What's Your K-Drama?

Korean dramas: you may have heard of them in passing, maybe seen a thumbnail or two while you were scrolling through your Netflix or Hulu account. One glance, and you'll see the common components of a well-seasoned K-drama: beautiful people, the promise of glamour and prestige, and maybe the promise of a few breathless moments of dramatics usually only seen in the realm of Western soap operas.

BUT WAIT. Hidden behind the pretty faces and the gorgeous fashions lie numerous quantities of entertainment to be had. K-dramas are like any other medium out there for a viewing audience: they are varied in complexities depending on the genre. Beyond the beautiful veneers can beat crime shows, hospital dramas, family sagas, or likely any genre you could consider. The beauty of K-dramas is that there is probably one for every type of viewer.

Today we're going to talk about romantic dramas. If you like a certain type of romantic interlude, then the K-dramas listed below may also make your heart go pitter-patter in just the same familiar way. Hopefully they'll show that love stories have the power to cross geographical and cultural boundaries.

First off, many people like a good tearjerker baked into their romance. If you like melancholy, heartfelt movies like Me Before You, then you’ll fall for...

The Scent of a Woman (2011)

Here is the synopsis from Viki:

Yeon Jae endures harassment and unfair treatment from her boss because she doesn’t want to lose her job. However, she comes to regret this decision when she hears that she has only six months to live. Ji Wook was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. But he doesn’t like the life that his father wants him to live. Then he meets Yeon Jae, who is running out of time to find the love of her life. Will Ji Wook find happiness with Yeon Jae?

What Will Feel Familiar: The will-they-won't-they atmosphere is quite thick with this one, especially with chemistry building between the main characters as the episodes progress. But even as you watch, there is a sense of dread with the consideration, "How can this relationship ever last?"

Swoon Factors: Every tango sequence is just asking for a rising heartbeat track all its own.

What'll Keep You Watching: The question of Yeon Jae's fate is its own sword of Damocles hanging over the entire show. And, with K-dramas, you never know who's going to bite the bullet and when!

What to Watch Next: That Winter, The Wind Blows (2013), 49 Days (2011)

Too melodramatic for you? Then you may be ready for this next fairly light-hearted pick. If you like swoony slice-of-life romances like To All the Boys I Loved Before, then you’ll be a sucker for…

Flower Boy Next Door (2013)

Viki describes the show as such:

Can a female Peeping Tom get more than she bargained for? Ko Do Mi is a single woman living alone in the Ocean Village office complex. One fall day, she sees Han Tae Joon and falls in love with him at first sight. When she realizes that he lives across the courtyard and she has a direct view into his apartment, she starts spying on him and voyeuristically capturing his daily routine. Around the same time, Do Mi develops an unexplained fear of people and open spaces and becomes more and more of a recluse. Working as a freelance copy editor, she is able to arrange for most of her assignments through the mail, email and text messages so she is able to limit her personal and professional interactions. But her insulated, comfortable routine comes to a crashing halt when Tae Joon’s younger brother, Enrique Keum, a boy genius video game designer, returns to Korea after spending a year in Spain and moves in with Tae Joon. Enrique discovers Do Mi’s peeping and tries to expose her wrongdoing. But Oh Jin Rok, a web comic writer who lives next door with his drawing partner Dong Hoon, tries to help her. Jin Rok is intrigued by Do Mi’s behavior, and when his editor rejects his web series proposal because it might infringe on Enrique’s video game copyright, he pitches another web comic about a lonely single woman much like Do Mi who lives her life voyeuristically. Suddenly, the fearful Do Mi is surrounded by flower boys (a Korean term that refers to young, pretty boys), including Watanabe Ryu, a Japanese chef who moves in on the same floor, forcing her to come out of her shell.

What Will Feel Familiar: The characters and their relationships are what make this show tick, and the only downside is that you may wish Do Mi would choose one guy over another as the series goes on. (Ship wars: you can never truly avoid them!)

Swoon Factors: The small things are what matter in this show, to the point that you may hold your breath if two characters lock eyes for a moment too long or when the emotional moments kick in to full-gear.

What'll Keep You Watching: Do Mi's progression as a person in how she slowly unfurls like a budding flower is what makes this show more than just a romantic drama. Her character development alone, from episode one all the way to the finale, makes the journey so worthwhile (though those beats of romantic chemistry are all welcome too).

What to Watch Next: She Was Pretty (2015), Hello, My Twenties (2016)

Want some more comedic fluff with your side of drama? If you miss gender-bender fun like in the movie She’s the Man, then you should gladly tune in to…

C offee Prince (2007)

Viki's synopsis goes as follows:

Eun Chan is a licensed taekwondo instructor who parts time as a delivery woman. One day, she comes across a delivery order that leads her to Han Gyeol, an heir to a conglomerate. Her boyish appearance deceives everyone into thinking that she's a strong man with a petite figure. Han Gyeol, on the other hand, being relatively close to men leads his grandmother to think he's gay. Eun Chan and Han Gyeol's entanglement lead to them working in a cafe, which soon brews a different kind of love story. They face multiple problems along the way that bring themselves closer and their love stronger than ever. Alongside them would be Han Gyeol's cousin Han Sung and his ex Yoo Joo who happen to be dating as well. Their love triangles bring excitement as they test another level of friendship and family.

What Will Feel Familiar: The shenanigans with Eun Chan's crossdressing as a guy lead to many precarious moments that anyone who knows the trope will recognize. Though a bit dated, the moment where a guy questions his sexuality because of falling for another (perceived) dude still has some comedic value.

Swoon Factors: It's hard not to feel compelled to keep watching just because you see one guy struggling with his growing feelings as he interacts with the girl-disguised-as-a-boy.

What'll Keep You Watching: You'll want to binge all the episodes en masse just to see if Eun Chan and Han Gyeol ever do hook up.

What to Watch Next: You're Beautiful (2009), Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)

Want a story that will balance the heftiness of fame and celebrity with a romantic journey? If you miss the nostalgia and wit of 90’s rom-coms like Notting Hill, then you’ll see stars with a show like…

The Greatest Love (2011)

The Viki synopsis is succinct in describing the series:

Can you confidently love a person who you like but others don't? Muster up the courage about a romance that seems like the worst to others but the best for you. The most-liked guy in the country, who is loved by everyone, and the most-disliked woman in the country, who is criticized by everyone, squeeze out that courage as their feelings for each other grow.

What Will Feel Familiar: The main characters, an aging former singer and Korea's favorite actor, start out disliking each other pretty heavily before the final breaking point when they realize they can't help but fall for each other.

Swoon Factors: The "thou doth protest too much" vein of the series leads to a lot of chemistry-laden moments between the main characters.

What'll Keep You Watching: The romance and comedic timing are wonderful, no doubt about it, but this show also offers a peek into the Korean entertainment industry and the pitfalls its famous inhabitants must overcome while trying to make a living and remain relevant.

What to Watch Next: Protect the Boss (2011), Secret Garden (2010)

Want something a bit more fantastical in your K-drama? If you like the paranormal romantic melodrama of movies like Twilight, then you’ll crave a show like…

My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (2010)

Viki pitches the show like this:

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Cha Daewoong dreams of becoming an action movie star. To pursue this dream, he goes to a temple, where he releases a nine-tailed fox trapped in a painting for 500 years. Even though she has collected the life force of 100 men for youth and eternal life, the nine-tailed fox does not intend to steal Daewoong’s energy, yet ends up losing her own orb to him due to an accident. To reclaim it, she sticks close by, learning that if Daewoong bears the orb inside for 100 days, she can become a human being. With her life in peril and sweet strife while living together, can the nine-tailed fox actually become human?

What Will Feel Familiar: The "beauty and the beast" type of tale here gets turned on its head a bit as the girl is the "monster" who must be helped by the boy who, at first, isn't all too willing to help her. But over time they develop an attraction that, despite their differences as creature and human, they cannot deny.

Swoon Factors: Because the characters start out indifferent to each other, their budding relationship is sweet to see unfold, especially as other outside forces begin to try and break them apart.

What'll Keep You Watching: There's a sharp comedic edge to the series that pulls you along until the latter half of the series where the paranormal aspects begin to take greater hold of the plot. You'll wonder how a nine-tailed fox girl could possibly fit into the world of a rising action star, or vice-versa.

What to Watch Next: I Hear Your Voice (2013), Master's Sun (2013)

Didn't find a K-drama that tickled your fancy from the list above? No worries! May I recommend a great place to jump off with researching Korean dramas? Look no further than Dramabeans, a well-loved site where anyone wanting to learn about K-dramas can browse through the archives just to see the variety of shows that have aired over the years, though newer dramas are also documented as they release. The site is a must-read for anyone curious about Korean media and entertainment!

As of March 2021, all five K-dramas discussed above are available for streaming on Viki, a hub for Asian dramas of all kinds. The Viki Pass is currently only $4.99 a month while the Viki Pass Plus (to unlock more content) is $9.99 a month. I am not sponsored by the streaming service. Happy viewing!