A successful chef moves back to his childhood neighborhood to open his own restaurant.  But the town and its people are a constant reminder of his twin sister, who went missing 12 years ago, and was never found.  When he finds himself emotionally “connected” to the young woman across the street, in the same way that he had once been connected to his sister, he begins to wonder if she could either be his long-lost sibling or have some tie to her disappearance.  Though the woman doesn’t seem to remember anything from that time, pieces of the past begin to surface.  And as memories and events come to light, unexpected enemies and allies are also revealed.  

Mun Ka Young as Noh Da Hyun

Noh Da Hyun lives with her mother and grandmother, who own a traditional Korean restaurant in their neighborhood.  When she is attacked one night by a stalker, she thinks she kills him.  Her mother and grandmother hide the body in a refrigerator that Gye Hoon threw away while remodeling the restaurant across the street.  But when the refrigerator ends up back inside, Da Hyun starts spending time with Gye Hoon to try to find out what happened to the man.  And as she spends time with Gye Hoon, she learns his story.  Confused about why her memories from that time in the neighborhood are so vague, she agrees to help him try to solve the mystery of his sister’s disappearance.  And as she works with Gye Hoon, pieces of her own repressed trauma begin to come to light.  

Noh Da Hyun is emotional and caring.  The fact that she was missing pieces of her childhood memories never really concerned her before meeting Gye Hoon.  Da Hyun’s grandmother has always encouraged her to focus on the present and look toward the future.  She said that focusing on the past was pointless.  But as her memory starts to come back, Da Hyun begins to suspect that there is a reason her mom and grandma didn’t want her to remember her own past.  Mun Ka Young is an amazing actress, and she is really good at showing a vulnerable side to her characters.  I found Da Hyun’s character to be very endearing and genuine.  

Kim Ji Young as Hong Bok Hee

Hong Bok Hee is Da Hyun’s mother.  She was married to an abusive husband before leaving him to raise Da Hyun on her own.  Now she runs a Korean restaurant where the food is not very good, but her customers eat there out of loyalty.  On the night that Gye Young disappeared, Bok Hee experierenced her own trauma, but she has never told anyone but her “mother” about what really happened.  Now, she hopes to keep Gye Hoon and Da Hyun apart so that the truth of that time never comes out.  

 ♥ Da Hyun’s Family

The three-generation family of Da Hyun was a highlight of this drama for me.  The 3 women had many funny scenes together.  Even the otherwise dour Lee Eun Jung couldn’t help but giggle while watching them interact.  And finding out that Chun Ok was not really Bok Hee’s mother only made their relationship all the more sweet.  Through thick and thin, this trio offered their support and unsolicited advice in even doses.  And although they always seemed to be bickering, their love for each other was obvious!

 ♥ Link Concept

I really found the emotional link concept in this drama to be interesting.  And I was happy with the way they used it throughout the show to help bring the past back into focus.  These concepts often get thrown by the wayside as dramas progress.  But in this case, every late night meeting in the restaurant was a reminder that Gye Hoon knew how Da Hyun was feeling, and that connection brought them together so that they could ultimately solve the mystery of Gye Young’s disappearance.  I also appreciated the way they explained how Da Hyun’s time playing with Gye Young and her promise to convey Gye Young’s message to her brother could explain the strange connection Gye Hoon felt.  

Gye Hoon’s Father

Gye Hoon’s father’s story felt a bit incomplete and sporadic to me.  The idea that he was missing seems like it should have been handled more seriously than just a casual aside.  And the impact of the idea that he was found buried next to Gye Young could have been much stronger.  Instead it is quickly mentioned without much fanfare.  The lack of his storyline is noticeable when compared to the number of scenes that centered around Gye Hoon’s mother.  I would have liked to know more about what his years of searching were like. 

Why??

The one question that never gets answered in this drama is why.  Why did Young Hoon do it in the first place?  Were there others?  It seems unlikely, since the search for bodies turns up only Gye Young and her father.  If he had been a serial killer, it would have made more sense.  But one random death feels kind of weird.  It’s strange to get to the end of this mystery and still not really understand the motive or mindset of the killer.  

“Link: Eat, Love, Kill” gives us most of the answers and some happy reunions. Young Hoon ends up behind bars for his crime, and of course his accomplices are both dead, so that’s the end of that.  Da Hyun gets all her memories of that day back, so that she can actually begin the process of healing.  Gye Hoon finally opens his cafe, with lines out the door.  He and Da Hyun no longer share an emotional connection, which is making it hard for Gye Hoon to know what his girlfriend is thinking sometimes. But they are learning just like any other couple.   Won Tak and Min Jo are also officially a couple again.  And Bok Hee and Jung Ho are slowly working toward some kind of romantic relationship, as are Eun Jung and Jin Hoo.  The final closure comes when Jung Ho takes it upon himself to get Young Hoon to confess to where the bodies of both Gye Young and her father are buried.  And once the bodies are found, Gye Hoon and his mother can finally move on with some peace of mind.