Can This Love Be Translated? follows multilingual interpreter Joo Ho-jin and global star Cha Mu-hee, who first meet by chance in Japan and later reunite through work.
As they grow closer during overseas filming, Mu-hee begins seeing a mysterious figure she believes is Do Ra-mi, the character that made her famous. What starts as a romantic comedy gradually becomes a story about trauma, fear, and whether two people can truly understand each other's feelings.
SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers for Can This Love Be Translated? below.
Q1. Why Does Ho-jin Ask Mu-hee to Delete the Photo?
Ho-jin asks Mu-hee to delete the photo because he is worried Shin Ji-sun might recognize where he was.
During their first trip in Japan, Mu-hee takes a photo of Ho-jin on an island and uploads it to social media.
That place is connected to Ji-sun, the woman Ho-jin has liked for a long time, and he had gone there on her birthday.
Later, when Ho-jin reunites with Mu-hee during the Singapore Vogue interview, he asks her to remove the photo because he does not want Ji-sun to notice it and misunderstand why he had been there.
Q2. Who Is Do Ra-mi Really?
Do Ra-mi is initially the zombie character Mu-hee played in the movie that made her famous, but the figure Mu-hee keeps seeing is connected to something much deeper.
At first, Mu-hee believes she is hallucinating Do Ra-mi.
The figure gradually begins speaking to her, interfering with her relationships, and even appearing to take control during periods Mu-hee cannot remember.
Later, Mu-hee realizes that this presence is closely tied to her memories of her mother and the trauma she experienced as a child.
Do Ra-mi is not simply an enemy of the romance. She also gives voice to feelings Mu-hee is too afraid to express herself.
Q3. Why Does Mu-hee See Do Ra-mi?
Do Ra-mi is connected to Mu-hee's unresolved childhood trauma and her fear that nobody will truly love her.
When Mu-hee was young, her mother tried to involve the entire family in a suicide attempt.
Mu-hee escaped and fell from a balcony, but the emotional damage from that incident remained with her for years.
Her mother's words and the fear associated with that memory become deeply buried inside her.
The figure Mu-hee calls Do Ra-mi eventually reflects those memories and fears rather than simply being the fictional character from her movie.
Q4. Does Joo Ho-jin Know About Do Ra-mi?
Yes. Ho-jin eventually realizes that something much more serious is happening to Mu-hee.
He first notices how frightened and unstable she has become.
Later, during the overseas filming of Romantic Trip, Ho-jin begins meeting the Do Ra-mi side of Mu-hee directly.
Do Ra-mi tells him to leave Mu-hee and even tries to push Mu-hee toward Kurosawa Hiro instead.
Ho-jin eventually understands that Mu-hee is struggling with something she cannot simply control through willpower.
Q5. Why Does Do Ra-mi Want Ho-jin to Leave Mu-hee?
Do Ra-mi reflects both Mu-hee's desire to be loved and her fear of being hurt.
She sometimes expresses feelings that Mu-hee herself cannot say openly, including how strongly she wants Ho-jin's love.
But at the same time, she believes that getting closer to him will eventually leave Mu-hee hurt.
That contradiction is important. Mu-hee wants love, but she is also terrified of losing it.
So Do Ra-mi keeps pushing Ho-jin away as a way of protecting Mu-hee from the pain she expects to come.
Q6. What Happens Between Mu-hee and Kurosawa Hiro?
Hiro develops genuine feelings for Mu-hee, but Mu-hee does not ultimately choose him.
The Japanese actor initially appears as her co-star on Romantic Trip, and he becomes increasingly concerned about her as filming continues.
Do Ra-mi repeatedly tries to push Mu-hee toward Hiro because she wants Ho-jin out of Mu-hee's life.
Hiro's feelings become real, but the central romance remains between Mu-hee and Ho-jin.
Q7. What Really Happened to Mu-hee's Parents?
Mu-hee eventually learns that both of her parents survived the incident from her childhood.
For years, Mu-hee carries an incomplete and distorted memory of what happened the incident.
Her mother had tried to kill the family, and young Mu-hee escaped by falling from the balcony.
Because emergency responders came after Mu-hee's fall, her parents were also rescued.
The discovery makes Mu-hee finally face the memories she had never fully confronted.
Q8. Why Does Mu-hee Leave Ho-jin Near the End?
Mu-hee leaves because she believes she needs to meet her mother and confront the source of her trauma herself.
She does not leave because she has stopped loving Ho-jin.
In fact, she wants to return as someone who is no longer constantly afraid that love will end.
Rather than using Ho-jin as a way to avoid her past, Mu-hee chooses to face her mother directly and deal with the memory that has controlled her for so long.
Q9. Does Can This Love Be Translated? Have a Happy Ending?
Yes. Cha Mu-hee and Joo Ho-jin ultimately reunite and end the drama together.
Their relationship is interrupted when Mu-hee decides that she needs to confront the source of her childhood trauma on her own.
But the separation is not a permanent breakup.
After taking time to face her past, Mu-hee eventually returns to Ho-jin, giving the drama a clear romantic happy ending.
Q10. What Is the Main Meaning of the Ending?
The title asks whether love can be translated, but the drama ultimately suggests that understanding someone's heart is much harder than translating their words.
Ho-jin can speak multiple languages, yet he repeatedly struggles to understand what Mu-hee actually means when she pushes him away.
Mu-hee, meanwhile, has trouble expressing what she truly feels because fear constantly changes the way she communicates.
Their happy ending comes only after both of them stop relying on assumptions and begin facing their feelings more honestly.
Quick Review
I expected Can This Love Be Translated? to be a light romantic comedy built around beautiful overseas locations and the chemistry between Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung.
It definitely delivers that, but the second half becomes much more psychological than I expected.
The Japan, Canada, and Italy locations are gorgeous, and the aurora scene was one of the most memorable visual moments for me.
I also liked how different Mu-hee feels in the first and second halves of the drama. Her brighter, slightly quirky personality contrasts strongly with the darker Do Ra-mi side that takes over later.
The romance moves surprisingly slowly for a 12-episode drama, but I actually liked that. The emotional build-up feels more convincing because Mu-hee and Ho-jin spend so much time misunderstanding each other before finally speaking honestly.
Go Youn-jung stands out the most because she has to carry both the romantic-comedy energy and the darker emotional material.
Kim Seon-ho is also a great fit for Ho-jin. His calm tone, voice, and multilingual interpreter character suit him extremely well.
Overall, I loved the combination of romance, travel, emotional healing, and the mystery surrounding Mu-hee.
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Drama Information
Title: Can This Love Be Translated?
Korean Title: 이 사랑 통역 되나요?
Year: 2026
Episodes: 12
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Romance, Drama, Healing
Main Cast: Kim Seon-ho, Go Youn-jung, Fukushi Sota, Lee Yi-dam
Director: Yoo Young-eun
Writers: Hong Jung-eun, Hong Mi-ran
Where to Watch: Netflix
Prefer reading in Korean? Read my Korean review here.
