3 Things Done Right In Episode 5 Of "What Comes After Love"

Since episode 1, “What Comes After Love” has showcased great writing, acting, and direction, making it stand out among other dramas in the same genre. With only one episode left, most dramas tend to falter at this point, but not this one. Instead, it continues to improve.

From the humane portrayal of Min Jun (Hong Jong Hyun) to the excellent writing of Hong (Lee Se Young) and Jungo’s (Sakaguchi Kentaro) breakup scene, here are three things that episode 5 of “What Comes After Love” did right.

Warning: spoilers for episode 5 ahead!

Min Jun not being a bad guy

The preview for episode five shows Min Jun going to Jungo’s book signing event and asking if he knows Hong. Knowing how catastrophes often unfold when the female lead’s ex-boyfriend, who is still in love with her, and the fiancé she never loved meet, viewers were unsure how this scene would play out. Since Jungo is clearly the male lead, there was a possibility of turning Min Jun into the bad guy to make it easier for the audience to root for Hong and Jungo. However, as “What Comes After Love” is grounded in reality, Min Jun’s reaction remains equally grounded.

Even when Jungo asks him for a favor, saying, “Please, never make her feel alone,” Min Jun snickers and replies, “As if that is difficult.” His reaction might come off as rude to some, but the subtle acting of Hong Jong Hyun makes it easy to feel his pain as well.

Imagine, Min Jun has loved Hong for as long as he’s known her, but before he can muster the courage, she leaves for Japan. After she returns, heartbroken, he’s there with her, not letting her feel alone, yet he knows something is missing between them. Even though she’s with him, her heart isn’t. Then her ex comes back into their life with a book that he wrote so Hong would understand him. And when Min Jun asks him to stay away from her, instead, he gives her relationship advice, as if his relationship with Hong was unsuccessful in the first place.

When Min Jun says, “Stay away from my Hong,” there’s love and pain in his words, making you worry about his state of mind when he and Hong eventually break up.

The beauty of the “unread letter”

There’s a letter inside a light green envelope, hidden in a guitar case and shielded from the cruel passage of time—from Jungo to Hong. After five years of not knowing about its existence, Hong finally reads it the day she is set to be officially proposed to by her fiancé Min Jun. The letter reads as follows:

“Beni, did you get home safely? You have been gone for a month already, but I feel as if I am still stuck on the day you left. Why couldn’t I notice how lonely you were? I shouldn’t have left you alone like that. I shouldn’t have let you leave me like that. Why did I think we were together the whole time, although I left you alone for so long? However, I will bury my regrets in my heart just like the phrases from the poems you left me. I will try to walk my own path from now on. If I continue on that path, I feel like I might see you one day.”

There’s a beauty that’s hard to pinpoint. This letter, written by Jungo to Hong after he made her feel lonely for months, isn’t a plea for her to come back or a promise to be a better person, which is not possible in a month.

Instead, it’s a hope that life will be kind enough for them to meet again one day. If Hong had read this letter five years ago, perhaps it would have helped her to forgive Jungo and move on, and maybe she could have actually fallen in love with Min Jun. However, this letter sparked a tiny flicker of their love, igniting her heart as soon as she read it.

Even though the letter was read five years late, it seems like it was always meant to be read at this time.

Hong and Jungo’s breakup scene

In episode 5, we finally see the full breakup scene between Hong and Jungo, which had previously been shown in fragments. Whether it’s the beautiful acting of Lee Se Young and Sakaguchi Kentaro, the writing, or both, the scene is gut-wrenching.

During the breakup, we don’t learn more details than we already knew, but small elements make the scene perfect.

First, while Hong is screaming her heart out, Jungo hugs her to comfort her. But Hong pulls away; she no longer sees their physical connection as comforting during their fights but instead as Jungo’s way of stopping the fight so things can go back to how they were—distant.

Second, mid-argument, Hong switches from Japanese to Korean. Not only does this highlight how painful it is to explain yourself in a language that isn’t yours, but it also shows that she is no longer speaking to Jungo. She has already distanced herself from him physically, and now she is moving away emotionally by refusing to let him understand her pain.

Lastly, she calls Jungo by his real name instead of the Korean nickname she gave to him, Yun Ho. He is no longer the man she loved, the one she shared her bed and dreams with. He is once again just a man she met on a random street, a man who now means nothing to her.

Hong finally made the decision, which she had been dreading. She broke up with Min Jun, shattering his heart in the process, but also freeing him from a one-sided relationship. Now, the question remains: will she be able to become Yun Ho’s Beni, or will she remain Choi Hong?

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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of cliches are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.

Currently watching: “Dear Hyeri” and “What Comes After Love.”
Looking forward to: “Squid Game Season 2,” “Good Boy,” “Brewing Love,” and “Reborn.”