Netflix’s upcoming K-drama pairs two fan-favorites — but will love get lost in translation?

With a name like Can This Love Be Translated?, Netflix’s upcoming K-drama doesn’t waste time letting us know what it’s all about. From the title itself, we can expect a story where language, culture, and the emotional gaps between people from different worlds come packed into one playful yet weighty question.

Can This Love Be Translated?, scheduled for a late 2025 release, is already listed on the streaming platform, where eager fans can hit the reminder button to be notified as soon as it premieres. This romantic comedy joins Netflix’s growing lineup of K-dramas designed to appeal to both local and global audiences.

Can This Love Be Translated? stars fan-favorite Kim Seon-ho (Start-Up, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha) and rising star Go Youn-jung, two actors known for their magnetic on-screen presence.

Beyond its charming leads, the new drama promises to explore what happens when words fail, when meanings slip through the cracks, and when love tries to cross the borders of language and expectation.

Setting the stage: what Can This Love Be Translated? is about

At first glance, the setup of Can This Love Be Translated? seems simple enough. Ju Ho-jin, played by Kim Seon-ho, is a polished multilingual interpreter whose life revolves around making sure other people’s words land just right. He’s calm, precise, the kind of professional who’s always prepared, except, maybe, when it comes to his own feelings. Enter Cha Mu-hee, played by Go Youn-jung, a global superstar who seems perfectly composed on the outside but hides a private world full of insecurities.

Their paths cross on an international film project where Ho-jin is tasked with helping Mu-hee navigate the media circus. What starts as a straightforward job soon spins into something far messier. There are missed signals, cultural missteps, and more than a few moments of awkward tension.

However, what makes this series stand out isn’t just the romantic push and pull; it’s the emotional layers underneath. The story leans into how hard it is to open up, to risk saying what you really mean, especially when you’re used to hiding behind roles, languages, or polished public images.

That’s why the romance here feels different from the standard K-drama template. It’s not about big, sweeping gestures or fate pulling two people together. Can This Love Be Translated? focuses on small, complicated moments where people have to choose whether they’re willing to try, even when the odds feel stacked against them, a theme Netflix audiences across the world are ready to engage with.

A cast and creative team that knows what it’s doing

One of the big reasons fans are hyped (and already activating the reminder option on Netflix) for Can This Love Be Translated? is the casting. Kim Seon-ho has built a reputation for playing characters who seem easygoing on the surface but carry quiet emotional weight underneath. His return to the rom-com space after darker projects like The Childe has sparked plenty of excitement, with viewers eager to see him blend charm and vulnerability once again.

Meanwhile, Go Youn-jung has been carving out her own space as a rising star, with memorable performances in Alchemy of Souls and Resident Playbook. As Mu-hee, she’s stepping into a role that lets her explore both the polish of a public figure and the rawness of someone figuring out who they really are when no one’s watching.

The duo promises on-screen chemistry that’s more about tension and nuance than just surface-level flirting, which gives Can This Love Be Translated? a shot at standing apart from other K-dramas also found on the Netflix catalog.

Backing them is a creative team that knows how to mix humor, fantasy, and emotional depth. The Hong sisters, responsible for fan-favorites like Hotel Del Luna, are writing the script, while director Yoo Young-eun brings a visual flair that’s already clear in the Netflix teaser images. Together, they’re shaping Can This Love Be Translated? into a polished project that still leaves room for offbeat charm and unpredictable emotional beats.

Adding to the excitement is the supporting cast. Japanese actor Sota Fukushi joins the project, marking his Korean drama debut, while familiar Korean faces like Choi Woo-sung and Lee Yi-dam help flesh out the world.

This new Netflix rom-com isn’t just about the main couple; Can This Love Be Translated? promises a lively, fully realized setting filled with side characters whose interactions enrich the show’s core themes of connection and miscommunication.

More than just pretty backdrops

There’s been a lot of buzz around the international filming locations for this Netflix original. Can This Love Be Translated? makes a point of showcasing its global scope, with scenes shot in Japan, Italy, and Canada that break away from the familiar Seoul-centric backdrops of many other K-dramas on Netflix.

But it’s not just about postcard views or luxury settings. These international locations underline the deeper idea that love and communication shift shape depending on context.

Think about the tension. Ho-jin and Mu-hee may stand side by side, but are they truly in sync when everything around them feels foreign? Can they translate not just each other’s words, but each other’s silences?

By moving the story across continents, the Netflix drama invites viewers to think about how people connect or struggle when they’re outside their cultural comfort zones.

Netflix’s global strategy plays a role here too. The choice to make Can This Love Be Translated? a jet-setting story reflects the platform’s commitment to bringing Korean content to audiences everywhere. Fans across the world will see themselves mirrored in these characters, not just in the glamorous moments but in the quiet, awkward, deeply personal ones.

Fan expectations and the hype machine

Fans didn’t need much to start buzzing about Can This Love Be Translated?. As soon as Netflix confirmed the pairing of Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung, social media lit up with excitement, speculation, and countdowns.

But the anticipation isn’t just about the romance. Viewers are curious about the emotional tone the Netflix series will strike. Will it stay light and playful, or will it dig into the bittersweet sides of love and longing?

There’s also plenty of conversation around how the Hong sisters will balance humor and depth. Known for mixing sharp comedy with genuine emotional resonance, they have a knack for surprising audiences just when things feel predictable.

With the main cast already beloved from other Netflix hits, fans are hoping for a script that lets the characters be raw and imperfect, not just idealized romantic leads.

Netflix has been especially strategic in how it teases the show. Instead of revealing too much, the platform has carefully dropped just enough clips and teasers to spark discussion without spoiling key plotlines. This has fueled fan theories across social media, with people guessing everything from whether there’ll be a love triangle to whether cultural clashes will become the story’s biggest obstacle.

What’s notable is how global the hype feels. Viewers from Asia, Europe, and the Americas are all lining up for a series that promises to explore universal themes of love and misunderstanding. That’s exactly the kind of international buzz Netflix is aiming for with its K-drama slate, and Can This Love Be Translated? is shaping up to be one of the platform’s most talked-about releases of the year.

Why this drama could stand out on Netflix

What gives Can This Love Be Translated? its extra emotional punch is the question baked into its name. It’s not just asking whether two people can fall in love. It’s asking whether they can understand each other, whether they’re brave enough to keep trying when words fail and nothing lands the way they want.

This is the kind of theme that cuts past the fluff and hits where it matters. It’s universal, immediate, impossible to fake. Every attempt to connect is a risk, a moment of vulnerability that can crack you open.

Can This Love Be Translated? seems ready to capture that raw tension, not with grand scenes but with the weight of a glance, a silence, a question left hanging in the air. That’s what can turn a Netflix drama into something unforgettable.

With a sharp cast, an experienced creative team, and Netflix’s global platform ready to push it out to eager audiences, Can This Love Be Translated? has everything it needs to become a major hit. Fans are already waiting, fingers hovering over the Netflix reminder button, eager to find out if love can really survive all the tangled signals, missed chances, and cultural walls that come with living and loving across borders.

Whether you’re watching for the chemistry, the humor, or the aching moments of honesty, Can This Love Be Translated? is set to deliver a story that feels both personal and universally relatable, a perfect addition to Netflix’s expanding K-drama catalog.