(Spoilers Ahead) The drama A Love Other Than Yours, starring Seo Kang Joon and Ahn Eun Jin, generated high expectations before its broadcast due to the pair’s collaboration. However, after airing, it faced back-to-back controversies over its plot and dialogue while struggling with persistently low ratings. Now, the series has finally reached its grand finale. The two lead characters, who played lovers of 10 years, ultimately chose to bid each other a proper farewell while continuing to cherish their past.
According to data released by ratings research agency Nielsen Korea on November 2, the final episode of A Love Other Than Yours recorded an average nationwide household rating of 2.4%. While this represents an 0.8 percentage point increase from Episode 13’s 1.6%, it failed to surpass the series’ peak rating of 2.8%.
In the finale’s plot, Namkoong Ho (played by Seo Kang Joon) and Lee Mi-do (Ahn Eun Jin), while still treasuring one another, accept the reality that they can no longer return to how things used to be and decide to break up. Two years later, Namkoong Ho returns from his company’s Paris branch and once again approaches Park Soo-ah (Jo A Ram), whom he has been unable to forget. Meanwhile, Lee Mi-do initiates a kiss with Han Tae-seung (Lee Joo Ahn), who longs for a clear answer, as both leads embark on new romantic relationships.
In the end, the former couple visits the Gangneung beach together, where they first met 29 years ago. A place that once carried resentment and guilt now serves as the backdrop for them to look back on their shared past. They confess that they were once happy simply because they met, and that thanks to those times, they can now push forward even harder, ultimately parting ways with smiles on their faces. In a comic book left behind by Namkoong Ho, an illustration of Lee Mi-do from her middle school days alongside a potted flower leaves a lingering, reflective conclusion to their story.
Despite the star power of Seo Kang Joon and Ahn Eun Jin, the production faced mounting criticism following its premiere, with viewers arguing that the plot lacked conviction and that certain lines of dialogue were inappropriate. Following the finale, netizens left disappointed comments online, stating: “Separating the main line from the side stories only to wrap up the ending like that is laughable,” “It really was ‘A Love Other Than Yours’ haha,” “Wow… I stopped watching a while ago, but this ending is still pretty shocking,” “It’s not a romance drama—it’s a breakup drama, which is certainly fresh,” “Seo Kang Joon, please! Pick some normal scripts,” “So it’s basically a story where both sides agree to cheat and then slowly break up?” and “Why does Seo Kang Joon pick scripts so poorly… I feel genuinely sad for you.”
