Second Shot At Love ~ Booze is Much Better Than Marriage

“Second Shot At Love” is a 2025 Korean drama series, with 12 episodes, categorized as Romance, Comedy, and Family; streaming on Viki.

SUMMARY: A young woman called off her wedding because her boyfriend insisted that she stop drinking. She had to move back in with her parents because she lost her job. The guy who was her best friend during high school also came back home. Something had happened between them and they broke off their friendship. They ran into each accidentally. Realizing that he was successful and she was a failure, she asked him to pretend like they never knew each other. He agreed. There was no reason to try to reconnect. Was there?

♦ Me or Booze? Choose! I Choose Booze!

In “Second Shot At Love “, Han Geum-Ju is an excellent mechanic. Unfortunately, she lost her job, but believes she’ll be reinstated. That’s what she told her mother, who was yelling at her for calling off her wedding. Her mother was beyond upset. She was so close to having a son-in-law! The mother was so desperate that she even tried calling her daughter’s ex-boyfriend to see if there was any way to patch things up between them.

Han Geum-Ju told her mother to forget about it! IT’S OVER!! When her mom asked her why, she said he complained too much about her drinking. He asked her to choose between him and alcohol, and she said: I CHOOSE BOOZE! She’d rather drink alcohol than get married to him. Han Geum-Ju’s mother concluded that her daughter had a serious drinking problem. She needed help! The calamity of calling off the wedding was compounded further when Human Resources contacted her and told her that she would NOT be reinstated.

Terrific! A calamity on top of a calamity. Her daughter is an alcoholic AND she’s unemployed!! It was too much. Han Geum-Ju’s mother made her move back to their hometown. They had to live with her father and her older sister. Her sister got divorced and moved back in with her kids. Han Geum-Ju called off her wedding, lost her job, and had to move back in. Her mother felt like she must have done something wrong raising her daughters.

On the other hand, as soon as she walked into their home and saw her husband and eldest daughter drinking, she screamed at the top of her lungs. IT WAS ALL THEIR FAULT!! The mother blamed them for ruining Han Geum-Ju’s life. They were the ones who encouraged her to start drinking even from high school! They were the ones who did wrong! Her mother was determined to change her daughter’s drinking habits. She was convinced that Han Geum-Ju was an alcoholic who needed treatment.

Seo Ui-Joon used to be Han Geum-Ju’s best friend in high school. Only the two of them know why they fell out of friendship. Seo Ui-Joon worked at a prestigious university hospital in Seoul, but decided to return to his hometown and work there. Seo Ui-Joon hates alcohol, AND he counsels and treats people who have a drinking problem. Han Geum-Ju wanted to avoid him, but they bumped into each other accidentally.

Her current life was miserable. The last thing she needed was to reconnect with a former best friend whom she unfriended, who is now a successful doctor. It didn’t help that she overheard him say that he had thought that if they ever met again, her life would have turned out better. Han Geum-Ju asked Seo Ui-Joon to pretend like they never knew each other.

Since she said that’s what she wanted, Seo Ui-Joon agreed. That was before he picked her up off the street because she was drunk and passed out. He took her to his place to sleep it off. When Han Geum-Ju woke up and realized she was at Seo Ui-Joon’s apartment, she asked him what had he done TO her? Seo Ui-Joon stared at her in disbelief. Knowing what he had done FOR her, he brushed off her accusatory insult and asked: “Don’t you remember anything? When are you going to stop drinking?

(???) Does Han Geum-Ju like to drink socially OR does she have a drinking problem?

Main Characters:

• Han Geum-Ju (played by Sooyoung, “Tell Me What You Saw”, “Move To Heaven”, “Squad 38”)
• Seo Ui-Joon (played by Gong Myung, “Way Back Love”, “Citizen of a Kind”, “Lovers of the Red Sky”, “Extreme Job”, “The Bride of Habaek”)
• Kim Gwang-Ok (played by Kim Sung-Ryoung, “A Virtuous Business”, “My Name is Loh Kiwan”, “The Call”, “Believer”, “The Fatal Encounter”, “The Frog”, “Love to Hate You”, “Are You Human Too?”)
• Han Jung-Soo (played by Kim Sang-Ho, “My Name”, “Blood Free”, “The Kidnapping Day”, “Missing Nine”, “Bad Prosecutor”, “Bring It On, Ghost!”)
• Han Hyun-Joo (played by Jo Yoon-Hee, “The Magician”, “The Escape of the Seven 1 and 2”, “The King’s Face”, “Nine: 9 Times Time Travel”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 8.6 of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.8 of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this series 9.4 of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.

“Second Shot At Love” got added to my watch list because it’s competing with “Tastefully Yours”. Both of these rom-coms are enjoyable. Perfect for chilling out!

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Soompi Articles ~ “Second Shot At Love” Premieres To Solid Ratings AND

“Second Shot At Love” Remains No. 1 In Ratings + “Tastefully Yours” Enjoys Rise For Episode 2

“Second Shot At Love” K-Drama: Cast, Plot, Reviews, Filming Locations & Where To Watch – Trends – In-Depth K-Pop & K-Culture Insights | Kpopmap

From Drinks to Destiny – ‘Second Shot at Love’ – ViuScene

Sooyoung Lives a Life of Drinking in New Trailer for “Second Shot at Love” – Kdrama Kisses

“Second Shot at Love” Serves Up a Bold, Flavorful Sobriety Romance – kdramadiary

TRAILER/TEASER:

Singapore, Viu. “[Trailer] Second Shot At Love.” YouTube, 14 May 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lBwlXEtSRg.

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