Love Untangled (2025) is a tender, coming-of-age romance that captures the sweetness, awkwardness, and fragile wonder of first love. At its heart is Park Se-ri, a teenager whose journey through romance has been little more than a comic string of misadventures. From childhood “proposals” that fizzled before they began to the lingering ache of always feeling overshadowed, Se-ri believes she’s cursed in matters of the heart. Witty and hopeful yet quietly insecure about her unruly curls—an outward marker of difference she doesn’t always embrace—she navigates high school with a mix of resilience and longing.
Her world changes when she’s caught between two boys: Kim-hyun, the school’s golden boy, admired by everyone, and Yun-seok, the quiet transfer student whose steady presence slowly becomes irresistible. Surrounding them is a lively web of friends and family whose humour, bickering, and affection lend the story both levity and depth. Across school trips, rainy afternoons, and secret hideouts, Se-ri comes to realize that love isn’t about perfect timing or grand gestures, but about being seen, fully, and being chosen for who you are.
With its breezy humour, nostalgic school corridors, and a romance that blossoms with sincerity, Love Untangled is a charming watch for anyone who treasures heartfelt teen dramas filled with warmth, laughter, and the tender flutter of first love.
This article contains spoilers.
Love Untangled (2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film opens with a narration from Park Se-ri about her miserable love life. When Se-ri was five years old, she first proposed to someone. That someone was Se-ri’s cousin, and the proposal took place in a graveyard. Later, Se-ri proposed to a boy in school. The boy also likes Se-ri, but he transferred to another school the day after the proposal. To add to it, Se-ri has inherited her father’s (Hong-il) curly hair, making Se-ri highly conscious. This affects Se-ri’s love life as girls with straight hair seem attractive. Currently, Se-ri is swimming in the beach and is awed watching a boy named Kim-hyun. They go to the same school. Almost half the school has a crush on Kim-hyun. At school, Kim-hyun recognises Se-ri and waves at her. This makes Se-ri’s friends (Sung-rae, Sol-ji, and Da-ul) curious.
At the beach, Kim-hyun talks to Se-ri as he thought that spot on the beach was something only he knew, but it was also Se-ri’s secret spot. In class, the homeroom teacher announces that the class will be going on a school trip soon. After school, Se-ri heads to the beach hoping to bump into Kim-hyun. When Se-ri is swimming, another boy named Yun-seok sees Se-ri’s name badge and takes it.
Suddenly, there is a splash, and Se-ri sees that Yun-seok is drowning. Immediately, Se-ri swims to Yun-seok and saves him. The next day, Yun-seok is introduced to the class as the new student. Due to the fall on the beach, Yun-seok has injured his leg, so he uses a crutch. The next day it’s raining heavily. At school, Sung-rae sees a struggling Yun-seok but hesitates to help. Thankfully, Se-ri steps up. The homeroom teacher asks Sung-rae to carry Yun-seok’s bag.
Where does Se-ri take Yun-seok?
During lunch, the group helps Yun-seok and asks him to buy them ice cream. Soon, they became friends. On the field, Yun-seok is about to give Se-ri’s name badge, but stops when he hears the others telling Se-ri that usually someone who has a crush takes away the name badge, hoping the other person will like them back. Later, Se-ri hears that her rival, In-jeong, also known as Flintstones, who has curly hair like Se-ri’s, suddenly has slick, straight hair.
When Se-ri sees In-jeong, she is shocked. When Se-ri inquires how this was possible, In-jeong says there is a new hair straightening treatment, Seoul’s Magic straightener, available at a new salon. After school, the gang visits the salon, but the price is high, and Se-ri doesn’t have that much money saved. The salon owner is Jang-mi, who asks Se-ri to return anytime for the treatment. Later that day, Se-ri sees that Yun-seok is Jang-mi’s son.
The next day, Se-ri arrives near the salon just as Yun-seok is walking there. Immediately, Se-ri enters the salon and introduces herself to Jang-mi. Now, Se-ri pretends that Yun-seok and she are close friends. So, Jang-mi asks Se-ri to help out Yun-seok until he feels better, and she will give Se-ri the straightening treatment. Subsequently, Se-ri walks Yun-seok home and takes him to school, as well as helps Yun-seok out in every other way.
One day, it starts to rain, so Se-ri takes Yun-seok to Hong-il’s storage, which is accessed only by Hong-il and Se-ri. Learning that Yun-seok has never read comics, Se-ri introduces them to Yun-seok. Now, Yun-seok can also access the storage unit at any time. At school, Se-ri has a mission to make a thousand crane eggs (origami) with the help of her friends to win over Kim-hyun. The belief is that if someone proposes in the study hall, then the love will come true. Only the top 100 students get access to the study hall, and Kim-hyun is one of them.
Why did Yun-seok walk away from the field?
Since Se-ri is not a top student, she tries to persuade Sang-cheol to swap for a day so she can propose to Kim-hyun, but he disagrees. Even though Yun-seok is not taking the CSAT, he takes the mock exam to help Se-ri. Furthermore, Yun-seok has completed the thousand crane eggs so Se-ri can give them to Kim-hyun. The next day, Se-ri is happy to see that Yun-seok’s leg is better and he can walk without the crutch. More good news as Jang-mi agrees to give treatment to Se-ri for free. At school, Yun-seok has topped the school.
Now, Yun-seok is willing to swap places with Se-ri. The bad news is that Kim-hyun is no longer a part of the study group as he is not among the top 100 students. At home, Se-ri learns from her mother’s gossip that Yun-seok’s father is a top professor in a popular hospital in Seoul. Furthermore, Se-ri learns that the father is unbearable and abusive. The man is jealous of Jang-mi and disappointed in Yun-seok. Because of his father, Yun-seok decided not to take CSAT.
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At school, Se-ri has a new plan to propose to Kim-hyun during the school trip. While playing partner dodgeball, In-jeong and Kim-hyun team up, and Se-ri and Yun-seok team up. Until the last minute, Yun-seok protects Se-ri. While throwing the last ball towards Kim-hyun, Se-ri comes in between and hurts herself. This shocks everyone, and Yun-seok leaves the field. At home, Se-ri has two voice messages – one from Kim-hyun, who appreciates the block, and the other from Yun-seok, who assures Se-ri that he is not annoyed.
Furthermore, Yun-seok asks Se-ri to apply ointment to her bruise for quick healing. Soon, fun photographs will be taken for the graduation ceremony. So, Se-ri and Yun-seok take a picture together. Now, Se-ri visits Jang-mi’s salon for the treatment. Since Jang-mi is busy, Yun-seok is asked to shampoo Yun-seok. At that time, Yun-seok tells Jang-mi that he likes her curly hair.
Who is Se-ri dating?
Before the treatment, Jang-mi is surprised that Yun-seok has used a conditioner on Se-ri, as the treatment won’t work. Still, Se-ri gets the straightening. It’s time for the school trip, and everyone is pleasantly surprised to see Se-ri with straight hair. In the campsite, at night, the group sneaks away and sets up the place with lights and carpets. Sung-rae brings Kim-hyun to the location. Seeing this moment, Yun-seok leaves to join his classmates. However, Se-ri notices this. Instead of proposing, Se-ri tells Kim-hyun that she really liked him, but felt the need to change. Now Se-ri can’t stop thinking about someone else, as she can be herself. However, no one is aware of this conversation. Because of this, Yun-seok is distant from Se-ri.
That night, Se-ri and Yun-seok hang out in Hong-il’s storage unit. There, Se-ri tells Yun-seok that she didn’t propose to Kim-hyun, which makes Yun-seok happy. However, Se-ri asks Yun-seok to keep it a secret from the others. That night, Jang-mi tells Yun-seok that she will be leaving for Seoul and asks Yun-seok to take care of the salon. On the day Se-ri arrives at the examination centre, Yun-seok, dressed like a teddy bear, gives Se-ri a hug and a snow globe to wish Se-ri good luck.
Meanwhile, the group follows Yun-seok and Se-ri, realizing they are dating. The duo walks to the beach. There, Yun-seok reveals that when he fell into the water, he just wanted to die, but everything changed because Se-ri saved him. After walking Se-ri home, Yun-seok kisses Se-ri, promising to meet on the weekend. Since Se-ri’s family is going camping, she asks her friends to help her propose to Yun-seok.
Love Untangled (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
The group sets up lovely décor on the beach. Suddenly, Yun-seok gets a call, so he rushes away to talk. Now, Yun-seok tells Se-ri that he needs to return to Seoul, as Jang-mi is hurt. Once Yun-seok reaches Seoul, he is broken to see Jang-mi hospitalised because of injuries. Yun-seok’s father is still disappointed in Yun-seok and says Jang-mi fell from the stairs and hurt herself.
Furthermore, Yun-seok does not make contact with Se-ri. A while later, Se-ri learns that the salon is getting sold, so Se-ri rushes home, takes her savings, and leaves for Seoul. At the hospital, Se-ri sees Yun-seok crying and telling Jang-mi that he does not want to go to America, where his aunt lives, as he wants to go to Busan. Se-ri realises that it’s because of her that Yun-seok is unable to escape from his father.
Without meeting Yun-seok, Se-ri goes out, uses a payphone, and accidentally leaves a voice message saying she misses Yun-seok. After calming down, Se-ri leaves another voice message asking to break up. Even though Yun-seok is not answering Se-ri’s calls, he listens to all the voicemails. Now, Se-ri has graduated but is sulking as she misses Yun-seok. In the storage unit, Se-ri finds a notebook she had given Yun-seok.
Inside it, Yun-seok has taken pictures of Se-ri and the group expressing how much he loves Se-ri. It turns out that Hong-il also helped Yun-seok make this. Now, Se-ri and the others are in college, but they remain close. One of them has set a blind date for Se-ri, but she is reluctant to go. On the beach, Se-ri gets a call from a blind date person who turns out to be none other than Yun-seok. Finally, Yun-seok asks Se-ri if she is willing to try to date him again.
In the end, Se-ri and Yun-seok find their way back to each other, finally breaking Se-ri’s unlucky streak of failed proposals. Through Yun-seok’s quiet encouragement, she begins to embrace the very feature she once resented—her curls. By the final scenes, she no longer straightens her hair, wearing it proudly as part of who she is. Kim-hyun, refreshingly, is portrayed not as the clichéd arrogant golden boy but as a genuinely kind classmate, adding nuance to the story. Meanwhile, Sung-rae and Sol-ji discover feelings for each other and begin dating, their bond adding another layer of charm to the group dynamic.
What makes the ending even more heart-warming is that the friends remain close even after graduation, carrying their laughter and bonds into the future. True to Yun-seok’s earlier words, Se-ri realizes she excels at one thing: swimming. She eventually joins a school with a specialized marine swimming program, channeling her passion into something meaningful. The film leaves certain threads—like Jang-mi’s fate or how Yun-seok managed to stay in Korea and return to Busan—more ambiguous, though it’s hinted that Jang-mi may have separated from her husband, perhaps for Yun-seok’s sake.
Altogether, Love Untangled closes as a sweet, friends-to-lovers high school romance that celebrates not only first love but also the enduring power of friendship and self-acceptance.
