Lovestruck in the City

Lovestruck in the City (Korean: 도시남녀의 사랑법; Hanja: 都市男女의 사랑法; RR: Dosinamnyeoui Sarangbeop; lit. The Way of Love of City Men and Women) is a South Korean streaming television series starring Ji Chang-wook and Kim Ji-won.^[1] Directed by Park Shin-woo, the series depicts the real love stories of young people who live fiercely in a complex city.^[2][3][4] This short drama, which is the first in a multi-part series titled as City Couple’s Way of Love, was premiered on KakaoTV on December 22, 2020,^[5] and aired every Tuesday and Friday at 17:00 (KST). It is available worldwide for streaming on Netflix.^[6][7]

Lovestruck in the City
Promotional poster
Also known as	How to Love Between Men and Women in the City The Way of Love for Men and Women in the City City Men and Women Love Methods City Couple's Way of Love: My Lovable Camera Thief
Hangul	도시남녀의 사랑법
Hanja	都市男女의 사랑法
Genre	Romance
Written by	Jung Hyun-jung [ko] Jung Da-yun
Directed by	Park Shin-woo
Starring	Ji Chang-wook Kim Ji-won Kim Min-seok Han Ji-eun Ryu Kyung-soo So Joo-yeon
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	17
Production
Executive producers	Jang Sai-jung Hwang Jee-woo
Producers	Choi Kyung-sook Kim Min-ji Jeon Woo-min Jeon Ryeo-kyung
Editor	Kim Na-young
Camera setup	Kim Chun-suk Kim Jin-hwan
Running time	28–40 minutes
Production companies	Kakao M Story & Pictures Media
Original release
Network	KakaoTV
Release	December 22, 2020 (2020-12-22) – February 16, 2021 (2021-02-16)

Synopsis

The storyline of the series is in interview format—six people talking about their dating life.

Park Jae-won (Ji Chang-wook) is a passionate and honest 32-year-old architect. He is not able to forget the "camera thief", who stole his heart and disappeared. A 29-year-old freelance marketer Lee Eun-o (Kim Ji-won) lives an ordinary life, but has an alter ego called Yoon Seon-ah. She meets Park Jae-won under her fake identity in Yangyang Beach, and ends up falling in love with him.

Choi Kyeong-jun (Kim Min-seok), a 29-year-old architect, and Seo Rini (So Joo-yeon) seem to be a steady couple. Kang Geon (Ryu Kyung-soo), a 29-year-old novelist, tends to fall in love with the woman he dates. Oh Seon-young (Han Ji-eun), a 30-year-old gym teacher, is a 'serial dater' by self-admission.

Cast

Main

• Ji Chang-wook as Park Jae-won, 32-year-old architect.^[8]
• Kim Ji-won as Lee Eun-oh/Yoon Seon-ah, 29-year-old freelance marketer^[8]
• Kim Min-seok as Choi Kyeong-jun, 29-year-old architect working in a firm established by his father and uncle; Rin-i's boyfriend.^[9]
• So Joo-yeon as Rini Seo, a 29-year-old part-timer doing many jobs and going steady with Kyeong-jun. She is a good friend of both Kang Geon and Eun-o.^[10]
• Ryu Kyung-soo as Kang Geon, 29-year-old novelist who has not dated for 2 years. He is Eun-o's roommate and best friend.
• Han Ji-eun as Oh Seon-yeong, 30-year-old gym teacher in high school who is a serial dater by self-admission; Geon's ex-girlfriend.^[11]

Others

• Son Jong-hak as CEO Park, father of Park Jae-won and uncle of Choi Kyeong-jun
• Hong Su-zu as Hae-na, an actress
• Lee Suk-hyung as Kang Byung-joon, a police officer

Special appearances

• Lee Sang-yoon as Go Gyeong-gu^[12]
• Lee Sang-woo as Bin, owner of 'Bin-Bin Surfing' (Ep. 1, 3–4, 12)^[12]
• Park Jin-joo as Ra-ra, running ramyeon shack on beach front (Ep. 1, 3–4, 12) ^[12]
• Choi Min-ho as Oh Dong-sik, a police officer^[13]
• Pyo Ye-jin as Yoon Seon-ah
• Yang Dae-hyuk as Yoon Byung Soo, Hae-na's manager
• Marychou
• Jung Ji-hyun as customer in Rara's Ramyeon
• Min Sang-woo as customer in Rara's Ramyeon
• Hwang Hee as Cha Chi-hoon (Ep. 17)
• Kim Do-geon as Seon-yeong's ex-boyfriend (Ep. 7)

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Lovestruck in the City"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	December 22, 2020 (2020-12-22)
In September 2019, Park Jae-won goes to beachside town of Yang Yang for surfing, staying in a camper. He meets Lee Eun-o, a part-timer in Rara Ramyeon disguising Yeon Seon-a. She picks him from airport and both are attracted to each other.
2	"How Do You Initiate Your First Sex?"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	December 25, 2020 (2020-12-25)
Seon-a teaches Jae-won to drive a camper and he teaches her surfing. They get close and have intense moments. In those moments he tells her that he loves her. In the morning Jae-won sees her with someone and feels used.
3	"She Drove Me Crazy!"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	December 29, 2020 (2020-12-29)
Seon-a is ignoring Jae-won while trying various activities, including playing the beach ball surfing. Kang-geon and Oh Seon-yeong had a fling five years ago. Jae-won, falling for her is puzzled by her aloofness. Finally Seon-a also develops feelings for him. The episode ends with both missing each other in the present.
4	"What Did She Do with the Ring?"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	January 1, 2021 (2021-01-01)
Seon-a and Jae-won start their fast track romance. They dance in rain. He serenades proposal on phone and they stage a mock wedding. She asks him to extend his stay by one month. They exchange rings, the one he still wears. Jae-won wonders what Seona do with his ring. Their romance ends when he is suddenly called back to Seoul by his company, before giving her his phone number and fixed a meeting point in Seoul to meet on Saturday. She never calls or meet. In present she contacts an old acquaintance for assignment for her own company O3. He is still wondering what wrong he did that she dumped him. Others think that she faked her feelings for him.
5	"What Do You Do With the Memory Box After Breaking Up?"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	January 5, 2021 (2021-01-05)
Jae-won talks about the fact that he left three of his cameras with Seon-a when he hurried back to Seoul. Since they never met again, he never had a chance to get them back. Geon and Seon-yeong have a messy break-up, where she demands to have returned everything that she bought for him. In the present, Geon is seen living with Seon-a/Eun-o. She seems to still have the film rolls from Jae-won's cameras, and goes to get them developed. The photographer seems to recognize the man in her photos.
6	"Somebody Stole My Camera"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	January 8, 2021 (2021-01-08)
Kyeong-jun and Rini's love story of many years is revealed. They were classmates in primary school, who met again in high school, became friends and eventually ended up dating. Geon and Rin-i seem to be related. Four of them – Eun-o, Geon, Kyeong-jun and Rin-i are shown to be friends – and meet up to play a fast-paced game of Halli Galli together. Eun-o reveals that the second reason why she did not contact Jae-won again was the fact that she found out that he was Kyeong-jun's cousin. She almost runs into Jae-won, while trying to avoid him.
7	"I'll Forget It! I'll Throw It Away!"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	January 12, 2021 (2021-01-12)
After unexpectedly running into Seon-a, Jae-won drinks and shows up at a police station demanding that the camera thief be found. It is revealed that Geon, Eun-o, and Rini are friends from kindergarten, and maintain a very close friendship even now. This also seems to be the reason why Geon and Seon-yeong broke up. Jae-won and Eun-o both try to get rid of the surfboards that they painted together, only for the latter to successfully go through with it.
8	"Love Is Supposed to Be Crazy"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	January 15, 2021 (2021-01-15)
Jae-won finds that he has no footage of Seon-a from his car to show Kyeong-jun. He thinks his problem of getting drunk and ruminating over his past relationship is getting out of hand, and so he seeks help from a therapist. Jae-won thinks he might be having hallucinations of Seon-a whenever he drinks, but Seon-a/Eun-o reveals that on one of those occasions, they actually did meet. When Jae-won was drinking at a bar, Seon-a actually went up to him and they had an entire conversation, but Jae-won does not remember this. Jae-won decides it is finally time to move on, when he sees Seon-a again. She tries to flee once again, but ends up getting arrested for being the 'camera thief'.
9	"What if You Run Into Your Ex?"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	January 19, 2021 (2021-01-19)
Geon and Seon-yeong meet again a while after their break-up, but his friendship with Eun-o and Rini gets in the way yet again. Seon-a and Jae-won get taken to the police station. When questioned on why she stole Jae-won's cameras, Seon-a remains silent initially, as she does not want him to find out her true identity. The truth is revealed when she is forced to give her registration number for police record. Jae-won is shocked and angry at this revelation, and even throws his wedding ring away. Seon-a tries to catch up with him, but to no avail.
10	"Lee Eun-o? Lee Eun-o!"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	January 22, 2021 (2021-01-22)
Eun-o attempts to retrieve the surfboard that she had attempted to discard. The rest of the interviewees find out that Jae-won finally caught the camera thief, and speculate about who she could be. Geon tells his friends that Eun-o has been acting really strange all week. A chance meeting at work leads Kyeong-jun and Rini to run into a man who seems to have caused a lot of trouble for Eun-o in the past. Jae-won puts two and two together and finally discovers that Eun-o/Seon-a is a friend of Kyeong-jun's.
11	"Is There Such a Thing as a Proper Break-Up?"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	January 26, 2021 (2021-01-26)
The interviewees debate over the healthy way of breaking up with someone. Eun-o receives a call regarding her work while Jae-won is hung up over the male voice he heard on the phone during his call with Eun-o. Wanting to know her personality, he asks Kyeong-jun about Eun-o. Kyeong-jun explains Eun-o's past. After work, the group prepare for a rooftop dinner and Kyeong-Jun invites Jae-won for the same. Eun-o is troubled but Jae-Won does not make a scene in front of anyone else and shakes Eun-o's hand politely. When pointed out, he mentions throwing the ring away because everything he knew about the girl was fake.
12	"That's How I Became Yoon Seon-a"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	January 29, 2021 (2021-01-29)
The rooftop camping continues with Choi Kyeong-jun accusing Jae-won of being an alcoholic and not wanting him to drink. They make a toast for "friends" and continue asking Jae-won about the "camera thief". Jae-won and Lee Eun-o indirectly argue with him getting frustrated. Kyeong-jun asks about Lee Eun-o's necklace, and she gets defensive before walking off. Lee Eun-o and Jae-won try to talk, at least explain everything. He acts rudely toward her and leaves while Lee Eun-o sobs to herself and drunk, she decides to leave once again. Lee Eun-o's past is shown in detail which led her to Park Jae-won. Later, Lee Eun-o wakes up frantically and does not know where she is only to find Jae-won, realizing that she is in his apartment.
13	"Have You Ever Blacked Out?"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	February 2, 2021 (2021-02-02)
Eun-oh picks an anxious Jae-won up. She tries sneaking out of the house but Jae-won knows what she is doing and finds her hiding. Jae-won tries to investigate and be rude to her when they had an awkward breakfast. She walks away, but it begins to rain. Jae-won ponders but then decides to help her get home in his car. Focusing on the present, Jae-won brings his seat back and says he does not drive when it is rainy. She wants to leave, though. He tells her not to be mad because she has no right to and then puts their song on from the trip. Lee Eun-o tries to change the song, but he slaps her hand away. Eun-o looks away and narrates how silly Jae-won is silly, while he asks if she is hungry and hungover. At the end, Geon and Rini see Jae-won dropping Eun-o off, asking why they are both together.
14	"What Kind of Woman is She?"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	February 5, 2021 (2021-02-05)
Kang-geon and Rini invite Jae-won for ramyeon, which irritates Eun-o. Geon tells Eun-o that the rent is going up which causes her to burst out in annoyance, arguing with Jae-won over her attitude, trying to work out exactly who is Eun-o. Keong-Jun makes spaghetti for Rini to cheer her up after she loses her job at the cosmetic store but Rini is in surprisingly high spirits about it all when he suggests she study to become a teacher, offering to pay for her tuition. Rini simply tells her she is happy with her life. Later, Jae-Won learns that Lee Eun-o is not over him via Instagram and drives up to her apartment only to crash his car into Eun-o's car. They begin to talk with the argument turning heated and intense until the rings fall off her necklace. After confirming that Eun-o hasn't moved on too, Jae-Won pleads to admit her true feelings when she leans forward and they kiss each other.
15	"It's So Hard to Get Honest"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	February 9, 2021 (2021-02-09)
Jae-Won seems to be blushy and giddy after kissing Eun-o, but she regrets despite accepting her feelings for him and being the one to kiss him first. Jae-Won phones through to Eun-o for round 2 of their argument later that evening but she simply hangs up on him though (twice) in her sleepy state. The third time is a charm when she stays on the phone and they discuss the regret Eun-o has. Eun-o does not regret meeting him, admitting she loved every minute she was with him. The next day, Jae-Won arrives and drives Eun-o's car to the garage. He gives her back her suitcase while she hands over his camera bag. Jae-won tells her to take care. Meanwhile, Seon-young messages Kang-geon. Kang-geon heads out for drinks with Seon-young where they discuss their past, eventually leading them to go their separate ways. They shake hands, clinging on a little longer before she turns and leaves. Eun-o lights a candle and begins to explain her disappearance, admitting to being Seon-a.
16	"What Do You Think Love Is?"	Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	February 12, 2021 (2021-02-12)
Kang-geon ponders over his recent official breakup with Seon-young. Lee Eun-o has a client meeting with Jae-won and Kyeong-jun. Kyeong-jun tells Eun-o that she kept staring at Jae-won and wonders if she thinks he is good-looking, but Jae-won is not informed on the latest developments. The marketing event is in full swing, Eun-o watches Jae-won on the CCTV, and she cannot stop thinking about him. Kyeong-jun and Rini deal with a major change in their relationship. Jae-won is asked to drop Eun-o off but they meet on the building roof and they have a talk. Jae-won tells Eun-o that rather than removing things she needs to fix, they should get to know each other. He suggests they date first and they kiss, officially making them a couple.
17	"Winter, Midnight, Seoul"	Im Chae-rim, Lee Kyung-koo & Park Shin-woo	Jung Hyun-jung & Jung Da-yun	February 16, 2021 (2021-02-16)

Production

Development

Originally planned for 16 episodes, the series was extended to 17 episodes to show the romance of police officer Oh Dong-sik played by Choi Min-ho.^[14]

Casting

In July 2020, Kim Ji-won and Ji Chang-wook were considered for the series.^[15] In September 2020, Ji Chang-wook and Kim Ji-won were confirmed to play protagonists in the web series.^[16] Later in September, Kim Min-seok and So Joo-yeon were also confirmed to play second lead.^[17] The script reading was held in September 2020.^[18][19]

Filming

On November 12, 2020, the stills photos from filming the series were released.^[20] With the announcement of a release date, the stills from location were released on November 19, 2020.^[21][22] On November 24, filming was stopped as one of the assistant actors was tested positive for COVID-19.^[23] On November 26, it was confirmed that Kim Ji-won tested negative for COVID-19.^[24] On December 4, production team released the character posters, and the crew remarked: "We are going to provide a variety of fun by harmonizing stories of strong characters."^[25]

Promotion and release

Ji Chang-wook, Kim Min-seok and Ryu Kyung-soo, the lead actors of the drama Lovestruck in the City appeared in the 260th episode of the entertainment program Knowing Bros broadcast on December 19, 2020, to promote the series.^[26]

On December 2, it was officially announced that due to COVID-19, keeping in view the safety of the site and personnel, the first episode of the series, which was scheduled to air on December 8, was postponed to December 22, 2020.^[27]

Original soundtrack

Lovestruck in the City OST
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released	2020 2021
Genre	Soundtrack
Language	Korean English
Label	Kakao M Most Content

Part 1

Released on January 1, 2021 (2021-01-01)^[28]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"One In A Million"	Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho	Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho	Suran	3:35
2.	"One In A Million" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho		3:35
Total length:					7:10

Part 2

Released on January 8, 2021 (2021-01-08)^[29]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"For Some Reason" (어쩐지 오늘)	Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho	Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho	John Park	3:37
2.	"For Some Reason" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho		3:37
Total length:					7:14

Part 3

Released on January 16, 2021 (2021-01-16)^[30]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Love And Pain"	Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho	Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho	Lee Su-hyun	4:24
2.	"Love And Pain" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho		4:24
Total length:					8:48

Part 4

Released on January 22, 2021 (2021-01-22)^[31]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Let Me Love You" (이런 난 어떠니)	Nam Hye-seung Kim Kyung-hee	Nam Hye-seung Kim Kyung-hee	Yurisangja	3:50
2.	"Let Me Love You" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung Kim Kyung-hee		3:50
Total length:					7:40

Part 5

Released on January 23, 2021 (2021-01-23)^[32]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"You" (니가)	Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho	Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho	K.Will	4:23
2.	"You" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho		4:23
Total length:					8:46

Part 6

Released on January 29, 2021 (2021-01-29)^[33]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"The Reason" (이유)	Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho	Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho	Seungkwan (Seventeen)	4:00
2.	"The Reason" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung Park Jin-ho		4:00
Total length:					8:00

Part 7

Released on January 30, 2021 (2021-01-30)^[34]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Days to Remember"	Nam Hye-seung Jello Ann	Nam Hye-seung Park Sang-hee	Janet Suhh (Janetter)	2:43
2.	"Where Do I Go? (Feat. Kim Kyung-hee)"	Nam Hye-seung Jello Ann	Nam Hye-seung Park Sang-hee	Janet Suhh (Janetter)	3:22
3.	"So I Sing"	Nam Hye-seung Jello Ann	Nam Hye-seung Park Sang-hee	Janet Suhh (Janetter)	3:09
4.	"Days to Remember" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung Park Sang-hee		2:43
5.	"Where Do I Go?" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung Park Sang-hee		3:22
6.	"So I Sing" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung Park Sang-hee		3:09
Total length:					18:28

Part 8

Released on February 6, 2021 (2021-02-06)^[35]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Kiss Me, Kiss Me" (Chorus by Kim Ki-won)	Nam Hye-seung Jello Ann	Nam Hye-seung Surf Green	Hong Isaac	3:52
2.	"Kiss Me, Kiss Me"		Nam Hye-seung Surf Green		3:52
Total length:					7:44

Part 9

Released on February 12, 2021 (2021-02-12)^[36]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Thorn"	Lim Eun-a	Yoon Woo-hyun	Choa	4:25
2.	"Thorns"		Yoon Woo-hyun		4:25
Total length:					8:50

Part 10

Released on February 13, 2021 (2021-02-13)^[37]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Hello My Beach"	Nam Hye-seung, Kim Kyung hee, Jello Ann	Nam Hye-seung and Kim Kyung-hee	Rolling Stars	2:40
2.	"All Day"	Nam Hye-seung and Jello Ann	Nam Hye-seung, Park Sang-hee	Kim Kyung Hee	2:34
Total length:					5:14

Part 11

Released on February 15, 2021 (2021-02-15)^[38]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Lover"	Park Sung-wook	Marychou	Marychou	3:28
2.	"Lover" (Inst.)		Marychou		3:28
Total length:					6:56

Part 12

Released on February 19, 2021 (2021-02-19)^[39]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"One span"	Nam Hye-seung and Jeon Jong-hyuk	Nam Hye-seung and Jeon Jong-hyuk	Motte	3:33
2.	"One span" (Inst.)		Nam Hye-seung and Jeon Jong-hyuk		3:33
Total length:					6:66

Part 13

Released on February 20, 2021 (2021-02-20)^[40]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Did You have to"	Hyeseung Nam, Kyunghee Kim, Shinwoo Park	Hyeseung Nam, Kyunghee Kim	CHIMMI (hobby)	3:13
2.	"Did You have to" (Inst.)		Hyeseung Nam, Kyunghee Kim		3:13
Total length:					6:26

Reception

Joel Keller of Decider opines that the six characters stand apart so as to be distinctive of each other. Keller feels that the characters of Jae-won and Eun-o are like Ross and Rachel from Friends. Concluding his review, he writes that "Lovestruck in the City is a light rom-com that is a good entry into the world of K-dramas, because the character types are very familiar to people used to American and British sitcoms involving will-they-won't-they romances."^[41]