In the mood for a rom-com K-drama? Brewing Love, starring Lee Jong Won and Kim Sejeong, has just the right combination and the interesting ingredients for a binge-worthy 12-episode series.

“As for Brewing Love, romantic comedy is the main genre but it’s also a human drama, as well as action. It’s a drama that portrays various emotions, incidents, and stories,” Lee Jong Won told Metro.Style. 

Brewing Love stars Lee Jong Won and Kim Sejeong | Photo from @clean_0828

In Brewing Love, Lee Jong Won’s Yoon Min Ju is a brewmaster who’s hypersensitive about other people’s emotions. He has a humble brewery company in a rural area where he thrives in a small community. He’s been living a peaceful life there until Kim Sejeong’s Chae Yong Ju, a former member of the special forces in the military who becomes a liquor company employee, appears with a business proposal. 

Yes, a business proposal from the latest character of Business Proposal actress Kim Sejeong. But while her new series is also partly set in the office like her 2022 series, Brewing Love is not your typical office, rom-com, or slice-of-life K-drama. 

“First of all, the characters in the script had such good chemistry,” Kim Sejeong shared. “As soon as I read it, I thought the drama would turn out to be fun if we followed the script no matter who the actors were. I had such trust, so I joined the drama.”

Below, we list down the notable elements we appreciate from Brewing Love:

The characters suit Lee Jong Won and Kim Sejeong well.

Lee Jong Won disappears into Yoon Min Ju because he’s so believable in his portrayal of a man with remarkable attention to detail and a gentle yet passionate personality. The 29-year-old actor said that he’s somehow similar to his character, making it a tad easier for him to pull off his role. “Min Ju’s attention to detail, sensitivity, his heartwarming side, [and] his ability to catch on to others’ feelings are similar to mine,” he said.  

Kim Sejeong likewise resonates with Chae  Yong Ju, citing the character’s passion, energy, and positivity as their common denominator. “Because of her energy, there were many times when she couldn’t look after herself. I went through something similar Yong Ju went through as she grew. I got consoled through that,” she revealed. 

How effective they are in their characterizations doesn’t start and end with them relating to their roles, though. Lee Jong Won and Kim Sejeong put in the necessary work to make things work the way they intended to. Since their characters are skilled at certain things, they made sure they were equipped with ample knowledge to draw emotions from on the set. 

On preparing for his character, Lee Jong Won said, “After being given the character Yoon Min Ju, I got myself ready for it. He’s a brewmaster, so he must have his own habits as a brewmaster and his unique combination of barley and hops when brewing beer. I studied what a brewmaster does when making beer. I also met someone who makes beer and I learned the process. I learned what a brewmaster actually does before joining the shoot.”

Kim Sejeong did some research, too. She shared, “As Yong Ju is a former professional soldier, I called my friends who were also professional soldiers and asked what I had to know as a soldier and the characteristics of female soldiers. I asked them various questions. That was how I prepared for the role.” 

The lead stars’ chemistry: the JuJu couple is winning!

What a refreshing pairing in a fresh countryside setting! To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from Lee Jong Won and Kim Sejeong’s chemistry, but just a couple of episodes in, I felt I wanted to see more of them and how their characters’ relationship evolves. 

Plus, it’s a show about beer and the beer-drinking culture, so I thought it was impossible to not have those cute “love drunk” K-drama scenes. Brewing Love does have a few of those, and I found them enjoyable to watch. 

Asked about the drunk scenes, Lee Jong Won quipped that Kim Sejeong looked “cute” in the scene where Yong Ju gets really drunk to scout Min Ju.   

The plot is interesting and the setting is unique.

Sans any background, the title that somehow alludes to the saying “love is brewing” may easily call to mind a café, but Brewing Love offers a fresh approach. We’ve seen K-dramas set in coffee shops, restaurants, convenience stores, malls, and offices, but I think it’s my first time watching one primarily in a brewery. Because Korea is known for its drinking culture in general (particularly the so-called chimaek or the fried chicken and beer pairing), it’s interesting that the series has some parts that are like Beer 101. I love how Yoon Min Ju describes the taste and aroma of beer.

There is a sense of community in the series.

This is an element common in many K-dramas. It gives characters a sense of belongingness that’s heartwarming to watch. The presence of community adds to the healing aspect of Brewing Love. The supporting characters help bring important realizations to the main characters in ways that are heart-tugging and humorous at the same time.

There is a second lead couple, and viewers will fall in love with this duo, too!

I always look forward to the second lead couples in K-dramas. They help sustain the interest in a series. In the case of Brewing Love, we have the cute pairing of Shin Do Hyun's Bang Ah Reum (an employee in a liquor company's planning team) and Baek Sung Chul's Oh Chan Hwi (the free-spirited part-timer at Yoon Min Ju's brewery, who also runs a food truck). The progression of their characters' relationship flows smoothly with the narrative; they provide an additional layer of humor that further makes the series a joy to watch.

Brewing Love is now streaming on Viu.