Episodes 1-2 Recap of What Comes After Love: Hong Embraces Life as Jungo Reflects on Regrets

What Comes After Love, featuring Lee Se-young and Sakaguchi Kentaro, premiered its first two episodes on Coupang Play on September 28, 2024. This South Korean drama explores the love story between Choi Hong (played by Lee Se-young) and Aoki Jungo (played by Sakaguchi Kentaro), who meet while studying in Japan. Their romance blossoms but eventually leads to a heart-wrenching breakup.

Five years post-separation, Hong and Jungo meet again in South Korea. However, Hong has moved on with her life, while Jungo is left grappling with regret. What Comes After Love is a melodrama inspired by the acclaimed Korean-Japanese novel Things that Come After Love (Korean title: 사랑 후에 오는 것들), co-authored by Gong Ji-Yeong of South Korea and Hitonari Tsuji from Japan.

What Comes After Love Episodes 1-2 Recap: Jungo’s Reunion with Hong After Five Years

The first episode opens with Hong leaving a letter and stepping out of her home, where she finds herself tearful outside a department store. The storyline recounts Hong and Jungo’s initial encounter at a Tokyo metro station in 2019, where he assists her with the Japanese language.

They cross paths again during a part-time job interview at a restaurant. Although Hong is selected for the position, Jungo’s confrontation with a rude customer leads to his rejection.

Later, Jungo runs a food truck near the restaurant where Hong works. They reconnect during a community street cleaning event, where Jungo overhears Hong talking to her mother about her reluctance to stay in Japan, despite not understanding Korean.

After the event, Jungo invites Hong for a drink, marking their official introduction. They share their dreams and challenges while Lakshminarayanan each other, with Hong’s vibrant energy deeply enchanting Jungo.

Post-dinner, they visit an arcade where Hong tries to win keychains of her favorite characters. She manages to get Dai Nee but struggles to retrieve her boyfriend Pippo’s keychain.

On their journey back, Hong asks Jungo if he believes in everlasting love or fate. While he expresses uncertainty, he indicates that such love exists somewhere. The next day, Jungo surprises Hong with Pippo’s keychain after multiple attempts, claiming he won it on the first try, which reignites her belief in fate.

The scene shifts five years later in South Korea, where Hong, now working at a book publishing company, appears more serious than before. Her best friend Min-jun (Hong Jong-hyun) brings her a cake, reminding her of her mother’s birthday.

They join a family dinner with her mother Youngsuk (Lee Il-Hwa), father Han (Jo Seung-Yeon), and sister Rok (Lee So-hee). Min-jun is humorously referred to as the future son-in-law, hinting at their evolving relationship.

At the conclusion of Episode 1, Han asks Hong to interpret for a Japanese author’s interview, which leads her to the airport where she unexpectedly spots Jungo.

Episode 2 starts off with Jungo reflecting on the letter Hong had left five years ago about their breakup. In his search for her, he realizes that she has transformed drastically; she seems distant and communicates formally.

Jungo reminisces about the time he proposed to her, expressing confidence in finding everlasting love together. He recalls how they were inseparable, even to the point where Hong moved into his home. He shares the Japanese meaning of her name, Beni, while she gives him the Korean name Yun-o.

During an interview, Hong translates Jungo’s words into Korean, where he mentions that the muse of his book taught him Korean phrases. When asked for more details about the muse, he opts for discretion, which Hong mirrors, focusing on the novel instead.

The interviewer inquires why Jungo chose Kyoto as the setting for his book. Although he states there is no specific reason, it brings back memories of their first trip to Kyoto together.

When pressed if he still loves the person who inspired his book, Jungo admits regret over their separation, revealing that he has thought of her every day since. This revelation stuns Hong, prompting her to request a break from the interview.

As Episode 2 concludes, Hong informs Jungo that another interpreter will take over for the remainder of his stay, leading them both to confront their unresolved feelings. Jungo is left troubled by what transpired during their parting and resolves to reach out to Hong. In a dramatic moment, he jumps in front of her car outside the hotel. The upcoming events in What Comes After Love remain to be seen.

Episode 3 of What Comes After Love is set to air on Coupang Play on Friday, October 4 at 8 PM KST, and will later be available on Viu and Rakuten Viki in select regions.

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