In the 12th episode of tvN’s Saturday-Sunday drama “Love Next Door” that aired on Sep 22nd, Choi Seung-hyo (played by Jung Hae-in) and Bae Seok-ryu (played by Jung So-min) begin their romantic relationship with a heated kiss. However, some of the lines exchanged between the characters received negative feedback from netizens.
In the episode, after their first kiss, the two characters started a secret relationship, but soon faced misunderstandings. Bae Seok-ryu felt disappointed when Choi Seung-hyo didn’t seem to pay attention to her during a movie date and later became jealous when she saw him with his ex-girlfriend Jang Tae-hee (played by Seo Ji-hye).
She expressed her feelings, “It seems like you care less about me now than before we started dating.” Seung-hyo explained he was nervous and unsure how to act around her.
The controversy began when Seung-hyo expressed discomfort being alone in a room with Seok-ryu, saying, “I feel like I shouldn’t be here. I’m getting bad thoughts—cheap, low and inappropriate thoughts.“
Seok-ryu responded playfully “I used to like adulterated food, so it’s okay to have bad thoughts“, to which Seung-hyo asked, “What about bad deeds?” Seok-ryu replied “That’s okay too“, leading to a passionate kiss that progressed to the bed.
Though the scene marked the shift from “puppy love” to “adult love”, many viewers were not impressed with the dialogue.
Comments poured in, criticizing the lines as outdated, with remarks like, “This feels like a drama from 20 years ago” and “The dialogue is so old-fashioned.“
Users on online communities like theqoo expressed similar sentiments, calling the lines awkward and cringeworthy.
Despite the negative reactions to the dialogue, the episode’s ratings remained strong, with an average of 8.3% in the Seoul metropolitan area and a nationwide average of 7.3%, maintaining its top position in its time slot.