my top ten k-dramas

i’m back with another post! ironically, i think this is the most blogging i’ve ever done in a relatively short period of time, and i’m writing this post during the “busiest” time – finals season. thankfully, though, i don’t have many finals to study for, and since i’m done with classes for the semester, i have more time to work on blog posts 🙂 anyway, let’s get on to the post!

in honor of asian pacific american heritage month, i thought i’d share some of my favorite k-dramas (aka korean dramas) with you all! i got into k-dramas a few years ago, and they’re always just super cute and fun to watch. although k-dramas tend to have somewhat predictable clichés and storylines, i love them <3 if you’ve been hearing about k-dramas a lot and wanting to explore some, here are a few recommendations for you!

10. dream high

dream high is technically the first k-drama i ever watched, so it holds a special place in my heart <3 it’s been a few years since i watched it, so my memory’s a bit fuzzy, but it’s a really great intro drama that stars taecyeon, kim soo hyun, and bae suzy (also IU – SUCH an amazing singer!). it follows the story of some students at an art school who are pursuing their dreams to become idols. there’s drama, love, jealousy, tears, friendship, and much much more. if you’re looking to just get started with k-dramas, this is such a cute drama – but be warned, there are definitely some emotional moments!

9. descendants of the sun

i feel like EVERYONE and their mother (literally, even my mom knows this drama) has heard of descendants of the sun, aka dots. song joong ki and song hye ko (who actually got MARRIED after this drama!!) are the main leads of this drama, which also features jin goo and park ji won. dots tells the story of a special forces captain (song joong ki) and a doctor (song hye ko) who fall in love at first sight but struggle to make their relationship work. eventually, they both end up in uruk, where she’s been assigned to a medical team and he’s doing some secret mission stuff (again, my memory fails me a bit… please forgive me). basically, LOTS of action and drama– if that’s your cup of tea, i’d definitely recommend dots!

also, the second leads’ love story is so angsty…. so you’d better be prepared for lots of frustration and ~emotions~ hahaha

8. weightlifting fairy kim bok joo

weightlifting fairy kim bok joo (or just weightlifting fairy for short) is a newer drama that stars lee sung kyung and nam joo hyuk – they’re both super cute, so of course, this is a very cute drama! this drama is about a weightlifter (lee sung kyung) who one day crosses path with a swimmer (nam joo hyuk). get ready for lots of laughs! here’s a taste of what you’re in store for with this drama:

7. fight my way

here’s another great romcom: fight my way (also called fight for my way). in this drama, park seo joon (one of my personal favorites) and kim ji won are childhood friends who encourage each other to chase their dreams – and, of course, they fall in love along the way. he works on becoming a pro MMA athlete, and she tries her best to become an announcer, like she’s always wanted. their friendship and relationship is super cute, and i’d say this is also a good starter drama that’s more recent than dream high!

6. what’s wrong with secretary kim

…..and another park seo joon drama! in what’s wrong with secretary kim, park seo joon is still as handsome as ever (lol), but he plays a completely different character: he’s the rich, handsome, and arrogant vice president of a company with the perfect secretary (park min young). one day, she suddenly tells him he’s quitting, which he is NOT okay with, so he tries to convince her to stay. gradually, they start discovering some of each other’s secrets, which makes this drama a little darker than the other romcoms on this list. still, there are a lot of cute moments, and what’s wrong with secretary kim is all around a great drama, especially if you’re into workplace romances!

5. strong woman do bong soon

strong woman do bong soon (also called strong girl bong soon, as on netflix) is another hilarious romcom! it’s about a girl (park bo young) who’s cursed/blessed with super strength, and she meets a rich CEO (park hyung sik) (do you see a pattern? honestly, i’m so tired of the rich guy poor girl trope (pls stop) BUT i promise this drama is still v good) who hires her to be his bodyguard. at the same time, she’s crushing hard on her childhood friend, who’s a very eager (aka tryhard) police officer (ji soo!). however, this isn’t your typical cute, lighthearted romcom – things quickly take a dark turn as the neighborhood experiences a murder, followed by a series of kidnappings. all three of them work together to figure out who’s behind the crimes, so get ready for some suspense and action!

4. mr. sunshine

if you’ve read my spring break post, i talked a bit about mr. sunshine! i was introduced to this drama because we watched the first 30 min of it in my korean class, and i got hooked pretty quickly. the first episode (and also the ones that follow) are pretty intense, and there are some graphic violence scenes, so this drama definitely isn’t for the faint of heart! the main character (lee byung hun) was born into slavery in late 19th century korea, but escaped to america as a child and eventually joined the military. about 20 years later, he’s assigned to return to korea, where he meets a nobleman’s daughter (kim tae ri). their paths keep crossing, and soon enough (surprise, surprise!) they fall in love.

this drama is a wild ride of emotions, but it’s so well made. also, all the characters are so well-rounded and complex (read: angsty), and i just love all the complicated relationships (love triangles/squares/webs. if you like historical dramas and lots of action and emotions, i’d highly highly recommend mr. sunshine!

3. tomorrow with you

tomorrow with you is probably the most obscure drama on this list. it aired about two years ago, and this is the only drama i actually watched as the episodes were coming out. as with many of the dramas on this list, it’s been a while since i watched it, but i remember LOVING this drama, probably because it made me cry so much. maybe i’m a bit of a masochist, but i still believe that the saddest books and movies are the best!

this drama stars lee je hoon and shin min a, who aren’t super super famous (at least not to my knowledge), but i really liked their relationship/chemistry in this drama! the synopsis from asianwiki is really confusing, but here’s a good synopsis from dramabeans:

Who knew that traveling through time could be as convenient as hopping on a subway? tvN’s newest time travel drama Tomorrow With You introduces us to a fantasy world and a hero who knows what the future holds for him and one mysterious woman he’s somehow linked to. Getting to know a girl won’t be easy when only one of them is aware of what lies ahead, but neither of them will be prepared when one fateful decision opens up a new chapter in their lives.

from https://www.dramabeans.com/2017/02/tomorrow-with-you-episode-1/

basically, just get ready for a roller coaster of emotions! this drama is a slow burner, but so so good.

2. while you were sleeping

ahhhh honestly this drama almost won the top spot in this list – i’m so so conflicted, but these two are definitely my favorites! the only complaint i remember having against this drama is that it wasn’t sad enough (lol), but it was really really good besides that!

while you were sleeping (2017 version, apparently there are two haha) stars lee jong suk (POSSIBLY MY FAVORITE ACTOR??), bae suzy, and jung hae in (okay he’s not one of the MAIN characters but he’s another fave)! suzy’s character keeps dreaming about people dying and doesn’t know what to do to stop her dreams from coming true. lee jong suk’s character, a rookie prosecutor, one day suddenly dreams about her and her mother dying and does his best to prevent their deaths, even though they’re strangers. after he saves her, they get more involved in each other’s lives, and they start working together to solve different cases – this was one of my favorite aspects of the drama; it was super interesting learning more about legal cases! eventually, jung hae in’s character (a cop) gets involved too, and the three of them bond over their commonalities.

basically, this is just an AMAZING drama – definitely a must-watch!

also, please enjoy this hilariously iconic scene:

last but definitely not least…

1. goblin

goblin is probably many people’s favorite drama, and for good reason! this drama is just so, so beautifully made: the production quality is so high, the characters are so endearing, the story is so well-written, and it’s just seriously amazing. also, SO many feels – this drama will break your heart.

this drama is about a war general (gong yoo – such an amazing actor) who is killed by the king out of jealousy. however, he’s cursed to become a goblin, an immortal being who cannot rest until his bride ends his life. he waits 900 years, and one night, he saves a dying woman and her unborn daughter (kim go eun). as the girl grows up, she can see ghosts, and she one day meets the grim reaper (lee dong wook), who has come to collect her missing soul. thankfully, she escapes and continues to live a relatively normal life. on her 18th birthday, she makes a wish, and the goblin suddenly appears in front of her. eventually, as they keep meeting, he tells her that he’s her bride.

lots of crazy stuff happens after that – there’s some cute moments, many hilarious interactions between the goblin and the grim reaper (who somehow end up living together), and lots of sad, bittersweet endings. this is another slow burning romance – there’s also a cute but angsty romance between the grim reaper and a woman (yoo in na) he feels strangely drawn to! but seriously, goblin is another must-watch.

have you seen any of these dramas? which one(s) are you most excited to watch? let me know in the comments!

disclaimer: i don’t own any of the pictures/videos in this post!