With SHINee’s Minho part of the main cast, you could have known we were sat and watching Romance In The House.
Wow, I feel like even though I wrote a review for Sweet Home only a month ago it’s been a long time since I wrote a review for a drama that aired recently and is a romcom. I am in my rom-com era and finished watching two, this one included, and I am about to finish another one that’s airing right now. Autumn means Lina’s drama mood is back and I am honestly absolutely loving it. I started watching Romance In The House because a friend of mine was watching it and obviously, because Minho is in it. Hello, any drama writers if you want a free view from me book Minho for a role. However, besides those two reasons, the drama seemed to have a really interesting plot and I enjoyed most of it. Let’s review.
Summary via MDL: Byun Moo Jin was married to Geum Ae Yeon. They had a daughter, Byun Mi Rae, and a son, Byun Hyun Jae, during their marriage. Moo Jin attempted various business ventures while married, but they all failed. His family could not take him anymore, and they cut him off from them. After going through a divorce, Ae Yeon experienced difficulties raising her two children by herself. Now, 11 years later, she works part-time at a big mart. Her daughter and son are all grown up. The daughter, Mi Rae, wanted to become a person her mother could rely on. She works as the MD at a big mart. She is also the breadwinner of the family. The son, Hyun Jae, has a unique charm, but he is also the troublemaker of the family. One day, Moo Jin appears in front of his family as the owner of the villa building where they live. Moo Jin hopes to reunite with his beloved ex-wife Ae Yeon and even tries to seduce her, but the daughter, Mi Rae, is strongly opposed to her father’s idea. Unlike his sister, Hyun Jae supports his dad’s attempt at reconciliation. Meanwhile, Mi Rae gets involved with Nam Tae Pyung. He was once a member of the national taekwondo team and now works as a security guard at the same mart as Mi Rae. He hides his real identity and the fact that his father owns the mart.
Okay first of all I am loving that more dramas are embracing the 12-episode format. I think this is the perfect length for K-dramas we get much less filler and the emotional whirlwind during ep 9&10 and then get usually some cozy cheesiness. Romance In The House had all of that and that’s why I really liked it. I have to say I was a bit more involved in the parent part of this story because I thought it felt quite unique? Middle-aged romance just hits different sometimes and the way they handled the whole second chance plot between Mirae’s mom and her dad (Mujin is lowkey a dilf) had me sat. Like hello, the plot twist at the end of episode two? (Or was it one I am not sure anymore) but I was absolutely here for it. While I have to say I really enjoyed the chemistry between Minho and Naeun, they played well off each other and they really sold their plot line to me. Their dynamic was so cute and I loved how healthy these two were with each other as well. I was involved in all of these characters’ stories and I just love seeing Sanha get more roles he was a really cute little brother to Mirae.
Overall, you can already tell I loved these characters, the acting was as good as the script allowed it to be. The plot was engaging though I have to admit during the later second half of Romance In The House I lost a little bit of interest and was only half there. I don’t know what it is about rom-com dramas but the last two episodes are always a drag to watch and never live up to the potential they could have had. That said I have no clue what the ending to Romance In The House actually was but I know my favorite sub-plot line of the mother-daughter relationship maturing and each of them finding their own patch separately while still finding back together had a really satisfying ending and I think Romance In The House. I think the female characters were truly this drama’s strength and what kept me watching. Yes, the romance aspect was nice, Minho is always a nice bonus as well and I love seeing him grow even more as an actor. But the focus is on the female characters, not just our main duo but all the side characters too were what made this drama so good. So many strong women who stand up for what they want, provide for themselves and own it. No matter if they have a man or not. I loved that. The building seemed overall like a really nice place to be.
All in all, Romance In The House was a nice watch and one of the first dramas in a long while I finished on a weekly basis. I have to admit I enjoyed this drama much more in the first half than in the second but I still had a good time watching it. I was glad Romance In The House gave me a second family for a bit and I had a cozy weekend watch, after Love Next Door‘s new episodes. If you want a pretty decent drama that keeps you engaged with great strong female characters then Romance In The House is for you!