# Because This Is My First Life (2017)

> Two housemates who marry for financial convenience find that in-laws and their growing bond make nothing simple.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/64411

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama, romance
- Created by: Park Joon-hwa, Yoon Nan-joong
- Network: tvN
- Cast: Lee Min-ki, Jung So-min, Park Byung-eun, Esom, Kim Min-seok, Kim Ga-eun, Jeon Hye-won, Kim Eung-soo
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7278588/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: heartfelt, witty, warm, wistful, grounded, charming

## What critics say

Viewers broadly found this tvN housemate romance charming and heartfelt, with its realistic depiction of young adults' money and family pressures praised as relatable.

## Synopsis

Because This Is My First Life (2017) is a South Korean television miniseries created by Park Joon-hwa and Yoon Nan-joong for tvN, a Studio Dragon production. Lee Min-ki plays Nam Se-hee and Jung So-min plays Yoon Ji-ho, two young adults who agree to marry for financial convenience and share a home. Their arrangement seems simple until demanding in-laws press into their daily routines, and the housemates must face a bond that keeps growing beneath the bargain. Park Byung-eun, Esom, and Kim Min-seok appear as members of their wider circle of friends, whose own romantic and career struggles play out alongside the central pair. Across sixteen one-hour episodes the series is built from ordinary moments: shared meals, awkward family dinners, workplace pressures, and small negotiations over privacy and chores. The engine is the gap between what the couple promised each other and what they feel, with each episode adding another complication from home or work. The tone is warm, witty, and grounded, with a gentle melancholy around first adult independence and the cost of growing up. Fans of Something in the Rain, Crash Landing on You, and Reply 1988 will find resonance in its blend of cohabitation comedy and heartfelt romance.

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