In the 11th episode of tvN’s weekend drama “Love Next Door” (written by Shin Ha-eun, directed by Yoo Je-won), which aired on September 21, Choi Seung-hyo (played by Jung Hae-in) and Bae Seok-ryu (played by Jung So-min) shared a kiss in a sunflower field.
The day had come for Bae Seok-ryu to respond to Choi Seung-hyo’s confession of love, with the deadline marked by the expiration date of a milk carton. Bae Seok-ryu fell asleep after asking Choi Seung-hyo to read her a French cookbook instead of answering him. Choi Seung-hyo, while reading, fell asleep beside her. Bae Seok-ryu woke up after touching the rainbow mark on Choi Seung-hyo’s neck.
Choi Seung-hyo hurriedly left, and Bae Seok-ryu, thinking about her ex-fiancé Song Hyun-joon (played by Han Joon-woo), wondered, “Is he avoiding the topic because I cried too much and seem like I still have feelings?” Meanwhile, Choi Seung-hyo told Jung Mo-eum (played by Kim Ji-eun), “I don’t want to complicate things further for someone who’s already struggling.” Bae Seok-ryu hesitated to call Choi Seung-hyo, and when she didn’t, he muttered to himself, “It’s over.”
The next day, Choi Seung-hyo received a request from a pianist to create a bookstore in a flower field in his hometown of Taebaek, Gangwon Province, and immersed himself in the work. Choi Seung-hyo focused on designing the bookstore to have a concept where the space itself became music. At the same time, his parents, Choi Kyung-jong (played by Lee Seung-jun) and Seo Hye-sook (played by Jang Young-nam), informed him they were getting divorced. Choi Seung-hyo, who had childhood trauma from overhearing his mother say, “I shouldn’t have given birth to Seung-hyo,” got drunk at a food stall.
The food stall owner contacted Bae Seok-ryu, who was on Choi Seung-hyo’s speed dial, and she brought him home. On the way, Choi Seung-hyo opened up about his fear of his parents’ divorce, saying, “I was always scared this day would come. At 6, 7, and 18. And now it’s finally come at 34. It came later than I thought, but I’m still scared. Even though I know both my mom and dad have their own lives, I still want them to be happy together.”
Seo Hye-sook, who was in the process of divorcing Choi Kyung-jong and preparing to leave for Africa, left home, but her bag was found at a terminal. Her phone was also in her suitcase. Choi Kyung-jong and Choi Seung-hyo immediately set out to find her, and Choi Kyung-jong realized his wife had retired and was having memory problems. At the same time, Seo Hye-sook went to a temple and prayed, “Please help me not forget my husband and son.”
Soon after, Seo Hye-sook forgot why she had come to the temple and hurried down the mountain, only to fall and injure her leg. Choi Kyung-jong, Choi Seung-hyo, and Bae Seok-ryu found her, and Choi Seung-hyo, for the first time, opened up to his parents, saying, “I still want to eat with both of you. I still need my mom.” Choi Kyung-jong carried Seo Hye-sook down the mountain, and they decided to go to the hospital together.
Choi Seung-hyo left for a two-week business trip to build the pianist’s bookstore in the flower field and told Bae Seok-ryu, “Come visit if you’re bored.” While listening to the French cookbook recording he made for her, Bae Seok-ryu heard his love confession, “The milk’s expiration date is today. But I don’t think my feelings will spoil tomorrow or the day after.”
Understanding Choi Seung-hyo’s feelings, Bae Seok-ryu borrowed Jung Mo-eum’s car and headed to the flower field, saying, “You told me to visit if I was bored. Time doesn’t pass when you’re not here. Comics aren’t fun without you. The playground is quiet without you. Every day feels dull without you. It’s like I took a bath and didn’t drink banana milk. So, do you want to go have banana milk with me?”
When Choi Seung-hyo laughed and kissed her, saying, “You’re talking about food even in this situation,” Bae Seok-ryu replied, “I don’t think I need banana milk anymore.” With their first kiss in the sunflower field, Choi Seung-hyo and Bae Seok-ryu transitioned from friends to lovers.