Spooky in Love: Ghosts meet slow-burn romance, written by Shanku Sharma

//Shanku Sharma//

Spooky in Love is a 2026 South Korean horror-romantic comedy that mixes ghostly hauntings, cold-case investigations, chaebol drama, and slow-burn romance. A remake of the 2011 film Spellbound, it stars Park Eun-bin as hotel heiress Cheon Yeo-ri and Yang Se-jong as prosecutor Ma Kang-wook. The 12-episode series aired on tvN from July 18 to August 23, 2026, and streams on Netflix.

Yeo-ri is a glamorous CEO who can see ghosts—especially the restless spirits of those who died unjustly. Anyone she touches temporarily gains the same ability, so she keeps people at a distance while quietly helping the dead find peace. Kang-wook is a principled prosecutor, demoted to cold cases and deeply afraid of ghosts. Their paths keep crossing at crime scenes. Once he discovers her secret, they form an unlikely partnership: her supernatural insight unlocks clues, while his legal skills deliver justice. Romance develops amid her fear of touch, his phobia, family pressure, corporate intrigue, and a rival suitor.

Early episodes lean into a “ghost-of-the-week” rhythm before expanding into personal and family conflicts. The central question—can two people fall in love when a single hand-hold invites the dead?—gives the romance real stakes.

Park Eun-bin brings warmth, isolation, and dry humor to Yeo-ri. Yang Se-jong plays Kang-wook as earnest, slightly awkward, and principled; his ghost fear fuels both comedy and pathos. Their chemistry is one of the show’s strongest assets. Ong Seong-wu appears as rival chaebol Kang Min-hwan, with solid support from Cha Mi-kyung and Ye Soo-jung as the grandmothers.

Directed by Lee Min-soo and written by Choi Jung-mi, the series expands the original film with procedural cases and deeper romantic and corporate layers. Filming took place in Seoul and Singapore.

The tone balances light horror, comedy, mystery, and romance. Themes of justice for the living and dead, isolation versus connection, and the weight of family legacy run through it. Audience ratings are solid (around 8.0 on MyDramaList, mid-7s on IMDb). Reviewers praise the leads’ chemistry and inventive premise, though some note the later corporate focus occasionally sidelines the ghosts. It ends happily.

Spooky in Love turns a classic romantic obstacle—fear of intimacy—into something literal and supernatural. For fans of K-dramas that mix romance with a touch of the uncanny, it offers a lively, accessible watch.