Hey, everyone! How’s it going? Today I’m here to review the drama Motel California, which has become MBC’s heartwarming new romance series that perfectly captures the bittersweet emotions of returning home and reconnecting with your first love after twelve long years.
Motel California premiered on January 10, 2025, on MBC with 12 episodes airing every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 KST, each episode running approximately 70 minutes. Based on the popular novel “Home, Bitter Home” by Shim Yoon-seo, this series stars Lee Se-young as Ji Kang-hee and Na In-woo as Choi Kang-hee in a story about second chances and healing old wounds. The drama is available for international viewers on Viki with English subtitles, making it accessible to global K-drama fans.
What makes Motel California extraordinary is its authentic portrayal of small-town dynamics and the complex emotions that come with returning to a place you once desperately wanted to escape. The series explores themes of identity, belonging, family legacy, and how our past experiences shape our ability to love and trust again.
A Story of Running Away and Coming Home
The series chronicles Ji Kang-hee’s journey as she returns to her rural hometown after building a successful career as an interior designer in Seoul for twelve years. Raised at the titular Motel California by her father with a mixed-race background that made her feel like an outsider, she left town at twenty to escape the suffocating small-town mentality and painful memories.
Her unexpected return sets the stage for emotional revelations, family reconciliation, and the chance to rewrite her story with the people she left behind. Each episode peels back layers of her past while showing how time can both heal wounds and create new complications in the most unexpected ways.
Ji Kang-hee: The Interior Designer Redesigning Her Life
Lee Se-young delivers a nuanced performance as Ji Kang-hee, a woman who built walls around her heart as carefully as she designs beautiful spaces for others. Her character represents the struggle of finding your place in the world when you’ve always felt like you don’t quite belong anywhere. Kang-hee’s journey from defensive outsider to someone willing to open her heart again is beautifully portrayed.
Her mixed-race heritage and upbringing at a motel created unique challenges that shaped her resilient but guarded personality. Lee Se-young’s portrayal shows both the strength that helped her survive and the vulnerability she’s learning to embrace as she faces her past.
Choi Kang-hee: The Veterinarian with Unresolved Feelings
Na In-woo brings depth and warmth to his role as the town veterinarian who never quite got over his childhood friend’s sudden departure. Now an eligible bachelor dealing with marriage pressure from his family and community, his world turns upside down when Ji Kang-hee unexpectedly returns to heal both their hearts.
His character represents the person who stayed behind and built a stable life while carrying torch for someone who seemed lost forever. The chemistry between the leads showcases how some connections transcend time and distance, even when circumstances kept them apart.
When the Past Collides with Present Possibilities
The most emotionally charged episodes occur when both characters must confront the real reasons behind Ji Kang-hee’s sudden departure twelve years ago and address the misunderstandings that kept them apart. These revelation episodes showcase the series’ emotional depth, where small-town secrets and family dynamics create obstacles that must be overcome for love to flourish.
These pivotal moments demonstrate how sometimes you have to go full circle to find where you truly belong, and that the love you left behind might be exactly what you need to heal and grow.
Success on MBC
Motel California has achieved solid viewership ratings on MBC, resonating with audiences who appreciate authentic storytelling and genuine character development. The Friday-Saturday 70-minute episode format allows for deep emotional exploration without rushing important character moments. Critics have praised Lee Se-young and Na In-woo’s natural chemistry and the series’ realistic portrayal of small-town life and mixed-race identity struggles. Motel California stands out in MBC’s programming for its thoughtful approach to homecoming stories and its beautiful cinematography showcasing rural Korean landscapes.
Perfect Weekend Romance for Healing Hearts
If you love second-chance romance stories with authentic emotional depth and beautiful small-town settings, Motel California is the perfect series to follow on MBC and Viki. This series proves that sometimes the longest journey is the one that brings you back to where your heart belongs.
Essential Viewing for Those Who Believe in Destiny
Motel California creates a tender portrait of love that waits patiently and the courage it takes to return home to face your past. This series reminds viewers that healing takes time, but with the right person, even the deepest wounds can become sources of strength and beautiful new beginnings.
Series Details
Number of Episodes: 12 episodes (Currently airing)
Platform: MBC, Viki (with English subtitles)
Year: January 10, 2025 – February 15, 2025
Current IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
Genre: Romance, Drama, Slice of Life
Status: Currently airing (Fridays & Saturdays)
Protagonists: Lee Se-young (Ji Kang-hee), Na In-woo (Choi Kang-hee)
Supporting Cast: Choi Min-soo, Kim Tae-hyung