What Comes After Love
What Comes After Love is a 2024 South Korean romance melodrama television series based on the novel Things that Come After Love by Gong Ji-young and Hitonari Tsuji, and depicts a love beyond national boundaries, between a South Korean woman and Japanese man. The series was written by Jung Hae-sim, directed by Moon Hyun-sung, and starring Lee Se-young and Kentaro Sakaguchi. It was released on Coupang Play and first shown from September 27 to October 25, 2024, every Friday at 20:00. It is also available for streaming on Viu and Viki in selected regions.
Synopsis
A young Korean woman named Choi Hong meets a Japanese man named Jungo Aoki while she is studying and working in Japan. The narrative goes back and forth in time between present-day Korea and Japan five years previously. In the present time, Jungo has become a novelist, with the pseudonym Hikari Sasae, and is having his novel What Comes After Love? published in Korean translation, and travels there to publicize it. Unbeknownst to him and Hong, the book has been published by the publishing company owned by Hong's father, where she also works in a senior position. She is asked to step in at the last minute to act as interpreter when he arrives at the airport, and she is horrified to discover who the author is. Hong keeps her distance from Jungo while he is in Korea, even though he attempts to get her attention with the aim of getting them to talk things through. She then discovers that his novel is based on the story of their relationship, where he was dismissive of her when she was in Japan, leaving her alone while he busied himself working, which drove her to escape him.Cast and characters
- Lee Se-young as Choi Hong
- Kentaro Sakaguchi as Jungo Aoki/Hikari Sasae
- Hong Jong-hyun as Song Min-jun
- Anne Nakamura as Kanna Kobayashi
- Lee So-hee as Choi Rok
Production
Development
Director Moon Sung-hyun, who directed the films The King's Case Note and Seoul Vibe, took the megaphone for his small screen directorial debut. Jung Hae-sim and Moon Hyun-sung served as the writers of the series. Silver Lining Studio with Contents Seven managed the production.Casting
Lee Se-young and Kentaro Sakaguchi were reportedly cast to play the main characters of the series in July 2023 and officially confirmed in December 2023.Hong Jong-hyun was reportedly cast to play as one of the lead characters for the series in January 2024 and officially confirmed in March 2024.