart is that of Architect Park Jae-won (Ji Chang-wook), who takes a month off from work to go surfing. While on this vacation he meets and falls for the bewitching Yoon Seon-a (Kim Ji-won), a feisty and seemingly fearless woman who completely steals his heart. They get so close they even pretend to get married. When Jae-won has to go back to the city for a work emergency Seon-a promises to meet him again -- and then disappears. Jae-won then starts to fall apart as he tries to find the woman he loves -- who doesn't actually exist.

Yoon Seon-a is in reality Lee Eun-o, a friend of Jae-won's cousin who had a terrible break-up and lost her job just before she met Jae-won. Eun-o decides to take time off from life and become someone else, and meets Jae-won while she's posing as Seon-a. She falls hard for him, too. Yet when Eun-o has to go back to her real life in the city she decides to forget the vacation romance, as she's confused about herself and ashamed of having pretended to be someone else -- only she doesn't realize how much in love (and determined) Jae-won is.

I admit that Ji Chang-wook is one of my favorite k-drama actors, but he really outdoes himself in this series. He is so convincing as the heartbroken, slightly crazy architect that he made me laugh out loud and tear up at the same time. When Jae-won and Eun-o finally find each other again their reunion is anything but happy, but even when it's modern and very mixed-up, love finds a way. Available to watch on Netflix in the US.