K-Drama Rewind, Crash Landing on You: Was Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin's epic love story the last of its kind?

Very rarely, do the endings of K-Dramas remain etched in your mind, far after they finish. And, Crash Landing on You, after 16 episodes of pure melodrama, true soapiness ends on a wistful, hopeful note: Son Ye-jin’s Se-ri and Hyun Bin’s Rheok, standing in the fields of Switzerland with the song Sigriswil playing.

It’s a soft, yet, bittersweet tune: The story echoes in the music, of a couple who finally found a way to be together, after several near-death experiences and separations. Moreover, it almost signalled the beginning of Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin’s life together.

CLOY, as it’s often called, carved its own niche in the world of K-Dramas: Perhaps, it was the ratings, or the fresh, pleasing chemistry between all the leads, or just how it really took the definition of a star-crossed romance seriously. Since then, arguably, K-Dramas haven’t quite achieved that power of conviction of love and consuming romance, despite Queen of Tears over-taking it in ratings.

The story is as unbelievably and zany as it gets: Rich chaebol heiress Yoon Se-ri accidentally paraglides into North Korea, literally into the arms of Captain Jeong-hyeok. After fighting his own instincts of turning her in, he shelters her: And these little moments of friendship and love is what gives CLOY the edge it has over other K-Dramas today: The gentle tying of hairbands, the oh-so-tropey candelight encounters, that just somehow stick.

And moreover, it’s the CLOY setting of North Korea that lends to the storytelling: The village, the chatty women, the suspicions regarding strangers, and the group of jolly soldiers around Jeong-hyeok, who accept Se-ri as one of their own. Her friendship with them is a delight to watch too, in all the banter, emotional moments, especially when they plan her birthday.

These are the reasons why CLOY is considered a benchmark in K-Dramas. Each 1 hour and 20-minute episode feels fully worth your time, especially the two-hour finale. The writers, directors, and actors knew exactly how to deliver romance: melodramatic, yes, but so consuming that viewers keep returning for comparisons. Countless moments stand out—Jeong-hyeok taking that “one extra step” before sending Se-ri back to South Korea, his snowy arrival in Seoul to save her, and, most heartbreakingly, their border reunion and painful separation.

CLOY might have had an ordinary North-South Korea star-crossed love story, but it turned it into gold. Every character was crafted with meticulous detail, and even the action scenes—unbelievable as they sometimes were—felt compelling. It’s as if the show said, “Tropes? So what?”

 It worked. Just bring Hyun Bin back to the romantic K-Drama scene, too.