The new Korean drama Spooky in Love arrived on tvN and Netflix on July 18, 2026. The show brings together Park Eun-bin and Yang Se-jong in a supernatural romance mixed with mystery and comedy. The first two episodes set up the core conflict. A hotel heiress with a curse and a prosecutor afraid of ghosts cross paths while investigating the same crimes. The series is a remake of the 2011 Korean film Spellbound. It expands the original story into a 12-episode drama.
The First Meeting in the Forest
Cheon Yeo-ri (Park Eun-bin) finds a dead body in the woods near Haedam Reservoir. She follows a ghost’s directions to get there. At the same time, prosecutor Ma Gang-uk (Yang Se-jong) arrives at the same spot. He is investigating a missing person case. Neither knows who the other is. Gang-uk sees a woman in a hoodie acting suspiciously. He thinks she might be disturbing a crime scene. He tells her to stop and leave. But Yeo-ri is just following the ghost’s instructions to find the body.
The two end up fighting each other. Police officers show up and find them on the ground in a strange position. The officers assume they are a couple in an awkward moment. Gang-uk tries to figure out who this woman is. But Yeo-ri disappears while he is distracted. She watches from a distance as the police recover the body. She asks the ghost if there is really an afterlife. Like all ghosts before him, he vanishes without giving an answer.
Yeo-Ri’s Curse and Lonely Life
Yeo-ri has a special ability. She can see and talk to ghosts. But this gift comes with a heavy price. Anyone who touches her bare skin will also start seeing ghosts. She always wears gloves to avoid passing on the curse. She keeps her distance from everyone. Her wedding failed six years ago because of this curse. Before the ceremony, she warned her fiancé that touching her would make him see ghosts. He said he could handle it. But when the haunting actually started, fear took over. On their wedding day, he abandoned her. This left Yeo-ri heartbroken. She became convinced that no one could accept her condition.
Now she runs the Reina Hotel as its CEO. Her grandmother is the chairwoman and believes Yeo-ri can run the business. Yeo-ri has kept her ghost-seeing ability a secret from everyone. The wedding hall at her hotel has a bad reputation. People think it is cursed because Yeo-ri’s own engagement fell apart there.
The Second Encounter
Yeo-ri and Gang-uk meet again by chance. Yeo-ri is following directions from an old man’s ghost. The spirit leads her to the people responsible for his death. Gang-uk unknowingly gets involved when he jumps into her car. He sees her acting strange. She keeps talking to someone he cannot see. The old man’s ghost guides them to a cab with two suspicious men. The gangsters bump into Yeo-ri’s car. She chases them. Gang-uk is in the car with her.
They stop the suspects together. Gang-uk shows his fighting skills. Yeo-ri hits one of the men with a baseball bat. She picks Gang-uk up off the road using the bat. She never gives him her hand. She tells him to check the trunk of the car. Inside is the body of the old man whose ghost she has been following. This discovery gives Gang-uk the evidence he needs for his investigation.
Gang-Uk’s Investigation and Family Drama
Gang-uk is a dedicated prosecutor who never gives up on cases. He is trying to prove that golfer Park Seung-jae (Kim Do-wan) is responsible for the disappearance of a young woman named Eun-Ju. But Seung-jae has celebrity status and influence. His father is a top assemblyman. Gang-uk’s superiors pressure him to close the case. He refuses to give up.
Outside work, Gang-uk has his own struggles. He is terrified of ghosts. His grandmother worries about his loneliness. She takes him to a temple and pushes him to find a girlfriend. This is funny because he is extremely afraid of anything supernatural.
Yeo-Ri’s Family Conflicts
Yeo-ri’s family adds more complications. Her grandmother wants to make changes at the hotel. This includes plans for Sienna Hall. The hall holds sentimental value for Yeo-ri because of her deceased parents.
Yeo-ri also disapproves of her cousin Cheon Ha-ri (Jo Hye-joo) dating Park Seung-jae. She thinks he is unreliable despite his reputation. When her family asks for her opinion, she gives a diplomatic answer at first. But when pressed, she calls Seung-jae a “parasite” who offers nothing beyond his father’s influence. Seung-jae is the same man Gang-uk is investigating.
A Surprising Connection Forms
The first two episodes show how these two very different people keep crossing paths. Gang-uk becomes more curious about Yeo-ri’s unusual abilities. He finds hints about an unknown witness. His search leads him to the heir of the Reina Hotel.
Yeo-ri tries to keep her distance from Gang-uk. She makes sure there is no physical touch between them. But fate keeps bringing them together. Their partnership is just beginning. The show blends ghosts, mystery, and romance in equal measure.
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Strong Ratings and Global Reception
The show has performed well in ratings. Episode 1 drew 729,000 viewers in South Korea. Episode 2 climbed to 1.343 million. It ended the weekend as the number one show in South Korea.
On Netflix, the series reached the eighth spot on the global non-English charts. It recorded 1.7 million views and 3.5 million hours viewed with just two episodes available. Park Eun-bin continues to draw audiences. She is known for acclaimed roles in Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Castaway Diva. Her performance in Spooky in Love adds another strong role to her filmography.
Yang Se-jong plays the perfect foil to her character. His portrayal of a skeptical prosecutor brings balance to Yeo-ri’s unpredictability. The chemistry between the two leads keeps viewers engaged.
The series airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 PM KST on tvN. New episodes release on the same days on Netflix. Episode 3 is scheduled for July 25, 2026. Episode 4 follows on July 26, 2026. The show runs for 12 episodes total. The finale is set for August 23, 2026.
The drama mixes horror, comedy, and romance in a way that feels playful rather than jarring. While the premise may feel familiar, the cast brings charm to the material.
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