# Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019)

> A young editor-in-chief at a publishing house slowly becomes entangled with a desperate former copywriter in a gentle workplace romance.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/72448

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 65 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: romance, comedy, drama
- Network: tvN
- Cast: Lee Jong-suk, Lee Na-young, Eugene Jung, Wi Ha-jun, Kim Tae-woo, Kim Yu-mi, Kim Sun-young, Cho Han-chul
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9130542/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: warm, wistful, cozy, gentle

## What critics say

Audiences rate it positively, praising its slow-burn romance and warm workplace chemistry between the leads.

## Synopsis

Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019) is a South Korean romantic comedy drama series created for tvN, a single-season limited series of sixteen episodes running about sixty-five minutes each. Lee Jong-suk plays Cha Eun-ho, the youngest editor-in-chief ever at his publishing company, a gifted and reserved man whose orderly professional life begins to tilt when he becomes entangled with Kang Dan-yi, played by Lee Na-young, a former copywriter desperate for a job. Supporting roles include Eugene Jung as Song Hae-rin and Wi Ha-jun as Ji Seo-joon, filling out the publishing house ensemble. The engine of the story is a slow accumulation of small moments, shared cohabitation, office deadlines, manuscripts, and quiet misunderstandings, as two colleagues who keep circling each other gradually admit what they feel. Each episode unfolds at a patient pace, built from everyday workplace scenes and personal confidences rather than grand events. Set in contemporary Seoul, the series sits within the modern Korean publishing world. Its tone is warm, wistful and cozy, with a slow burn sensibility that rewards viewers who enjoy the gentle emotional rhythms of a tvN production. Fans of What's Wrong with Secretary Kim and Something in the Rain will find resonance in its office setting and tender central romance.

## Shows like Romance Is a Bonus Book

- [She Would Never Know (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/94963)
- [Monthly Magazine Home (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/99730)
- [My Shy Boss (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/60644)
- [Search: WWW (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/75847)
- [Love Next Door (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/157786)
- [Discovery of Love (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54592)
- [Shooting Stars (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/112948)
- [What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/68383)
- [One Spring Night (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/76003)
- [True to Love (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/132124)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt