Queen of Tears is the biggest K-drama hit of 2024, but Jung So-min’s upcoming series could take its place. Starring Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won, Queen of Tears takes an unconventional approach by depicting the love story of a couple on the brink of divorce. Every episode brought a new twist, allowing the series to race towards Crash Landing on You‘s record as TVN’s most-watched K-drama of all time. Queen of Tears‘ final episode smashes this record by almost three percent, even remaining on Netflix’s Global top ten for 15 weeks.

Several factors contributed to Queen of Tears’ success. Firstly, writer Park Ji-eun is a K-drama mastermind, having written iconic shows such as Crash Landing on You and My Love From the Star. Directors Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won’s work enhanced the cast’s amazing performances. Plus, Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won’s portrayal of one of the best K-drama couples of 2024 has yet to be outdone. These factors also play a role in Jung So-min’s upcoming K-drama, potentially making it the next big K-drama hit of 2024.

Love Next Door Could Be 2024’s Next K-Drama Hit After Next Queen Of Tears

It Has All The Elements Needed For Success

Much like Queen of Tears, Love Next Door will have an incredible cast. Jung So-min is a well-known face in the rom-com genre, with her portrayal of Yoon Ji-ho in Because This Is My First Life being one of her most memorable roles to date. Her other notable works, which include the melodrama thriller A Hundred Million Stars From the Sky and the Netflix fantasy K-dramaAlchemy of Souls, have proven that Jung So-min excels in any environment and has a great talent for depicting romance and comedy.

Love Next Door looks to be a fast-paced and chaotic romantic comedy that follows a frenemies-to-lovers storyline.

Jung So-min will be joined by Jung Hae-in, who will play Love Next Door‘s male lead. Jung Hae-in’s impressive filmography makes him a well-sought-after leading actor who knows how to bring out the best in a story. Plus, he knows how to portray some of the best K-drama romances. His casting in Love Next Door is even more exciting as it will be his first leading role in a romantic comedy K-drama. Together, Jung So-min and Jung Hae-in look to be a formidable on-screen pairing that could rival that of Queen of Tears‘ Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun.

Love Next Door’s Cast
Character

Jung So-min
Bae Seok-ryu

Jung Hae-in
Choi Seung-hyo

Kim Ji-eun
Kim Mo-eum

Yun Ji-on
Kang Dan-ho

Along with this, Love Next Door has a great writing and directing team that has already seen impressive success. Director Yoo Jae-won and writer Shin Ha-eun previously worked together on the rom-com Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, which starred Shin Min-ah and Kim Seon-ho. The rom-com received a lot of attention for its earnest romance and feel-good storyline. It also topped Netflix’s global top ten for 16 weeks, outdoing Queen of Tears by just a week. This makes Love Next Door‘s release all the more promising.

What To Expect From Jung So-min & Jung Hae-in In Love Next Door

A Chaotic Fremies-to-Lovers Story

Love Next Door will follow the complicated relationship between childhood friends, Bae Seok-ryu and Choi Seung-hyo. After Seok-ryu unexpectedly quits her job, she reunites with Seung-hyo as an adult, who has become a successful architect. With their mothers being friends, their childhoods are fraught with memories of each other they would rather forget. However, Seok-ryu’s unexpected return seems to uproot these memories and will lead them to discover a new relationship as adults.

The literal translation of Love Next Door ‘s title in Korean is “Mom’s Friend’s Son”, which gives a more direct hint to the series’ upcoming storyline.

From the show’s trailer, Love Next Door looks to be a fast-paced and chaotic romantic comedy that follows a frenemies-to-lovers storyline. This trope has already seen great success in the K-drama world. Jung So-min and Jung Hae-in’s vibrant performances in the trailer show a lot of potential for what is to come in the series. Though little else is known about the show’s storyline, it looks certain to play heavily into the comedic talents of its actors and be as refreshing as its predecessor, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, which is very different from that of Queen of Tears.

How Love Next Door Will Be Different From Queen Of Tears

It Will Lean More Into Comedy Than Drama

Queen of Tears is famous for its fairytale-like storyline that drifts into an emotional climax as Hong Hae-in’s life hangs in the balance. This appears to be very tonally different to Love Next Door. Both K-dramas feature complicated relationships that change after a key event in the leading character’s joint timelines. Queen of Tears‘s characters rediscover love again after years of marriage. Meanwhile, Love Next Door‘s leading characters will find their relationship changing after knowing each other for years, most likely in a romantic sense.

Love Next Doo r’s first episode will be available to stream on Netflix from 17th August globally after its release on TVN in South Korea. It will be available in Latin America from August 31st.

However, the most significant difference between the two K-dramas is that Love Next Door looks to play much more heavily into comedy. Queen of Tears‘ funniest scenes are some of the best moments in the K-drama, but ultimately, the emotional peaks of the series reign supreme. On the other hand, Love Next Door‘s trailer proves that comedy will be at the forefront of Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo’s childish relationship. This difference could work in Love Next Door’s favor and see it topple Queen of Tears as 2024’s best K-drama.