‘Close To You’ Series Review: Love in Loops and Bicycles
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Soft gazes, stolen kisses, time loops, and unexpected reunions… the 2025 Korean mini-series Close To You by GND Studio delivers four bite-sized love stories, all available to watch on YouTube.
Spanning eight episodes in total, each story unfolds across two episodes, each under 14 minutes, great for web viewers seeking quick breaks between work or chores. Also, of-course, if you’re looking for a simple, fluffy, cozy romantic show.
The first, titled Riding a Bicycle, features one of the cutest pairs in the series, offering the quintessential ‘friends to lovers’ tale. Actors Yoon-woo and Jae-hyeop play friends Do-wan and Jae-yul, who’ve just finished high-school and are looking forward to University life. The two friends spend the night and next morning together, cycling along the Han River in a tender, slow-burn setup. The actors are incredibly cute together, and it’s pretty obvious they are smitten with each other and want to be more than friends.
In fact, three out of the four stories revolve around the ‘friends to lovers’ trope. The second, Friendship Bracelet, is an offbeat tale about Si-hwan (Kim Jung-seok), who uses a time-travel bracelet to rewind a meeting with his friend Joo-chan (Park Jae-ha) he secretly loves. Each time he rewinds time, he attempts to confess his feelings in a “better” way. The time-loop adds a touch of comedy, though the chemistry between the leads is a bit lukewarm.
The third short, The Last Diary, follows Ha-min (Kim Hyeong-seo), a young man vacationing in his countryside home – only to discover he must share the space with a stranger: a charming guest who turns out to be his mother’s friend. It’s the only story where the protagonists are strangers at first, and the only one with a surprisingly poignant ending.
The final entry, Sunset Boulevard, is a workplace romance where two former university friends reunite. Kwak Geon-Hee plays Taeyoon, who joins a new work-place, only to realize his beloved Uni senior Hyunwoo (Ji Yoon-Jae) is also his colleague. The two used to be in the same film club, but when Hyunwoo pretends to not remember Taeyoon, the former reminds him of a memory that makes Hyunwoo uncomfortable, changing their dynamic completely.
While GND is a small studio, the budget constraints aren’t visible, as the creators manage to deliver well-shot, soft, and cutesy romances. The setting are limited, but that’s what adds a intimate, cozy layer to the show. Admittedly, all of them feel a bit fleeting, but the chemistry, especially in the first story, is worth watching. Yoon-woo and Jae-hyeop should totally get their own full-fledged rom-com.
Rating: 3.5 on 5. Watch ‘Close to You’ on YouTube.
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