Ha Seok Jin Frames Love On The Menu As A Warm Family Romance Ahead Of July Premiere

Ha Seok Jin is setting expectations for Love On The Menu as more than a straightforward reunion romance, describing the upcoming weekend drama as a story built around family, relationships, difficult choices, and emotions that continue to linger long after a breakup.

The drama stars Ha Seok Jin as Kim Moo Jin, a meticulous owner-chef of an Italian restaurant who appears polished and self-contained from the outside. Opposite him is Hani as Han Gyu Rim, the former first love who suddenly ended their relationship eight years earlier. When the two meet again after years apart, the series follows them as they confront the unfinished feelings between them and the fractured family histories surrounding them.

According to the actor’s preview interview, the appeal of the project lies in its range. Rather than focusing only on whether two former lovers will reconcile, Love On The Menu is positioned as a long-form story about how people carry old pain into adulthood, how they rebuild trust, and how ordinary domestic spaces can become places of emotional repair.

A Chef With A Carefully Guarded Heart

Kim Moo Jin is introduced as a perfectionist who runs his restaurant with sharp standards and a prickly personality. His professional image suggests discipline and control, but the character’s romantic history complicates that surface. After Gyu Rim left him, he went to Italy and built a successful career as a chef, yet the new life did not fully erase what he felt for her.

Ha Seok Jin described Moo Jin as someone who may look tough on the outside but remains soft internally, especially when it comes to emotions he has not fully processed. That contrast gives the character an accessible hook: he is competent at work, but less certain when personal history returns and demands honesty.

The actor also noted that he sees partial similarities between himself and Moo Jin, particularly in their rational approach to work and the way they banter with close friends. The difference, he suggested, is that Moo Jin is more direct with his feelings. That detail hints that the drama may use his bluntness not only for romantic tension, but also for moments of vulnerability as the story unfolds.

Hani’s Role Brings The Past Back Into Focus

Hani’s Han Gyu Rim is central to that emotional reset. In the premise, she is not simply a nostalgic memory or a romantic obstacle, but the person Moo Jin never truly moved on from. Their reunion after eight years gives the drama a familiar second-chance structure, while the family element appears designed to widen the stakes beyond the couple alone.

Ha Seok Jin shared that he and Hani worked to build comfort before filming by spending time together ahead of their first shoot. For a drama about former lovers meeting again after a long silence, that kind of preparation matters. The performances have to suggest history before the script explains it, and the actors’ rhythm will likely determine whether viewers believe in the unresolved bond at the center of the show.

The series also adds a friendship dynamic through Min Jin Woong, who plays Park Jung Woo, Moo Jin’s best friend of two decades. Ha Seok Jin said their real-life friendship helped their conversational rhythm on set, which could provide a lighter counterweight to the central romance and its heavier emotional history.

A Weekend Drama Aiming For Broad Appeal

The production is being framed as a heartwarming weekend drama, a format that often depends on patient character development and multi-generational themes. Ha Seok Jin said he was drawn to the project because it reaches beyond romance to explore family, connection, and decisions that continue to shape people years later.

That emphasis may help Love On The Menu stand out in a crowded drama calendar. Restaurant settings are naturally suited to stories about intimacy and routine: people gather, argue, apologize, celebrate, and reveal themselves across tables. If the drama uses Moo Jin’s kitchen and dining room as more than a backdrop, it could give the romance a grounded emotional texture.

The key question is how the series balances warmth with conflict. A breakup that still matters after eight years needs credible reasons, and a reunion romance needs more than nostalgia to sustain a long-form run. Ha Seok Jin’s comments suggest that the show will take its time, allowing Moo Jin to open up gradually rather than resolving the past too quickly.

Love On The Menu is scheduled to premiere on July 25 at 8 p.m. KST. For viewers who enjoy character-led weekend dramas, the early pitch is clear: a polished chef, an unresolved first love, a circle of family wounds, and the possibility that old feelings can return in a form mature enough to be rebuilt.