A big question is making Morena Monaco nervous on the new Netflix show My Korean Boyfriend: what should she wear to meet her boyfriend’s mother again? This worry shows a bigger issue for the five Brazilian women on the show who are dating Korean men. They are trying to make their long-distance relationships work while dealing with different cultural expectations.
The show began streaming on January 1, 2026, on Netflix. The first four episodes are available now. The next four will arrive on January 8, 2026. It follows Morena and four other Brazilian women as they travel to Seoul to meet their Korean partners in person, facing the reality beyond their online chats.
The Outfit Anxiety: Morena’s Story
Morena is already in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Su-woong. In the first episode, he surprised her with a romantic proposal, and she said yes. But her happiness is mixed with worry about his family, especially his mother.
During a date, Su-woong talked about Morena’s first meeting with his mom. He told her that his mother thought she looked “a little strange” because she was wearing torn jeans. For Morena, this was a fashionable choice, but Su-woong explained it was hard for Korean people to understand.
“What should I wear next time? Now I’m really nervous, because…Because even the first day, she don’t like my clothes,” Morena asked Su-woong after hearing this.
She is now stressed about choosing an outfit for their next visit. Su-woong advised her that she needed to “wear properly” to meet his mom. He even suggested they go buy traditional Korean clothes together, but Morena felt they would be too small for her. This simple concern about clothing opens a window into the pressure she feels to change herself to fit into a different family’s expectations.
More Than Clothes: A Pattern of Polite Pressure
The show reveals that this kind of situation is not unique to Morena. Observers note that control in these relationships often starts in quiet ways—through polite suggestions or cultural norms.
For example, when talking about meeting family, one of the men on the show stated calmly, “You have to wear properly to meet my mom”. This was not presented as a loud demand, but as a simple expectation. The Brazilian women in the group reacted strongly to this idea.
Camila Kim, another participant who was born in Korea but raised in Brazil, disagreed with this attitude. She said clearly, “No Korean man is going to tell me how to dress”. Her comment shows the clash between personal freedom and traditional expectations.
Other Couples Face Their Own Challenges
While Morena deals with family approval, the other women are navigating their own relationship hurdles.
Mari and Danny: Mari had only talked to Danny online before flying to Korea. He did not show up to pick her up from the airport, leaving her waiting alone and upset. When they finally met, he apologized with a single rose. They are trying to build a connection, but Mari is outgoing while Danny is more reserved and worried about moving too fast physically.
Katy and Jack: Katy met Jack on a train during a previous trip to Korea. They stayed in touch for two years. In person, they discovered they have almost nothing in common. Jack is quiet, dislikes going out, and is allergic to cats, while Katy is social and owns cats. She decided they were better off as friends, a mature decision that still left her emotional.
Luanny and Si-won: This is the most tense relationship. Luanny is a single mother, which is a big taboo in Korean culture. She took a loan to travel to Korea and confronted Si-won about his unstable finances and past cheating. Their arguments escalated at a group party, where Si-won made negative comments about Brazilian women and criticized Morena’s engagement ring. Camila stepped in to defend Luanny, leading Si-won to leave in anger.
Camila’s Journey: Unlike the others, Camila came to Korea primarily to reconnect with her roots. She visited the hospital where she was born, which was an emotional experience that gave her a sense of closure about her identity. She often acted as a translator and support for the other women.
The Cultural Divide and Emotional Maturity
The show highlights that initial chemistry or online attraction is not enough to make a relationship work in real life. What becomes important is emotional maturity—the ability to communicate, take responsibility, and handle differences with respect.
Su-woong showed a sign of this maturity for Morena. At first, he refused to wear a traditional hanbok (Korean dress) with her, calling it “very embarrassing”. Later, he surprised her by showing up in one to join her and her friends, which made her very happy. This small effort meant a lot.
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In contrast, Luanny’s partner, Si-won, showed a lack of maturity. When she tried to discuss serious issues, he deflected blame. He told her, “Ever since you got to Korea, I’ve been trying to make you feel good. But you stress me out every day”, turning her concerns into a problem she caused.
As Camila wisely noted about facing difficult changes in life and relationships, “It’s uncomfortable, it hurts. But that’s what happens with change”. The women are all going through this uncomfortable process of seeing if their dream of a “K-drama” romance can survive real-world challenges.
For Morena, the path forward involves not just planning a wedding, but figuring out how to be herself while trying to gain acceptance from Su-woong’s family. Her anxiety about a simple outfit is a symbol of that much larger challenge.
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