What Comes After Love, adapted from the novel Things That Come After Love by Gong Ji-yeong and Hitonari Tsuji, follows the quiet evolution of love and longing over time. Starring Lee Se-young and Kentaro Sakaguchi, the drama begins with Korean student Choi Hong and Japanese writer Aoki Jungo experiencing a tender romance in Tokyo. But their young love is abruptly severed when Hong suddenly leaves and returns to Korea. Years later, fate brings them together again, forcing them to confront what they shared and what might still be.
The series opens by asking, “Do you believe there is a love that doesn’t change?” Hong, through a farewell note to Jungo, expresses her belief that constant love is a myth, reflecting the insecurity that leads her to leave. She initially appears to blame their fading love, but her departure stems from deeper reasons: her father’s business failures and the financial strain of her overseas studies. Fearing that her burdens would impact Jungo, Hong uses their relationship troubles as a reason to leave, unwilling to face her loneliness or dependency.
Five years later, both Hong and Jungo have grown into their adult lives. Hong now works at her father’s publishing house in Korea, and she’s engaged to a friend, Min-joon (Hong Jong-hyun). Meanwhile, Jungo is a successful author whose book, What Comes After Love?, anonymously recounts their story. When his promotional tour brings him to Korea, he reconnects with Hong in an unexpected professional setting, as author and interpreter.
Visually, the series contrasts the springtime warmth of their youth in Tokyo with the cold Seoul winter of their reunion. Youthful smiles are replaced by guarded expressions, and Hong’s hair, once curly and lively, now falls flat, mirroring her reserved emotions. The symbolism hints at the dormant feelings waiting to resurface.
Their reunion is full of missteps and misunderstandings. Hong tries to rekindle their relationship but hesitates after seeing Jungo with his editor, Kanna, at a bar. The cyclical nature of their interactions reflects her enduring uncertainty, a theme underscored when she runs away from him again.
It’s only in a final chance meeting, dressed in matching outfits by coincidence, that Jungo and Hong reconnect. As they run side-by-side by a lake—a gesture born from her years of loneliness—they are finally able to start anew. The drama closes with the poetic line, “Spring blossoms are the answer to the snowflakes of winter,” capturing the cycles of love that mirror nature’s seasons.
Though beautifully framed, What Comes After Love moves at a measured pace that might have served the story better as a film. Nonetheless, it’s an introspective journey on the enduring impact of love and time.
READ MORE: