A Year-End Medley (해피 뉴 이어 / Happy New Year!)

[cmoneyspinner]

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“A Year-End Medley” is a 2021 Korean movie, multiple love stories categorized as Romance and Comedy (Rom-Com), and streaming on Viki and other platforms.​

• Memorable Quote: “Don’t magical things happen when least expected?”

SUMMARY: Multiple love stories set against the festive backdrop of Hotel Emross as guests and staff navigate love, heartbreak, and renewal during the holidays.

♦ Love is a Many Splendored Thing​

A Year-End Medley (2021) is a medley of feel-good romantic encounters. The K-drama is centered around the lives of guests and employees at Hotel Emross, a luxury hotel in Seoul. Encounters take place during the festive Christmas and New Year holiday season. The love stories? Some are tentative, others are long overdue. The paths of strangers cross in surprising ways over the span of just a few days leading up to New Year’s Day.

♦ Love Couple 1​

At the heart of the story is Park So-Jin, the capable hotel manager who excels at her job but struggles in her personal life. She has quietly harbored a crush for 15 years on her friend Seung-Hyo, a smooth radio producer. But he tells her that he’s getting married and the wedding will be at Hotel Emross. Guess who will oversee the elaborate event? Park So-Jin must balance her professionalism with her personal bittersweet ache of unspoken feelings.

♦ Love Couple 2​

Meanwhile, Kim Yong-Jin — the hotel’s young, meticulous CEO obsessed with even numbers — finds his structured world shaken when he walks into his hotel room while the room maid is still cleaning. Sort of cleaning. She’s dancing, singing, and cleaning. Baek Lee-Young once aspired to be a musical actress. Their accidental encounters throughout the hotel — from rehearsal rooms to late-night corridors — gently nudge them together.

♦ Love Couple 3​

Across the lobby, a poignant story unfolds between Jae-Yong, a disillusioned young man who arrives at the hotel contemplating the meaning of his future after repeated setbacks. He keeps failing the Civil Service exam. It didn’t help that he read a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche that said, “To die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly.” As if! Soo-Yeon is the cheerful hotelier who greets him each morning with upbeat wake-up calls. What begins as a routine job slowly turns into a lifeline for Jae-Yong, whose growing connection with Soo-Yeon restores hope in his heart.

♦ Love Couple 4​

Can there still be love after 40 years? Of course! A romance between an older couple simmers quietly. Catharine, a Korean businesswoman returning home for her daughter’s wedding, is greeted at the hotel by the doorman. Sang-Kyu is the doorman who was once her first love decades earlier. Their reunion evokes memories of youth while prompting them to reconsider what second chances might look like in life’s later chapters.

• There are lighter stories woven into the tapestry ~ a teenage crush, and the steady flow of hotel guests preparing for big life moments. Each subplot shares the same theme: the vulnerability of opening one’s heart to love when life is so uncertain.

Main Characters:​

• Hotel Manager Park So-Jin (played by Han Ji-Min, “Love Scout”)
• Hotel’s CEO Yong-Jin (played by Lee Dong-Wook, “The Nice Guy”)
• Soo-Yeong (played by Lim Yoon-A, “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty”)
• Baek Yi-Young (played by Won Jin-A, “The Defects”)
• Catharine (played by Lee Hye-Young, “The Old Woman With The Knife”)
• Sang-Kyu (played by Jung Jin-Young, “Queen Of Tears”)
• Jae-Yong (played by Kang Ha-Neul, “Wall to Wall”)
• Yi-Kang (played by Seo Kang-Joon, “Undercover High School”)
• Sang-Hoon (played by Lee Kwang-Soo, “The Divorce Insurance”)
• Seung-Hyo (played by Kim Young-Kwang, “Walking On Thin Ice”)
• Young-Joo (played by Ko Sung-Hee, “My Holo Love”)
• Jin-Ho (played by Lee Jin-Uk, “Beyond the Bar”)
• Park Se-Jik (played by Jo Joon-Young, “Crushology 101”)
• Lim A-Young (played by Won Ji-An, “Made in Korea”)

Where to Watch: DailyMotion.com (Use ExpressVPN to watch content not available in the USA.)

Viewership and Rating:​

• IMDb: 6.9 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 9.5 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as MDL.
“A Year-End Medley”, a 2021 Korean drama, is perfect for ending the old year and bringing in the new. What unites these characters is the holiday backdrop — snow-tipped nights, sparkling hotel lobbies, and the lingering promise that a new year holds fresh beginnings. Make it a double feature by also watching “New Year Blues”.

LINKS OF INTEREST:​

Movie Review – A Year-End Medley | MIB’s Instant Headache
Movie Review: A Year-End Medley (2021) | Saving Lives through K-Dramas
[K-Movie Night] A Year-End Medley | Dramabeans
A Year-End Medley & New Year Blues: A Joyous Celebration of the New Year |The Blossom Review

TRAILER/TEASER:​

CJ ENM. “A YEAR-END MEDLEY Official Int’l Main Trailer”. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvYep5nC2iM.

 

[BROOKE]

I watched this movie last year during the holidays and it stayed in my head longer than I expected. I like how it does not focus on only one couple and instead shows many kinds of love at different ages and life stages. The hotel setting works well because people come and go, just like feelings. Park So-Jin’s story hit me the most. Waiting 15 years and still staying professional is not easy, and I felt her quiet pain. It felt real, not dramatic in an exaggerated way. The older couple surprised me too. It was calm and respectful, not rushed. Some stories are light, some are heavy, but they balance each other. I also liked that not everything feels perfect right away. Some characters are still confused, and that is honest. It feels like a movie made for people who are tired but still want to believe small good things can happen.

 

[Melissa83U]

Honestly, I watched this because of the cast, and I stayed because of the tone. It feels warm without forcing emotions. Some romantic movies try too hard to make you cry. This one lets things happen naturally. I liked that the stories overlap but do not interrupt each other. The hotel feels like a safe space for everyone’s problems. Even the smaller stories add texture. The teenage crush was short but sweet. The music was also used well, not too loud. I did feel the movie was a bit long, but not enough to stop watching. It is the kind of movie you finish and feel calm. Not excited, not sad, just steady. That is rare for a rom-com.

 

[Nadia]

Catharine and Sang-Kyu really surprised me. Their subtle glances and quiet conversations showed a depth that felt real. Sometimes I feel like movies forget about romance later in life, but this one handled it beautifully. Also, I liked how the different stories didn’t overshadow each other. You get enough screen time to care about each couple, even the smaller ones. The Christmas and New Year backdrop added a magical feeling that made the whole thing feel special. I think the movie works best if you watch it slowly, letting each story sink in, instead of rushing through. It left me smiling at the end and reminded me that love isn’t limited by age or circumstances.

 

[sehagevez]

Nice write-up, this really captures why A Year-End Medley works so well. It’s not about one big dramatic romance, but lots of small, human stories unfolding at the same time. The hotel setting ties everything together nicely, and the holiday atmosphere gives each storyline a warm, reflective tone. Some couples feel light and playful, others more bittersweet, but they balance each other well. It’s the kind of film you watch when you want something comforting, hopeful, and quietly emotional rather than intense or heavy.