Whenever I am looking for my next K-drama to binge, it’s usually based on a couple of things — do I know the actors? Have I seen some shorts or clips and liked them? Does it have decent ratings?
My Love from the Star (2013) checked all the boxes — but somehow I was still sleeping on it because it’s quite an old show. And then one fine morning I said to myself, “Why not?!” and just like that, I stepped into the fantasy world of Do Min-joon and Cheon Song-yi…
Cast and Their Other Work
Here’s the constellation of actors who bring this story to life:
Jun Ji-hyun as Cheon Song-yi: I watched Ji-hyun for the first time in The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016–17). Even though my initial motivation for watching that show was Lee Min-ho, Ji-hyun’s eccentric portrayal of a mermaid — with childlike curiosity and unconventional beauty — immediately drew my attention.
But Ji-hyun as Cheon Song-yi is a whole different deal. Cheon Song-yi is a top-rated actress who is naïve and completely out of touch with the real world. Someone who starts off as an extremely entitled brat, but eventually wins your heart with her sincerity and selfless love.
Kim Soo-hyun as Do Min-joon: Kim Soo-hyun had already tugged at my heartstrings in Queen of Tears (2024) and It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2022), where he played the emotional anchor to borderline-chaotic female leads.
But here, his role is somewhat different. Soo-hyun plays an alien who has been stuck on our planet for about 400 years — learning to live among humans while keeping himself emotionally isolated.
Park Hae-jin, Yoo In-na, Shin Sung-rok & Ahn Jae-hyun: These supporting stars round out the cast with layered subplots — from love triangles to villainous charm — making the world feel much richer. I was delighted to see Yoo In-na, who was the second female lead in Goblin / Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016). She’s gorgeous, and I’d love to see her shining as the main lead next time.
Detailed Plot of My Love from the Star
The story begins in the Joseon Dynasty (around 400 years before the present), when a 15-year-old bride is on her way to her in-laws’ house. In the same forest, an alien ship suddenly lands. The aliens have come from a distant star to collect specimens from Earth for research.
The landing massacres the forest, throwing the young bride close to the edge of a cliff — but one alien steps in and saves her. These aliens look just like humans, and unless they display their superhuman abilities, no one can tell them apart.
After saving her, the alien accompanies the girl to her in-laws’ house, where her evil-minded in-laws conspire to kill her (her husband is already dead for unknown reasons). The alien saves her once again and promises to take her back to her paternal home.
Unfortunately, her parents are no better. They were expecting social privileges for having a daughter who would kill herself to honor her husband’s death. Her mother tries to kill her, while her father attempts to poison the alien.
Somehow, they both survive and flee. In all this chaos, the alien ship leaves Earth — abandoning one of its own. While being chased by armed men, the girl and the alien end up at the edge of a cliff, where the girl dies trying to save the alien. She had fallen for the handsome young man who saved her repeatedly, and in her final moments, she saves him one last time.
The alien continues living on Earth among humans, trying his best not to be exposed. Interfering in a human life leaves him deeply scarred — he believes his supernatural powers should never be used again, as he could not save his first love on this planet. Emotionally guarded, he keeps changing his identity as he doesn’t age like the humans around him.
Cut to the present: the alien now lives in Seoul under the name Do Min-joon. He works as a college professor and lives in a posh apartment. After nearly 400 years on Earth, Min-joon is finally set to return to his planet in three months — when his world comes closest to Earth.
His goal is simple: keep his life quiet, detached, and uneventful for the remaining time. But fate has other plans.
A celebrated actress named Cheon Song-yi becomes his new neighbor. Worshipped by the entire country for her beauty and talent, Song-yi is completely out of touch with reality. She’s been treated like a princess all her life — except by her mother, who mindlessly squanders all of Song-yi’s hard-earned money on shopping.
Song-yi is taken aback by her mysterious neighbor who doesn’t know her name, doesn’t recognize her fame, and — worse — doesn’t care. Min-joon is not the friendly type who shares leftovers or indulges in lazy chit-chats. Song-yi finds his disinterest strangely irresistible.
One night, she drunkenly wanders into his apartment and passes out. Later, she even ends up in the same college class that Min-joon teaches. Despite being adored by the nation, Song-yi has no one to call in an emergency. Min-joon, acting like a reluctant good Samaritan, stays by her side when she needs surgery.
Fifteen years earlier, Min-joon had saved a young girl from a road accident — a girl who looked eerily similar to his first love on Earth. That girl was Cheon Song-yi. This realization softens him toward her, though she is vastly different as a person, and he doesn’t immediately transfer his century-old feelings onto her.
As events unfold, Song-yi is falsely framed for the murder of another famous actress and loses everything. She also becomes the next target of the killer, who attempts to silence her at any cost. Sensing danger, Min-joon protects her repeatedly.
Song-yi falls hard for Min-joon, and Min-joon can no longer deny his feelings — yet he refuses to confess, knowing his departure is imminent. If he doesn’t leave, his body will eventually disappear on Earth.
Despite repeated rejection, Song-yi keeps pursuing Min-joon and begs him to stay, unaware of the consequences. Min-joon finally decides to stay on Earth, no matter how short his life may become. Eventually, Song-yi learns the truth and prepares herself to let him go.
Meanwhile, the murder mystery is solved by detectives — with some discreet help from Min-joon’s superhuman abilities.
One day, Min-joon disappears, leaving behind a promise of reunion. Years pass. Song-yi regains her stardom, but her heart remains with Min-joon. After returning to his planet, Min-joon regains his powers and, through trial and error, finds a way to return to Earth — each time staying a little longer than before — keeping his promise to live a long, happy life by Song-yi’s side.
My Fangirl Commentary and Final Thoughts
- Watching a show from 2013 in 2026 hits different. The old Samsung phones, the LTE network (now we’re at 5G), Soo-hyun’s hairdo — which I assume was trendy back then (not a fan, honestly) — the skinny jeans… The show serves pure nostalgia from the time it was made.
- Do Min-joon kissing Song-yi after stopping time — without her knowledge — did not sit right with me. Consent is never optional, not even with someone who loves you. I’m glad recent shows handle these themes more responsibly.
- Song-yi, played by Ji-hyun, is the comedic pulse of the show.
- I absolutely loved the arc of the second lead — who liked Song-yi since school days. He protected her in ways Min-joon couldn’t, stood against his own brother for her, and had every reason to become bitter or revengeful — yet stayed loyal and protective till the very end. The writers not vilifying the second lead just to elevate the first lead is something I deeply respect.
- I found Min-joon passing out every time after kissing Song-yi hilarious. So much for superhuman powers.
- Min-joon openly exposes his powers while saving Song-yi, and I really wish the show explored that angle more. He teleports in front of cameras repeatedly and somehow doesn’t become a national — or international — threat.
Also, he can freeze time for one minute — everyone on Earth stops — but in the final episode, Song-yi can still move? Convenience much?
Min-joon’s first love dies while trying to save him, and honestly, it felt a little absurd that a human girl had faster reflexes than a powerful alien.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed watching My Love from the Star (2013). It has romance, comedy, and a streak of suspense that binds everything together nicely.
My rating: ⭐ 8.2 / 10
My Recommended Reads for Kim Soo-hyun
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020): Trauma, Love & Healing
A cold-hearted children’s book writer, a quiet psychiatric caregiver, and an autistic elder brother cross paths in a seaside town they once tried to escape. What follows is not just a love story, but a slow, messy journey of healing, forgiveness, and learning how to become a family.
Queen of Tears(2024): Falling Back in Love Again.
Queen of Tears (2024) turned out to be one of those shows I started just for Kim Ji-won but ended up staying for everything else — the emotions, the chaos, the heartbreak, all of it. It’s dramatic, beautiful, and occasionally frustrating, but in the most K-drama way possible.
My Recommended Read for Jun Ji-hyun
The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016): The Love story of a Mermaid #430
A mermaid who knows nothing about the human world, a conman who trusts nothing but his own tricks—and somehow their worlds collide into a story that’s both hilarious and heartbreaking. The Legend of the Blue Sea feels like a fairytale spun with laughter, longing, and a touch of destiny.
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