Love, Take Two has premiered its first two episodes on August 4 and 5, 2025. The slice-of-life romantic drama stars Yeom Jung-ah, Park Hae-joon, Choi Yun-ji, and Kim Min-kyu.
Love, Take Two's story follows a devoted single mother whose world is turned upside down when her daughter suddenly rebels and runs away. In a seaside town, the daughter meets a kind flower farmer, while the mother reunites with her first love. As old emotions surface and new bonds form, their lives begin to change in unexpected ways.
Love, Take Two episodes 1 & 2 recaps: Hyo-ri's heartbreaking diagnosis, Ji-an’s breakdown, and a fateful reunion in a small town
Episode 1 of Love, Take Two opens with Lee Hyo-ri (Choi Yun-ji), a third-year medical student, and her mother Lee Ji-an (Yeom Jung-ah) at a hospital, sitting across from a reputed doctor. The doctor informs Ji-an that Hyo-ri has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and requires surgery to remove it.
The episode of Love, Take Two, then flashes back to the day. Ji-an is managing a construction site, where she works as a manager. Later, she attends a company dinner with her team to appease the construction company owner and drinks heavily during the gathering. Hyo-ri drives her back home and expresses fear that she might end up living a life like her mother’s.
The next morning, Ji-an is in a rush for work but briefly chats with Hyo-ri. Their conversation turns sour when Hyo-ri says she’s planning to leave home soon. Both go about their day, Ji-an returns to work, and Hyo-ri, after being continuously bullied by her professors, decides to drop out of medical school. She calls her best friend Sook, and the two set off in a caravan.
Ji-an’s troubles at work escalate. Her predecessor has fled with company funds, and though Ji-an has only held the managerial position for a month, she faces suspension as an audit begins.
Later in this episode of Love, Take Two, while trying to sort things out, she contacts Hyo-ri’s university about tuition fees and is shocked to learn her daughter has dropped out. Furious, she calls Hyo-ri, who firmly states that she’s leaving home, hangs up, and blocks her number.

Hyo-ri and Sook drive to the seaside, enjoy seafood, and spend the night in the caravan. The next day, their car breaks down near a small town. A few locals come to help, and they seek assistance from Ryu Jeong-seok (Park Hae-joon), a local handyman. Though Jeong-seok is reluctant, his kind son, Ryu Bo-hyeon (Kim Min-kyu), agrees to help.
Meanwhile, in this episode of Love, Take Two, Ji-an vents her frustration and concern about her daughter to her friend Seon-yeong. Seon-yeong, who follows Sook on social media, spots a post from Sook about the two girls in the small town and tracks their location. She and Ji-an drive to the small town and, with help from locals, find the girls.
Ji-an demands that Hyo-ri return home, but Hyo-ri refuses. She asks Seon-yeong to take Sook back, saying she has something to share with her mother. Alone with Ji-an, Hyo-ri hesitantly reveals her brain tumor. Ji-an initially thinks it's a joke, but is quickly shaken when she realizes it's real. Hyo-ri takes her to the doctor, who confirms everything.
Though devastated, Ji-an tries to stay strong and urges Hyo-ri to undergo surgery and fight. But Hyo-ri says she’s tired of fighting. She explains that she has been tenacious her entire life and now wants to live the rest of her days peacefully, even if it means dying and returning to the small town alone.
Back at home, Ji-an struggles to sleep. At 2 am, she begins deep-cleaning the house, starting with Hyo-ri’s bedcovers, moving to the kitchen, and eventually throwing out food from the fridge. She then calls Seon-yeong, picking a fight over kimchi, which alarms her friend.
Seon-yeong rushes to Ji-an’s house and finds her scrubbing the floor. When asked if she’s okay, Ji-an finally breaks down and tells her about Hyo-ri’s illness. Both women cry out loud, hugging and clinging to each other.
At dawn, Hyo-ri also breaks down, crying alone by the beach. With this the episode 1 of Love, Take Two ends.
Episode 2 of Love, Take Two opens with a flashback. Ji-an has raised Hyo-ri as a single mother since soon after graduating high school. Hyo-ri has always been driven, aiming to rise in society and become a doctor. Her dreams are shattered when she suddenly faints during surgery and is diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Back in the present, Ji-an and Seon-yeong visit the doctor to schedule Hyo-ri’s surgery and inquire about the treatment cost. Hearing the amount, despite her suspension, Ji-an decides to plead with the construction site owner to get her job back. However, the owner blames her for the former manager’s embezzlement and fires Ji-an. Fed up with being scapegoated, she lashes out at him and walks away.
Later in this episode of Love, Take Two, she boards a bus to return to Hyo-ri. Coincidentally, Ryu Jeong-seok is on the same bus, having come to the town to buy a wire to repair Hyo-ri’s caravan. When some fruits fall from Ji-an’s grocery bag, Jeong-seok helps her pick them up, and they instantly recognise each other.
Both are reminded of their high school days, when Ji-an used to dream of becoming an announcer and once publicly confessed her feelings to Jeong-seok after has saved her from falling on a bus one time.

Now, reuniting after so long, they chat happily and walk to their destination. They discover, much to their surprise, that Hyo-ri’s caravan is parked in front of Jeong-seok’s house. Hyo-ri, however, is angered by Ji-an's sudden appearance.
She becomes more upset when Ji-an urges her to return to Seoul for surgery. She accuses Ji-an of never being there when she has needed her and storms off into the rain.
Overwhelmed and crying, she eventually runs into the ocean in the moment of distress. The stormy waves pull her in, drowning her. However, Ryu Bo-hyeon, who watches her going into the water and jumps into it and rescues her just in time.
Back at the caravan, a panicked Ji-an questions Hyo-ri learning about the incident. Hyo-ri calmly responds that even if the ocean tries to drown her, she will no longer live in fear. She will not stop visiting it, but she will fight.
Later in this episode of Love, Take Two, Jeong-seok invites everyone to dinner. His friend Tae O joins, and they reminisce about Ji-an and Jeong-seok's school days. Hyo-ri expresses admiration for Jeong-seok’s house, saying she has always dreamed of living in a house with stairs, a garden, and windows to see the seasons change.
As the conversation turns to Hyo-ri’s father, Ji-an reveals she has raised Hyo-ri alone. Hyo-ri becomes uncomfortable and leaves with her mother. Outside, she confesses that she is ashamed of not having a father and that all her hard work has been to protect herself from ridicule. Hearing this, Ji-an leaves, hurt and wondering about her life.
The next morning, Bo-hyeon, who had seen the mother-daughter conversation last night, takes Hyo-ri to his flower farm. He asks her to work there in exchange for fixing her caravan. On their way back, he questions her about her rude attitude towards her mother. Hyo-ri, however, brushes him off, saying he’s overstepping.
Later in this episode of Love, Take Two, back at the caravan, Hyo-ri finds out that Ji-an had lent someone 30 million won and hasn't been repaid. Furious, she drags Ji-an to confront the borrower, along with Bo-hyeon, driving them.
When they arrive, Hyo-ri softens upon seeing the man's children living in poverty. Instead, they feed and clean the kids. Ji-an then talks to the man, who promises to repay her someday. Learning of Hyo-ri’s illness, he gives her his mother’s farmhouse instead of the debt.
Back in the small town, Ji-an visits Jeong-seok and asks him to drive her to the farmhouse. As they arrive, Ji-an’s eyes light up. She envisions the property transforming into Hyo-ri’s dream home and lovingly calls it “Hyo-ri’s house.”
On this note, episode 2 of Love, Take Two, concludes.
Love, Take Two airs every Monday and Tuesday on tvN. Episodes 3 and 4 are scheduled to broadcast on August 11 and 12, 2025.
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Edited by Sriparna Barui