''Alone in Love'' (; lit. ''Love Generation'') is a 2006
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
n
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
Son Ye-jin
Son Ye-jin (born Son Eon-jin on January 11, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in 2003 for '' The Classic'' and '' Summer Scent'', which were followed by the commercially successful ''A Moment to Remember'' (2004) and ''April Snow ...
,
Gong Hyung-jin
Gong Hyung-jin (born April 10, 1969) is a South Korean actor. While best known as a supporting actor notably in '' Taegukgi'', ''Liar'', ''Marrying the Mafia II'' and '' Alone in Love'', Gong has also played leading roles in ''North Korean Guys ...
and
Lee Ha-na
Lee Ha-na (born September 23, 1982) is a South Korean actress. Lee made her acting debut with '' Alone in Love'' (2006). She is best known for her role as Kang Kwon-joo in the multiple seasons- procedural thriller ''Voice'' (2017–present).
...
. It is based on the Japanese novel by Hisashi Nozawa, which was published in 1996 and won the 4th Shimase Literary Prize for Romance in 1997, and tells the story of two ordinary people, as they come to terms with their relationship. The series aired on SBS from April 3 to May 23, 2006, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 ( KST) for 16 episodes.
The series won critical acclaim for its subtle and realistic portrayal of love, marriage and divorce.
Synopsis
Yoo Eun-ho (
Son Ye-jin
Son Ye-jin (born Son Eon-jin on January 11, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in 2003 for '' The Classic'' and '' Summer Scent'', which were followed by the commercially successful ''A Moment to Remember'' (2004) and ''April Snow ...
) and Lee Dong-jin ( Kam Woo-sung) meet one day at the bookstore where he works and they are immediately drawn to each other. They fall in love after subsequent meetings, and are eventually married. Two years later, they are divorced.
Dong-jin still works at the bookstore, while Eun-ho works at a fitness club. Even so, a year and a half after their divorce, the two still meet in their favorite bakery for breakfasts, quarrel over trivial things like a married couple, and eat dinner on their wedding anniversary with a free meal coupon provided by the hotel where they got married. The narrative is punctuated by either character's internal monologue on their past and current relationships, as new love interests enter their lives.
All of this makes them wonder whether these lingering feelings are love, although both are too afraid to start over, and even more afraid to end the relationship completely. With neither brave enough to confront each other about the misunderstanding on the day Eun-ho had a
stillborn
Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. The ter ...
baby, they are unable to move on.
Cast
Production
The Korean adaptation was written by Park Yeon-seon (screenwriter for '' My Tutor Friend'' and ''
Too Beautiful to Lie
''Too Beautiful to Lie'' (; lit. "Don't Believe Her") is a 2004 South Korean romantic comedy film about a beautiful ex-con and a naive village pharmacist.
Plot
Yeong-ju is a girl with cute looks, an innocent smile, and a brilliant talker. She i ...
''). This is the first TV series directed by film director Han Ji-seung (who won a Grand Bell award in 2001 for ''A Day'').
Filming locations
Most of the filming locations were in
Bundang-gu
Bundang-gu is the largest and most populous district ('' gu'') of Seongnam, a major city in the Seoul Capital Area, South Korea. Bundang-gu is one of South Korea's wealthiest and highest developed areas, being the nation's first and largest com ...
,
Seongnam
Seongnam () is the fourth largest city in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province after Suwon and the 10th largest city in the country. Its population is approximately one million. Seongnam is a satellite city of Seoul. It is largely a residential ci ...
,
Gyeonggi Province
Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...
Suwon World Cup Stadium
The Suwon World Cup Stadium (수원월드컵경기장) is a football stadium located in Suwon, South Korea. It has been home of the K League 1 team Suwon Samsung Bluewings since 2001. The capacity of the stadium is 44,031.
Notable football events ...
. The beach where Dong-jin proposed to Eun-ho is in
Jeongdongjin
Jeongdongjin (also Chongdongjin) is a town near Gangneung, South Korea, and one of the most popular sites in Korea for watching the sunrise on New Year's Day.Grand Hyatt Seoul is where they have their faux anniversary dinner. Dong-jin's wedding to Yoo-kyung takes place on the Hanriver Land Ferry.
Soundtrack
Ratings
In this table, represent the lowest ratings and represent the highest ratings.
Source TNS Media Korea
Awards and nominations
International broadcast
The series aired in Japan on Hallyu cable channel KNTV in April 2007. It also aired in the United States with English subtitles on
MHz WorldView
MHz Networks is an American public broadcaster that specializes in international television programming.
Washington, D.C., broadcast operations
MHz (pronounced "M-H-Z") Networks began as a project of the Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corpora ...
in January 2010.
In Thailand, the series aired on Channel 7 from September 13, 2008, to November 2, 2008, on Saturdays and Sundays from 09:15 to 11:00 ( ICT).