Merry Berry Love has arrived with a sweet and sour start. The Korea-Japan romantic comedy starring Ji Chang Wook and Mio Imada premiered on October 7, 2026, with its first two episodes now streaming on Disney+ worldwide. The show follows a hotshot Seoul designer who loses his entire career overnight and escapes to a quiet Japanese island, only to be mistaken for a strawberry thief by a determined young farmer. Here is everything that happens in the first two episodes, who is who, and why viewers are already talking about it.
What Happens In Merry Berry Love Episode 1
Lee Yu Bin (played by Ji Chang Wook) runs a successful spatial design firm called Y Space in Seoul. He is a perfectionist who notices the wrong lighting on a table from across a room and insists his design contracts be followed to the letter. His life falls apart when he trusts his friend and business partner Kim Bong Su (played by Jeong Soon Won) with the legal side of a major deal. Bong Su runs off with company money and client payments, leaving Yu Bin facing fraud accusations and a closed business.
With nothing left, Yu Bin learns he has inherited a small plot of land on Charo Island in Japan from his late father. He travels there hoping to sell it and start over. His journey is a series of small disasters. On the ferry, he argues with a young woman named Shirahama Karin (played by Mio Imada) over the last boarding ticket. They settle it with rock-paper-scissors. Karin wins, but then spots her exhausted farm worker Daniel leaving with his bags. While she is distracted, Yu Bin buys the ticket for himself. This sets their relationship off to a very rocky start.
The misunderstandings pile up. A kind driver offers Yu Bin a lift, but Yu Bin panics when the man pulls out a heavy tool from the back of his truck. Yu Bin runs away without his bag, convinced the man is a murderer. The driver was only clearing fallen trees from the road. At the village office, Yu Bin is told that Karin occupies his inherited land, but he does not understand the warning. Later, schoolchildren arrive at Karin’s strawberry farm and interpret Yu Bin’s broken Japanese as permission to pick strawberries. They damage the carefully cultivated patch. Karin returns to find her strawberries ruined and Yu Bin casually eating the last of her cherished berries. Her heart monitor goes off and she collapses into his arms.
What Happens In Merry Berry Love Episode 2
Karin wakes up in Yu Bin’s arms after her collapse. She learns that Yu Bin was not the one who ruined her strawberry patch, but their arguing creates new misunderstandings. Yu Bin decides he will never return to Charo Island and prepares to go back to Korea. However, circumstances keep pulling him back to the farm.
The production team shared a hint about what is coming in Episode 2.
“In Episode 2, viewers will see Yu Bin begin a new life after suddenly becoming unemployed overnight. The relationship between Yu Bin and Karin, which began with a misunderstanding, is also set to enter a new phase.”
New stills released ahead of Episode 2 show Yu Bin trading his polished city look for a casual T-shirt and a straw hat. He flashes a cheerful thumbs-up, looking confident about farm life. The final still tells a different story. Yu Bin is soaked in sweat, struggling under the weight of a large rucksack. He looks exhausted and worlds apart from his earlier cheerful self. The images suggest that country life is far harder than this city dweller ever imagined.
Who Is Who In Merry Berry Love
Ji Chang Wook plays Lee Yu Bin, a celebrated spatial designer who falls from grace after his business partner’s betrayal. Ji Chang Wook is known for his roles in The Worst of Evil and The Manipulated. His performance in Merry Berry Love shows his range, moving between comedy and drama with ease. The series marks his return as a “rom-com master,” according to MyDramaList News.
Mio Imada plays Shirahama Karin, a young strawberry farmer on Charo Island. She has spent years trying to secure official certification for her strawberries. Her farm has lost workers, and she faces repeated setbacks. Karin also suffers from a mysterious illness that flares up when her heart rate increases. Imada is known for her work in Tokyo Revengers and Trillion Game. She brings a lively determination to Karin, who is more than just a love interest.
Nam Yoon Su plays Park Gu Nam, a working holiday visitor who stayed on Charo Island for the sake of love. He has an unwavering crush on Mari. Nam Yoon Su has earned recognition for his performances in Extracurricular and Love in the Big City. His character adds another youthful romance to the story.
Rinka Kumada plays Mizuno Mari, Karin’s best friend and a tarot reader specializing in romance. She develops her own connection with Gu Nam. Kumada is a model and actress who appears in the October drama series.
Jeong Soon Won plays Kim Bong Su, Yu Bin’s friend and business partner who betrays him. Kim Tae Hoon plays Yu Bin’s father. The cast also includes Kangnam, Lee Hyo In, and Moon Woo Jin, along with Japanese actors Yasunori Danta and Sadao Abe.
The Team Behind The Series
Merry Berry Love is directed by Kim Soo Jung (known for Semantic Error) and Noh Young Sub (known for My Lovely Liar). The screenplay is written by Lee Jae Yoon, the writer of Divorce Insurance. The series is developed and produced by CJ ENM, the Korean entertainment company behind global hits like Crash Landing on You and Queen of Tears. Nippon TV serves as co-producer. This is Nippon TV’s first-ever partnership with CJ ENM for a cross-cultural romantic comedy series.
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Where And When To Watch
Merry Berry Love premiered on October 7, 2026, on Disney+ worldwide. The series also airs every Wednesday on Japanese terrestrial broadcaster Nippon TV. New episodes are released every Wednesday on Disney+. The series has a total of 10 episodes. For viewers in the United States, the show is available on Hulu as well as Disney+. Audiences in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and other global markets can stream it on Disney+.
How Viewers Are Responding
Global viewers have responded quickly to the series. According to FlixPatrol, Merry Berry Love entered the global TOP 10 on Disney+ just one day after its release. The series also reached the TOP 10 in South Korea, Japan, Finland, Iceland, and Estonia, among others.
Critics have offered mixed reactions. A review from the Sunday Guardian gave the first two episodes 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the chemistry between Ji Chang Wook and Mio Imada. The review noted that Karin is “more than just the love interest,” with her mysterious illness adding an emotional layer to the light romantic comedy.
The South China Morning Post was less impressed, describing the show as a “hollow romantic comedy” that “aims squarely for low-hanging fruit at every turn.” The review acknowledged that broad comedy travels better across cultures than subtle humour, but felt the resulting confection was hollow even by K-drama romcom standards.
Gazettely offered a more positive take, noting that the show “earns its early charm by making Ji Chang-wook’s meticulous designer spectacularly bad at island life, while Mio Imada gives the strawberry farm a purpose beyond romantic scenery.”
Why The First Two Episodes Matter
The opening episodes set up a classic fish-out-of-water story with a cross-cultural twist. Yu Bin is a city dweller who has never gotten his hands dirty. Karin is a farmer who has no time for an aggrieved designer. Their clash is both comedic and grounded. The show also plants seeds for deeper emotional stories. Karin’s mysterious illness raises questions about how much she is hiding. Yu Bin’s childhood memories of his father, who worked in Japan and brought home the same sweets Yu Bin sees on the ferry, give his inheritance a personal weight beyond just a plot of land.
The second romance between Gu Nam and Mari adds another layer. Their personalities are very different, but they quickly develop their own connection. This pairing could become more interesting as the episodes progress.
Merry Berry Love is streaming now on Disney+. For more entertainment news and recaps, keep reading VvipTimes.
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