K-Drama 'Love in the Big City' Captivates International Audiences with Authentic Queer Romance

The drama 'Love in the Big City' is gaining international attention.

According to global OTT platform Rakuten Viki on the 7th, the TVING series 'Love in the Big City', starring Nam Yoon-su, has entered the top 5 in viewer numbers during its first week of airing in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania.

The series has also received a high rating of 9.6 on Rakuten Viki, with local viewers praising it as "a tribute to pure love for friends, lovers, and family" and noting that "the realistic portrayal, which feels like peering into someone's reality rather than fiction, breaks the typical K-drama mold."

Park Sang-young, the original novelist and scriptwriter of the drama, expressed his surprise and gratitude through Rakuten Viki, saying, "Fans from around the world are sending messages directly via social media. I am truly delighted and moved by the unexpected love from overseas." He further explained the drama's selling point, stating, "While there are many works that depict queer love as fantasy, it's rare to find one that portrays it as realistically as this."

Regarding the differences from a similarly released film, Park noted, "The film focuses on a female character named 'Jae-hee' and explores the friendship between a queer man and a heterosexual woman, making it more of a youth story. Unlike the drama, the film places less emphasis on the romance of queer characters." He emphasized, "Our drama is a full-fledged 'queer' and 'romance' piece, dealing with 100% pure queer representation, which is the biggest difference."

'Love in the Big City' is a romance drama that follows the journey of young writer Go Young (played by Nam Yoon-su) as he learns about love and life through various relationships. Based on the bestselling series of the same name, the drama was scripted by Park Sang-young and directed by Heo Jin-ho, Hong Ji-young, Son Tae-gyeom, and Kim Se-in, with each directing different episodes in the 8-part series.

Rakuten Viki is a U.S.-based video streaming service offering Asian dramas and films to over 190 countries worldwide, including the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Oceania, and India. Currently, it is streaming 'Assembled Family', 'Intoxicating Romance', and 'Ironing Family', with plans to release 'Faceme' and 'Love on a Tightrope' in the future.

Lee So-jung, Ten Asia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr