The Practical Guide To Love Ending & Plot Summary & Cast

The drama The Practical Guide to Love is a romantic-comedy triangle story about a woman who decides to pursue love, goes on a blind date, meets two men with completely different charms, and, as she is drawn to and shaken by each of them, ultimately sets off in search of the true meaning of love.

Rom‑com queen Han Ji‑min plays Lee Ui‑yeong in The Practical Guide to Love, a rookie in romance who hesitates in front of love and carefully weighs all the conditions.

In particular, Ui‑yeong shifts her values from “natural encounters” to “engineered encounters” and, once she steps into the world of blind dates, a series of comic mishaps begins.

Her blind‑date partners, Song Tae‑seop (played by Park Sung‑hoon) and Shin Ji‑soo (played by Lee Gi‑taek), each showcase a different kind of charm that fuels the appeal of this love triangle.

If Song Tae‑seop, with his stable career, is a man who comes close to the “correct answer” in love, then Shin Ji‑soo, with his free‑spirited energy and unpredictability, stirs up a subtle and irresistible attraction.

A key hook of the series is seeing which of these two men—whose dating styles approach Ui‑yeong in completely different ways at the very same moments—will move beyond a “something” relationship to become her actual boyfriend.

The Practical Guide to Love realistically portrays the everyday lives of single men and women who deliberately choose engineered encounters as a strategy for love.

The courage shown by Ui‑yeong, Tae‑seop, and Ji‑soo as they take their first steps from blind dates toward love prompts viewers to reflect on “engineered encounters” as yet another way of meeting someone and leaves a lasting impression.

The Practical Guide to Love Ending & plot summary & Cast

The Practical Guide to Love Cast

Lee Ui‑yeong (Han Ji‑min): A senior associate in the purchasing team at The Hills Hotel, she is a highly competent professional at work but full of hesitation and real‑world worries when it comes to romance. She dreams of a natural encounter, yet ends up going on blind dates, making her a representative thirty‑something woman of her time.

Song Tae‑seop (Park Sung‑hoon): The head of the woodworking studio HOME, he is a “right‑answer type” man whose gentle appearance hides a strong inner core and deep sense of responsibility. His dream is to build a family with the person he loves, and he slowly begins to waver after meeting Ui‑yeong on a blind date.

Shin Ji‑soo (Lee Gi‑taek): A theater actor and professional part‑timer, he is a free spirit. Standing in on a blind date in place of a friend, he meets Ui‑yeong and encounters an unexpected turning point in his life.

Jung Hyun‑min (Jung Hye‑sung): A staff member of The Hills Hotel purchasing team, she is Ui‑yeong’s closest junior colleague and a reliable supporter.
Lim Seung‑joon (Joo Yeon‑woo): A fitness trainer who plays Ui‑yeong’s childhood friend.
Shim Sae‑byeok (Kim So‑hye): An intern with The Hills Hotel purchasing team, she conveys the fresh excitement of someone just starting out in the working world.
Eun Jung‑seok (Kim Won‑hae): The general manager of The Hills Hotel, he adds weight and gravitas to the story.
Jung Na‑ri (Lee Mi‑do): The head of the purchasing team at The Hills Hotel, she is both Ui‑yeong’s colleague and an adviser.
Oh Myung‑woon (Park Jung‑pyo): The team leader of The Hills Hotel purchasing team.
Park Jung‑im (Kim Jung‑young): Ui‑yeong’s mother and an insurance planner, she is a realistic mom who constantly nags her daughter to get married.
Park Seo‑bin (Park Ji‑yeon): A chef with The Hills Hotel F&B team who works closely with the purchasing team.
Kang Do‑hyun (Shin Jae‑ha): A lawyer in The Hills Hotel legal team whose appearance signals yet another storyline to come.
Lee Eun‑ho (Jo Bok‑rae): Co‑CEO of HOME and Tae‑seop’s college friend, he is Tae‑seop’s reliable business partner.
Lee Sun‑ju (Oh Min‑ae): Tae‑seop’s mother and the owner of “Songi Dakbal,” she embodies warm family love.
Song I‑myeong (Park Chul‑min): Tae‑seop’s father and co‑owner of “Songi Dakbal.”
Son Jung‑ah (Moon Jung‑hee): A film actress who injects a special spark into the series.
Shin Ji‑hoon (Choi Won‑young): Ji‑soo’s father and a surgeon at a university hospital, he lives a life very different from his son’s.

The Practical Guide to Love Plot Summary

Lee Ui‑yeong has always wanted to meet “the one” and experience a romantic love story, but she hates the idea of forcing encounters and has refused blind dates up to now. Pushed by her mother’s nagging that she is now at “marriageable age,” she reluctantly agrees to go on a blind date.

Her blind‑date partner, Song Tae‑seop, proposes that they date with marriage in mind after only their third meeting. In the drama, Ui‑yeong’s boss Eun Jung‑seok introduces Tae‑seop to her after meeting him at a stray‑dog shelter, whereas in the original webtoon the date is arranged by Ui‑yeong’s mother and Tae‑seop’s aunt, meaning the relationship is intended as marriage‑focused from the very beginning.

However, when she hears the words “date on the premise of marriage,” Ui‑yeong is at a loss for words. On paper, Tae‑seop’s credentials, age, and even appearance are solid, yet nothing about him particularly tugs at her heart. The drama casts Park Sung‑hoon to add external charm to Tae‑seop, but in the webtoon he is depicted as just an ordinary man with glasses.

Ui‑yeong asks for time to think, then politely turns him down via text a few days later. Tae‑seop, however, comes straight to her office to ask what he did wrong. She insists it is “just her issue” and reaffirms her refusal, but in the process she notices his car for the first time and realizes he drives a Mercedes‑Benz S‑Class worth hundreds of millions of won.

Not wanting to seem materialistic, Ui‑yeong had never asked about his finances, yet the moment she sees the car she begins to wonder, “Is love really essential for marriage?” and starts to regret turning him down. Even so, having already rejected him, she finds it hard to reach out again.

Later, while visiting a client for work, Ui‑yeong unexpectedly runs into Tae‑seop again: the new client turns out to be his company. She apologizes, explaining she refused him on impulse that day, and says she would like to see him again. Tae‑seop mentions that he has another blind date scheduled for the weekend and asks if he should cancel it. He believes that once you reach a certain age you should keep going on blind dates to get married, while Ui‑yeong feels uncomfortable with relationships driven by age pressure. They eventually agree to put the marriage talk aside for now and just go on a few more dates.

A few days later, however, Ui‑yeong ends up on yet another blind date. The man works at a major corporation, earns a seven‑figure salary, and is extremely good‑looking, but his rude behavior disappoints her and she walks out on the date. At that very moment, she spots Tae‑seop at the opposite table on a blind date with another woman.

Flustered, Ui‑yeong tries to avoid the situation but eventually locks eyes with Tae‑seop, and the two instantly grasp what is going on. She then moves to a nearby park with her own blind‑date partner, where they drink canned beer and talk. Their conversation flows easily, they share a similar sense of humor, and she feels both oddly comfortable and genuinely fluttery around him.

The man suggests they date without weighing conditions and just follow their hearts, and Ui‑yeong agrees. But after a few days, his messages stop altogether. Ui‑yeong resumes dating Tae‑seop and gradually grows fonder of him, yet she keeps an emotional distance, haunted by the fear that she could slip down his priority list at any moment.

Meanwhile, the blind‑date man, Shin Ji‑soo, finally contacts her a week later, apologizing and saying he has something important to tell her. Ui‑yeong happens to see him working part‑time at a convenience store and discovers he went on the blind date in place of a friend. Ji‑soo explains that he wanted to come clean sooner but did not have her contact information, which is why it took so long.

He asks her again to date him as they are, without looking at conditions, but Ui‑yeong cannot deny the feeling of having been deceived or the way her heart has cooled in the face of reality. By chance, they meet again later, and as she gets to know Ji‑soo’s honest approach to life and his dreams, Ui‑yeong finds herself wavering once more.

Ending of The Practical Guide to Love

From then on, Tae‑seop and Ji‑soo stay by Ui‑yeong’s side in their own ways, highlighting their contrasting styles. Ji‑soo shakes her emotions to the core, while Tae‑seop quietly listens and gives her a sense of stability. Ui‑yeong’s mother’s sudden illness becomes the turning point that makes her realize what she truly needs.

In her toughest moment, it is Tae‑seop who remains by her side, and Ui‑yeong comes to understand the importance of a partner who can endure reality with her, rather than just love and romance. After confirming Tae‑seop’s sincerity, she is the one who first reaches out and asks to date on the premise of marriage.

The webtoon ends with Ui‑yeong and Tae‑seop getting married. Ui‑yeong resolves to trust and live the life she has chosen, even if it is not perfect, and that is the conclusion she reaches about love.

The Practical Guide to Love

Korean title: 미혼 남녀의 효율적 만남
Japanese title: 未婚男女の効率的な出会い方
Chinese characters: 未婚男女의 效率的萬男 (tentative stylization)
Genre: Romantic comedy, office, slice of life
Episodes: 12
Premiere date: February 28, 2026 (first broadcast)
Broadcast time: Saturdays at 10:40 p.m. / Sundays at 10:30 p.m. (KST)
Director: Lee Jae‑hoon (Run On, Divorce Attorney Shin)
Screenwriter: Lee Yi‑jin
Original work: Naver Webtoon 미혼남녀의 효율적 만남 by Tari
Cast: Han Ji‑min, Park Sung‑hoon, Lee Gi‑taek, Jung Hye‑sung, Joo Yeon‑woo, Kim So‑hye, Kim Won‑hae, Lee Mi‑do, Park Jung‑pyo, Kim Jung‑young, Park Ji‑yeon, Shin Jae‑ha, Jo Bok‑rae, Oh Min‑ae, Park Chul‑min, Moon Jung‑hee, Choi Won‑young
Filming period: June 2025 – November 12, 2025 (pre‑produced)
Production company: SLL
Rating: 15 and over in South Korea
OTT platforms: TVING in Korea, Disney+ in Japan, and HBO Max and Rakuten Viki in other parts of Asia.