Hey, everyone! How’s it going? Today I’m here to review the drama Love in Contract, which takes the concept of fake relationships to a whole new professional level. This charming K-drama starring Park Min-young, Go Kyung-pyo, and Kim Jae-young was released on Netflix on November 10, 2024, two years after it aired on tvN in 2022. The series aired from September 21 to November 10, 2022, with 16 episodes that run approximately 70 minutes each.
Love in Contract brings a refreshingly unique premise to the romantic comedy genre. The series explores the unusual job of a “single life helper”, who pretends to be the spouse of single people needing a partner to attend events such as couples’ gatherings and reunions. What starts as a purely transactional business arrangement gradually evolves into something much more complex and emotionally engaging.
The show strikes a perfect balance between comedy and heartfelt moments, exploring themes of loneliness, human connection, and the masks we wear in society. With Park Min-young’s stellar performance leading the charge, this drama offers both laughs and genuine emotional depth that will keep you invested from start to finish.
The Professional Wife: Choi Sang-eun’s Unconventional Career
Choi Sang Eun is a woman possessing many great qualities and virtues. As the perfect partner, she chooses a career of helping single men who don’t want to get married instead of getting married herself. Park Min-young delivers a masterful performance as a woman who has perfected the art of being the ideal temporary wife. After 13 years in the business, Sang-eun operates like a well-oiled machine, providing customized marriage experiences for clients who need a plus-one for social events.
Her character development throughout Love in Contract is remarkable. Initially portrayed as someone who maintains strict professional boundaries, we gradually see the cracks in her perfectly polished facade. The series explores how her job, while financially rewarding, has created emotional walls that prevent her from forming genuine relationships. Her journey from detached professional to someone capable of real vulnerability forms the emotional core of the drama.
The Mysterious Monday-Wednesday-Friday Client: Jung Ji-ho’s Hidden Depths
Jung Ji Ho is a mysterious character whose occupation, hobbies, and personality are shrouded in a veil of secrecy. He has been in a long-term contract with Choi Sang Eun for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for his fifth year. Go Kyung-pyo brings incredible nuance to this enigmatic character who seems to exist in the shadows of his own life.
Ji-ho’s relationship with Sang-eun operates on a completely different level than her other contracts. Their interactions are marked by comfortable silence, unspoken understanding, and a routine that feels more like a real marriage than any performance. The chemistry between Go Kyung-pyo and Park Min-young is subtle yet powerful, built on years of shared quiet moments rather than dramatic declarations. As the series progresses, we discover the painful reasons behind Ji-ho’s self-imposed isolation and how Sang-eun has become his lifeline to the world.
The Hallyu Star Disrupts Everything: Kang Hae-jin’s Whirlwind Romance
Kim Jae-young brings charismatic energy as Kang Hae-jin, the famous actor who becomes Sang-eun’s Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday client. Unlike the reserved Ji-ho, Hae-jin is passionate, direct, and completely uninterested in maintaining professional boundaries. His character serves as the catalyst that forces Sang-eun to confront her feelings and question the walls she’s built around her heart.
The dynamic between Hae-jin and Sang-eun crackles with tension from their first meeting. He’s the type of client she’s never encountered before: someone who sees through her professional persona and actively tries to reach the real woman beneath. Kim Jae-young’s natural charm makes it easy to understand why Sang-eun finds herself drawn to him, even as it complicates her carefully ordered world.
When Professional Boundaries Collapse: The Emotional Turning Point
The series reaches its emotional climax when Sang-eun’s carefully compartmentalized world begins to crumble. Both men have fallen for the real woman behind the professional facade, and she must confront feelings she’s spent years suppressing. The most powerful moments in Love in Contract come when the characters drop their masks and reveal their true selves to each other.
This turning point is masterfully handled, avoiding melodramatic excess in favor of genuine emotional honesty. The series explores how all three main characters have been using their respective roles, whether professional wife, reclusive client, or charming celebrity, to avoid dealing with past traumas and emotional wounds. The resolution feels earned rather than convenient, with each character having to make difficult choices about what they truly want.
Success on Netflix
Love in Contract has found new life on Netflix, introducing international audiences to this delightful Korean rom-com two years after its original broadcast. The series benefits from Netflix’s global platform, allowing viewers worldwide to discover Park Min-young’s brilliant performance and the show’s unique take on modern relationships. The 70-minute episode format gives each installment room to breathe, developing both comedic situations and emotional depth without feeling rushed. Love in Contract stands out in Netflix’s growing collection of K-dramas by offering something genuinely different: a mature, thoughtful exploration of loneliness and connection wrapped in an entertaining romantic comedy package.
Why This Contract Romance Works
If you love stories about found family, unconventional love triangles, and characters who heal each other’s emotional wounds, Love in Contract is the perfect series to binge on Netflix. The show succeeds because it treats its unusual premise with both humor and respect, never mocking the characters’ loneliness or need for connection. Instead, it suggests that sometimes the relationships we build professionally can become more real and meaningful than the ones society expects us to form naturally.
Why You Should Add This to Your Watchlist
Love in Contract offers a mature, emotionally intelligent take on romantic comedy that sets it apart from typical K-drama fare. Here’s what makes it worth your time:
What Works:
- Park Min-young delivers one of her best performances as the complex Sang-eun
- Unique premise that explores modern loneliness in a thoughtful way
- Excellent chemistry between all three leads creates genuine romantic tension
- Perfect balance of comedy and emotional depth without forced melodrama
- Supporting characters add richness without cluttering the main storyline
What Might Challenge You:
- Slower pacing in early episodes as relationships develop gradually
- The premise might feel unrealistic to viewers expecting traditional romance
- Some viewers may find the love triangle resolution unsatisfying
- Limited action or dramatic plot twists for those seeking high-stakes drama
- Requires patience as character development takes precedence over plot momentum
Love in Contract proves that the best romantic comedies come from understanding what people truly need: genuine connection, emotional healing, and the courage to be vulnerable with another person.
Series Details
- Number of Episodes: 16 episodes (completed)
- Platform: Netflix, Viki, Prime Video
- Release Year: 2022 (Netflix release: 2024)
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
- Genre: Romantic Comedy, Drama
- Production Type: K-Drama (South Korean)
- Status: Completed series
- Main Cast: Park Min-young, Go Kyung-pyo, Kim Jae-young
- Antagonist: Various societal pressures and personal traumas rather than a single villain