Top Korean Dramas That Begin With Pain But End in Love Between Man and Woman!

Love does not always start with butterflies. Sometimes it begins with betrayal, heartbreak, or a past that's just too much. But in the world of Korean dramas, those are often the stories that come closest to the heart. Because when love grows out of suffering — when a man and a woman navigate their way towards each other through the wreckage — it's something that is remembered.

1. My Liberation Notes (2022)

Yeom Mi-jeong and Mr. Gu both wallow in despair in silence when they meet. Theirs is a sensitive relationship, one that is replete with unspoken emotions and wounds. But something that begins in darkness becomes a story of quiet, haunting love — one that doesn't try to heal each other but accepts.

2. Just Between Lovers (2017)

Ha Moon-soo and Lee Kang-doo both carry the wounds of a building collapse that changed their lives. In grief and survivor's guilt, love creeps in — not to heal, but to comfort. Theirs is raw, healing, and quintessentially human.

3. Kill Me, Heal Me (2015)

Cha Do-hyun's life is shattered by dissociative identity disorder, and Oh Ri-jin is drawn into the chaos. What begins as a professional relationship grows into a life of love — a journey of embracing brokenness and that love can seep through to wounds that are deepest.

4. Our Blues (2022)

This melodrama weaves together a number of romances, but the one between Jung Eun-hui and Choi Han-soo stands out. Separated by years, they're brought together again, but memories of past anguish are just around the corner. But with age and remorse comes second chance — and maybe something better than what was lost.

5. Something in the Rain (2018)

Yoon Jin-ah is devastated and drained after falling in love with her best friend's younger brother, Seo Joon-hee. A rebound affair becomes a relationship jeopardized by age, family, and past traumas. But love finds a way to grow — real, warm, and true.

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6. Come and Hug Me (2018)

A love between a serial killer's son and a daughter of his victim cannot be imagined. Na Moo and Nak-won, however, prove that even in a world of tragedy judging others, there is still room for love to breathe — softly, gently, and fiercely.

7. Because This Is My First Life (2017)

Nam Se-hee and Yoon Ji-ho accept a marriage of convenience and hardship. Each has lost hope in love. Yet destiny has other plans. What starts as a calculated arrangement becomes a soft, believable love based on camaraderie and healing together.

8. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

Hae-soo comes into the brutal Goryeo dynasty life in which war is love. Her romance with Wang So, the maimed and feared king, stems from pain, misunderstanding, and destiny. Their romance story is beautiful and sad — proof that love blooms even when fate is there.

9. It's Okay, That's Love (2014)

Jang Jae-yeol and Ji Hae-soo both have mental and emotional scars. Their romance is not a breeze — it challenges them to work through past trauma, misunderstandings, and phobias. But from the struggle, they learn what full-on love is, imperfections included.

10. A Piece of Your Mind (2020)

Ha Won and Seo Woo are two people who exist in the shadows of heartbreak and love. Their relationship takes form slowly, gently — as a whisper. Pain does not release them easily, but love helps them carry it, turning sorrow into a kind of grace.

11. Marriage Contract (2016)

Kang Hye-soo gets married to Ji-hoon out of love for her child in a pretend marriage, hiding a life-threatening disease. It begins as a far-off bargain that turns into a heartwarming selfless love story — and one that'll leave you sobbing, but also convince you of the possibility of love born out of tragedy.

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12. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018)

Kim Moo-young is standoffish and mysterious, with a history of secrets behind him that hide more than sorrow. Yoo Jin-kang slowly unveils his past, and his love transforms him. Theirs is a passionate and heartbreaking affair, but it blooms from the darkest of beginnings — and leaves its mark.

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