In most dramas on television, one major misunderstanding leads to the entire show coming to its inevitable climax and resolution. But in The Boy Next Door these misunderstandings keep on piling on top of one another until you can’t hold in your laughter anymore.
One of the funniest South Korean web dramas you could find, the miniseries The Boy Next Door features 15 episodes of six minutes in length, and is guaranteed a one and a half-hour comedy hit.
- Main Cast: Choi Woo Shik | Jang Ki Yong | Jang Hee Ryung | Yoong Jung Il
- Streaming Site: YouTube
- Thrill/Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- Dramas of a Similar Vibe: It’s Okay, That’s Friendship | Precise Shot | A Man Who Defies the World of BL
Ford Carter watched The Boy Next Door on Dingo’s YouTube Channel
The Boy Next Door Quick Plot Recap
Neighbors Park Kyu Tae and Sung Ki Jae are not necessarily very close. In fact, it’s almost as if they don’t like each other at all. But when Kyu Tae’s apartment requires urgent repairs, his landlord’s solution is to have him stay with his next-door neighbor. What follows is a series of misunderstandings by Kyu Tae and Ki Jae’s neighbors, friends, and fellow students, leading to almost everyone who knows them thinking that the two of them are in a relationship.
Even before the two move in together, it’s rather obvious that they don’t like each other. They cross each other’s paths often, but never really meet. And when they finally do, it’s rather awkward. Living next door to each other and their mutual friend in Min Ah seems to be all they have in common. Ki Jae often plays games and loud music in his apartment. Meanwhile, Kyu Tae is the polar opposite, a Type-A person and a bit of a neat freak.
Of course, the awkward hilarity begins in the show’s second episode. Ki Jae falls down in his bathroom, and calls out to Kyu Tae, asking him to call 911. However, much to Kyu Tae’s surprise, he finds his bathroom door is stuck, and he can’t get out. Both boys are trapped in their respective bathrooms, with only a wall between them.
Some of the plot points that follow after Kyu Tae moves in with Ki Jae are absolutely hilarious. Min Ah stumbles upon Kyu Tae living in Ki Jae’s apartment by accident, leading her to believe they are in a romantic relationship. Kyu Tae’s extensive showers lead to Ki Jae showering with him to reduce their water wastage. And, when the roommates go out for a drink, Min Ah’s suspicions grow even further.
“Can two guys be romantic together?”
Another surprising plot point within the series, which does lead itself to a more serious note than the hilarity going on around it, is in Min Ah’s boyfriend. He, like Min Ah, believes Kyu Tae and Ki Jae to be in a romantic relationship. But he also informs them of his own secret. He is gay!
After countless hilarious misunderstandings and “almost moments”, the drama leads you into thinking it’s all over as Kyu Tae’s apartment is revealed to be ready for him to move back in. But, just as the boys begin to miss one another, Ki Jae’s apartment sets alight, leading to him needing to move in with Kyu Tae. And the drama abruptly ends.
The Boy Next Door Peak Points
Every episode of The Boy Next Door, with its short five to seven minutes in length, packs a punch, with each of the fifteen episodes bringing a peak point viewers will find an interest in. That peak could be plot development. It could be character development. Or, as in most cases, it’s probably a hilarious misunderstanding.
One of the other important moments in this drama is Min Ah’s boyfriend coming to the realization that he can be openly gay. Instead of hiding in a relationship with a woman, he can come out. He can experience a relationship with another man. And that it’s better for him to be himself than to live to societal expectations.
The Boy Next Door Musings
The Boy Next Door is a hilariously fun, comedic short drama that is sure to be entertaining to almost anyone who turns out to watch it. The drama takes the overly used and cliche plot point of misunderstandings and uses it as satire by taking it to the absolute extremes.
The mini-drama is completely aware of what it’s doing every step along the way. It chooses to use these points to showcase just how silly some dramas can be. And it chooses to make fun of itself along the way as well.
If you’re looking for a drama that, in the best of ways, doesn’t have much substance, and is going to make you sit there and laugh for an hour and a half, I highly recommend The Boy Next Door. Take the evening off after a week at school or work. It’s ninety minutes, and it’s the best fun you’ll have watching a Korean drama to relax.
Photos: Dingo YouTube
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