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Shin Hae Sun plays pretty similar characters here. Good mystery in both

Both vertical short dramas are based on marry my husband
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Yes — **Merry Berry Love** has a lot in common with **Welcome to Samdal-ri**, and that seems very intentional. Ji Chang-wook is even returning to romantic comedy with *Merry Berry Love* after *Samdal-ri*.

### ? The biggest similarities

| | **Welcome to Samdal-ri** | **Merry Berry Love** |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| ? Setting | Jeju Island | Remote Japanese island |
| ? Male lead | Cho Yong-pil | Lee Yu-bin |
| ? Female lead | Cho Sam-dal | Shirahama Karin |
| ? Career problem | Sam-dal's career collapses | Yu-bin loses his career/success |
| ?? Return to rural life | Sam-dal returns to Jeju | Yu-bin starts over on an island |
| ?? Romance | Old love rekindled | New island romance |
| ? Healing | Community + hometown help Sam-dal heal | Island life + Karin help Yu-bin rebuild |
| ? Tone | Warm romantic comedy | Warm romantic comedy |

The core similarity is **“successful city person loses their old life ? returns/ends up in a quieter island community ? meets someone ? heals and falls in love.”**

In *Samdal-ri*, Sam-dal returns to Jeju after her photography career falls apart. In *Merry Berry Love*, Yu-bin loses everything as a successful spatial designer and travels to Charo Island, where he ends up working around Karin's strawberry farm.

### ?? But there is one BIG difference

**Samdal-ri = “returning home.”**
Sam-dal already belongs to Jeju. The story is about **reconnecting with her roots, family, friends, and first love.**

**Merry Berry Love = “starting over somewhere new.”**
Yu-bin is an outsider in Japan. He has to adapt to island life, strawberry farming, and a different culture while developing feelings for Karin.

So I'd describe it as:

> **Welcome to Samdal-ri:** *“I lost my success, so I went home and found myself again.”*
> **Merry Berry Love:** *“I lost my success, went somewhere completely new, and built a new life.”*

And if what you loved about *Welcome to Samdal-ri* was **Ji Chang-wook + countryside/island scenery + healing + slow romance + funny everyday moments**, *Merry Berry Love* looks like it is deliberately targeting that same comfort-drama feeling.

**One important caveat:** *Merry Berry Love* premieres **October 7, 2026**, so the comparison is currently based on its official premise, trailers, and promotional material rather than the complete aired story.

If you want, I can also compare **Yu-bin vs Yong-pil** and **Karin vs Sam-dal** — their personalities and relationship dynamics look especially interesting.

Second-chance romance / 1st love
Flashbacks to teenage years
Difficult family circumstances / Abusive parent
Rich Successful ML
Entertainment Industry

These two have the most obvious thing in common which is zombie apocalypse. But there is also a bit of a bl romance in zomvivor. Both have great costumes and vibes. Both deal with the struggle against zombies but also whether to trust other survivors. Both are about finding a cure.

Both dramas share a lot of DNA:

- **Same leading man** — Li Xian stars in both, playing a grounded, small-town love interest opposite a career-driven woman going through a hard time.
- **Loss as the catalyst** — Hong Dou (Meet Yourself) is grieving her best friend's death; Zhuang Jie (Will Love in Spring) is recovering from a disabling car accident. Both heroines leave their old lives behind to heal.
- **Healing over plot twists** — Neither show leans on melodrama. They're slow, character-driven "healing dramas" more interested in emotional growth than dramatic conflict.
- **Small-town setting with a found family** — Both send the female lead to a close-knit hometown/village, complete with a warm, meddling grandmother figure who adores Li Xian's character.
- **Slow-burn romance** — The love story simmers gently in the background rather than driving the plot, building through everyday moments instead of big declarations.
- **Real-life themes** — Both tackle burnout, grief, and rebuilding a sense of purpose, which is part of why viewers describe them as comforting rather than escapist.

Haruka spends a night with a stranger in anger at her earnest boyfriend's cheating. Later, the stranger turns out to be Han Ji Ho, the new Director at her workplace. Even worse, Haruka and Ji Ho become entangled with a conglomerate family after finding out about premarital pregnancy and face tons of obstacles to tackle. Will they safely reach a happy ending?

Haruka spends a night with a stranger in anger at her earnest boyfriend's cheating. Later, the stranger turns out to be Han Ji Ho, the new Director at her workplace. Even worse, Haruka and Ji Ho become entangled with a conglomerate family after finding out about premarital pregnancy and face tons of obstacles to tackle. Will they safely reach a happy ending?

Haruka spends a night with a stranger in anger at her earnest boyfriend's cheating. Later, the stranger turns out to be Han Ji Ho, the new Director at her workplace. Even worse, Haruka and Ji Ho become entangled with a conglomerate family after finding out about premarital pregnancy and face tons of obstacles to tackle. Will they safely reach a happy ending?

Haruka spends a night with a stranger in anger at her earnest boyfriend's cheating. Later, the stranger turns out to be Han Ji Ho, the new Director at her workplace. Even worse, Haruka and Ji Ho become entangled with a conglomerate family after finding out about premarital pregnancy and face tons of obstacles to tackle. Will they safely reach a happy ending?

Haruka spends a night with a stranger in anger at her earnest boyfriend's cheating. Later, the stranger turns out to be Han Ji Ho, the new Director at her workplace. Even worse, Haruka and Ji Ho become entangled with a conglomerate family after finding out about premarital pregnancy and face tons of obstacles to tackle. Will they safely reach a happy ending?

Haruka spends a night with a stranger in anger at her earnest boyfriend's cheating. Later, the stranger turns out to be Han Ji Ho, the new Director at her workplace. Even worse, Haruka and Ji Ho become entangled with a conglomerate family after finding out about premarital pregnancy and face tons of obstacles to tackle. Will they safely reach a happy ending?

Haruka spends a night with a stranger in anger at her earnest boyfriend's cheating. Later, the stranger turns out to be Han Ji Ho, the new Director at her workplace. Even worse, Haruka and Ji Ho become entangled with a conglomerate family after finding out about premarital pregnancy and face tons of obstacles to tackle. Will they safely reach a happy ending?

Haruka spends a night with a stranger in anger at her earnest boyfriend's cheating. Later, the stranger turns out to be Han Ji Ho, the new Director at her workplace. Even worse, Haruka and Ji Ho become entangled with a conglomerate family after finding out about premarital pregnancy and face tons of obstacles to tackle. Will they safely reach a happy ending?

Haruka spends a night with a stranger in anger at her earnest boyfriend's cheating. Later, the stranger turns out to be Han Ji Ho, the new Director at her workplace. Even worse, Haruka and Ji Ho become entangled with a conglomerate family after finding out about premarital pregnancy and face tons of obstacles to tackle. Will they safely reach a happy ending?