Why ‘Crash Landing on You’ is everyone’s K-drama obsession

MANILA, Philippines – Everyone from your best friend, to your neighbor, to your tita, to your doctor, and even to your doctor’s secretary is obsessed with South Korea’s latest television hit, Crash Landing On You.

The highly-popular  K-drama’s final episode aired on Sunday, February 16, and we’re stiill not over it. 

Here are a few reasons why:

That special #RiRi Couple chemistry

The chemistry between lead stars Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin, who play Ri Jeong-hyeok and Yoon Se-ri (hence the nickname RiRi Couple) respectively, is so powerful that people have speculated that the two are dating in real life (they’ve denied this twice) and/or are shipping them and hoping they do get together in real life. 

 

The chemistry is evident even when the cameras aren’t rolling! Here’s a behind-the-scenes video that will make a shipper of you, too. 

 

 .Son Ye Jin’s comedic chops

Hailed as Korea’s “Queen of Melodrama,” Son Ye-jin has had little opportunity to flex her comedic acting muscles.

In CLOY, she proves that she can do romcom just as well drama, showing off impressive comedic timing and charm. Other actresses may read annoying onscreen as Yoon Se-ri but Son Ye-jin just makes her so cute and adorable. No wonder Captain Ri fell in love with her. Who wouldn’t? 

 

Hyun Bin’s pouty and sulky expressions

Speaking of cute, Ri Jeong-Hyeok may seem like the perfect tough North Korean soldier with his broad shoulders, deep voice, and manly stride, but when he gets jealous or insecure, he brings out his secret weapon – a pouty expression that’ll make you swoon just as much as his “beautiful visuals,” if not more.

   

You get a glimpse of North Korean life. 

According to North Korean defector and YouTuber Kang Nara, 60% of what’s depicted on the show about North Korea is pretty accurate. She does admit though that it’s highly unlikely that there’s a captain as hot as Hyun Bin in the reclusive nation. 

 

 .Captain Ri’s NK Squad is #squadgoals

It’s hard not to love the 4 loyal soldiers in Ri Jeong-Hyeok’s squad: Se-Ri’s eternal nemesis Pyo Chi-su, resident oppa Park Kwang-beom, ultimate K-Drama fan Kim Ju-Meok, and baby of the group Geum Eun-dong.

 

It’s heartwarming how much they want to protect and have come to love Se-ri. And the scenes featuring the squad (plus Man Beok) in Seoul are some of the funniest on the series. 

 .The North Korean ajummas

Se-ri may have gotten off on the wrong foot with Captain Ri’s quirky bunch of nosy ajumma neighbors, but it doesn’t take long before she wins the hearts of these titas of North Korea. The lovely gesture Se-ri makes at the end of the series to commemorate their friendship and let them know that she hasn’t forgotten them is deeply touching. 

It’s got villains you’ll love to hate

The drama’s villains – Cho Cheol-gang, Yoon Se-hyeong, and Ko Sang-a – will make you want to shake a fist at the screen. They are the worst, which makes their comeuppance all the more rewarding when it finally does happen.

The love story of the second leads are just as sweet. 

It’ll take a while to warm up to Seong-Jun and Dan, mostly because at the beginning, they’re trying to tear RiRi apart. But once they start falling for each other, it’s hard not to root for them to find their own happily ever after. 

Impressive shooting locations 

Switzerland plays an important role in the show’s plot, so there are quite a few scenes in the picturesque country that’ll make you want to pack your bags immediately. And because they can’t film in the DPRK, South Korea and Mongolia had to stand in for North Korea. Locations in South Korea include Jeju, Incheon, Busan, Chungju, Pocheon, and Taean, which stood in for Captain Ri’s small village.

 

It’s your light romcom escape 

If you’re looking for something light and fun to keep your mind off everything happening in the world these days (there’s a lot), CLOY is it. In keeping with most K-Drama romcoms, it’s mostly upbeat and rosy. Conflicts are resolved pretty quickly, the plot isn’t too convoluted, and the drama isn’t too heavy. 

The cameos are epic

My Love From the Star’s Kim Soo-hyun reprises his role as Won Ryu-hwan from the movie Secretly Greatly. In the film, he played a North Korean spy who was sent to Seoul and was forced to go undercover as the village idiot.   

Stairway to Heaven’s Choi Ji-woo also makes an appearance, when Se-ri keeps her promise to K-Drama fan Ju-Meok and arranges for him to meet his ultimate bias. 

It’s even got something for fashionistas

Se-ri and Dan wear clothes and tote around bags from brands like Valentino, Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Celine, Hermes, Bottega Veneta, Balmain, and Rochas to name a few.

Not to be outone, Jeong-hyeok has his own Pretty Woman fashion montage in the series, too. And he’s smoking hot.  

The dreamy soundtrack is perfect for the series.

IU’s contribution to the OST, “I Give You My Heart” came later in the series, but still managed to shatter records! We recommend you add the drama’s official soundtrack to your Spotify playlist to help you cope with your CLOY withdrawal. 

 

There are tons of memorable quotes you’ll find totally relatable

Here are just two of our favorites:

Seri: There’s an Indian proverb that goes, “Sometimes the wrong train takes you to the right station.” It was like that for me, too. Throughout my life, I always felt like I was on the wrong train. One time, I wanted to give up. I didn’t want to go anywhere. So I thought about jumping off the train. Look where I am now. I took the wrong train again, and a very wrong one at that. It even got me across the 38th parallel. Still, you should think about the future, even if things don’t always go as you wish. I wish you could stay happy even after I leave, Jyeong-Hyeok. I want you to arrive at the right station, no matter what train you take.

Seung-jun: You shouldn’t yearn for your first love for too long. It’s not good to drag on with anything. Whether it be people or love…You should end it if you see its end. You’re waiting for someone. But even you think you’re pathetic. Then that’s not love. It’s an obsession. The love you once had has changed and is now rotting. You should throw it away. 

The CLOY finale beat the finale rating of the K-Drama mega hit Goblin.   

The Crash Landing On You finale has the highest finale rating for a TvN drama, surpassing the record set by Gong Yoo’s global K-Drama hit Goblin a few years back. Tying up loose ends and finding a satisfying resolution for our star-crossed, border-crossing lovers, the ending’s got everything fans wanted to see. (Although we were secretly hoping for a RiRi twins appearance.)  – Rappler.com

Maggie Adan is a storyteller at heart. She is a freelance editor, writer, and content creator.

When she’s not stringing words together, she’s practicing yoga, doing crafts, puttering around in the kitchen, or providing free petting services to neighborhood dogs.