LTNS (2024) K Drama Episode 1

Episode 1 of LTNS starts with our main leads, Woo Jin and Park Samuel, having a frisky make-out session outside of Woo Jin’s apartment when she suddenly asks him to leave. Samuel is confused at first, but then Woo Jin gets all flirty and cheeky, and they end up in Woo Jin’s apartment.

Seven years later, Woo Jin and Samuel are married and experiencing the financial crisis post-COVID and the interest rates and housing crisis affecting their investment. Samuel is done repairing a blouse for Woo Jin and takes a shower. It seems like the now-married couple is no longer interested in getting down-and-dirty with each other as we see them secretly taking care of their urges individually. 

Samuel works as a cab driver, and Woo Jin is a receptionist at a fancy hotel. A suspicious-looking man and woman arrive at the hotel, and the woman asks about hourly rates, meaning they are there for just some good time, and most likely, they are not a couple. Woo Jin tells the woman that they do not offer hourly rates, but the woman insists, which makes Woo Jin furious on the down low.

After some back and forth, the woman agrees to take a room for the night, and Woo Jin gives her a form to fill out. After they leave, Woo Jin writes down their names, phone numbers, and addresses in a red book. 

Meanwhile, a customer walks into Samuel’s cab, and although he does not plan to take any customers because of the rain, the new customer offers him an offer he cannot refuse. On the way, the customer asks him to stop somewhere and wait for him for at least 40 minutes.

Samuel reluctantly agrees since the customer has given him more money for the wait. He then asks Samuel to park the car somewhere on the side, which leads to misfortune because the car gets submerged in water. In addition, Samuel has parked in a no-parking zone, and the taxi dashboard camera clearly showed him moving the sign, so the insurance company did not cover the damages. Samuel hides the incident from his wife and lies that the car is in the garage. 

Woo Jin and Samuel visit their rich friends Jung-soo and Song Se-yeon. Samuel learns that Jung-soo is cheating on his wife when he tells him about his girlfriend cheating on him. Jung-soo’s philosophy is that a person can love up to two people, but it is no longer love when it becomes three. In addition, he believes that he is not betraying his wife as long as he is not caught.

Jung-soo drags him to a baseball game to spy on his girlfriend, Eun-mi, who is there with another man. On the way back, Samuel borrows some money from Jung-soo to buy a new car, but he refuses to lend him, saying that it would get in the way of their relationship.

Meanwhile, Se-yeon shares her suspicion that Jung-soo is having an affair since they are not as active in their marriage sex life as they used to be. She tells Woo Jin, who is also in a sexless marriage, that if they are not having sex with their spouses, then they must be looking for satisfaction outside the house. Therefore, when they get back home, Woo Jin is eager to end their sexless marriage, but Samuel does not respond, which makes Woo Jin ask if he is having an affair.

Samuel gets frustrated and accidentally blurts out that affairs are for those rich enough to maintain them, like Jung-soo. Woo Jin swears to tell Seo-yeon about Jung-soo’s affair right away.

While at the hotel, Woo Jin hesitates whether to call or not but finally decides to give Se-yeon a call. However, Woo-jin is the one who gets to hear surprising news from Se-yeon. She learns about Samuel’s car being submerged in water and that he had tried to borrow money from Jung-soo but refused to give him a loan.

Meanwhile, Samuel rushes to Jung-soo’s house to warn him about the possibility of Se-yeon learning about his affair. Jung-soo worries about losing his family, so he decides to go to the hotel to beg Woo Jin not to rat him out. Jung-soo kneels, but it does not seem to convince Woo Jin, so he comes up with another idea.

Jung-soo offers to buy Woo Jin’s silence for thirty million. Woo Jin knows about Samuel’s car and is contemplating taking the money. Eventually, she agreed, and Jung-soo made a wire transfer.

Samuel follows Jung-soo outside and tries to apologise for not keeping his secret, but Jung-soo is furious and thinks that Samuel planned the whole thing since he refused to give him a loan. Even though Samuel knows it is not true, he decides not to explain since Jung-soo is already convinced. Jung-soo says that he never wants to see Samuel again. 

Afterwards, Samuel learns that Woo Jin knows about his taxi, and she takes the money to get him a new one. Woo Jin is no longer angry with Samuel for keeping the car submerge incident a secret, and she buys him a more expensive car. As she rides around in the backseat of their new car, she thinks back to how easy it was for them to make money from Jung-soo’s cheating scandal.

They have been working hard but seem never to get ahead because they cannot afford good food or even coffee. She wonders if she’s lucky, but she knows many people like Jung-soo who were unsatisfied with what they had and wanted more. People who go after what they should not go after. Woo Jin says, “Let’s not live like this anymore,” as the last scene zooms in on her red blacklist book. 

The Episode Review

The first episode of LTNS is mind-blowing since it takes a different and unique premise we have not seen in a Kdrama before. The main leads have a relaxing vibe and chemistry that draws you in, enjoying how well they work together and understand each other. They might be in a sexless marriage, but they are in a good marriage where you do not have to say too much that the other person understands you perfectly.

It is relaxing, laid back, and subtly comedic. Will they get to rekindle their romance in the bedroom in the midst of exposing jerks like Jung-soo and riding around wearing sunglasses at night? They really stand out when they are both in sunglasses, so I wish to see them more in sunglasses together.