In the free time that I have available, I designate a decent chunk of it to the task of watching K-Dramas. They help me improve my Korean fluency as well as provide my brain with some excellent stories. On top of that, they introduce you to some phenomenal actors and actresses who have unparalleled talent. If you are just getting into K-Dramas, or are just looking for something new to watch, I hope this list helps you out.
1. Hotel Del Luna (호텔 델 로나)
Hotel Del Luna is one of my absolute favorite dramas. The drama features IU who plays the immortal owner of a hotel for the dead, paying for the sins of her mortal life. The thing with these ghosts, is that they aren’t just dead: they have unfinished business in the world of the living. Th eonly member of this staff that is living is hotel manager, played by Yeo Jin-goo who takes care of the hotel’s affairs with the world of the living, as even this hotel of the dead cannot escape taxes. The show follows IU and Yeo Jin-goo as they try to help the dead resolve their unfinished business so that they may continue on to the afterlife.
2. Vincenzo (빈센조)
Vincenzo is probably one of the funniest K-Dramas I have watched recently. The show follows Vincenzo Cassano (Song Joongki) who is a Mafia consigliere when he returns to Korea to try and retrieve the money of one of his clients from the basement of a rundown building. Throughout the show, he helps a lawyer at Jipuragi law firm in the building to get her clients the justice they deserve and makes friends with the residents of the building. From being the guy who can take out anyone, the drama shows a mafia consigliere who has a big heart. Honestly, I would love to watch this drama again, and could probably it multiple and find it as enjoyable as the first time.
3. Lawless Lawyer (무법 변호사)
Honestly, I will watch anything that has Lee Joon-Ki in it.Not because of his looks, but because of his acting skills. Many of the roles he plays are completely different from his real life personality, but he plays all of them incredibly well. In Lawless Lawyer, Song Joon ki plays a former gangster turned lawyer name Bong Sang-pil who is attempting to avenge his mother’s death. Together with Ha Jae-yi, a temporary disbarred lawyer played by Seo Yea-ji, the pair fight (physically and through the legal system) to take down a corrupt judge and her associates. If you are like me, and love a tale of people fighting for justice, I 100% recommend that you watch this drama. It has some amazing fight scenes, all performed by Joon-ki himself (he’s an accomplished martial artist), and the story is one that makes you cheer for “the little guys”
4. Start-up (스타트업)
Another drama that is all about cheering for the little guys, Start-Up has Bae Suzy (formerly of the K-Pop group Miss A) and Nam Joo-hyuk in it. The story follows Suzy’s character, Seo Dal-mi, who’s dream is to become the CEO of tech startup and end up like Steve Jobs. Although she doesn’t have any fancy degrees, she makes up for it in pluckiness as well as experience in part time jobs. One day, she meets Nam Do San (Nam Joo-hyuk) a coding genius who is the founder of Samsan Tech and she mistakes him for her first love, meanwhile her first love is actually the mentor for their business, quietly watching over Dal-mi and Joo-hyuk. The story has many twists and turns and quite frankly, you aren’t sure which guy you should be cheering for in their quest of stealing Dal-mi’s heart. I clung onto ever part of this drama, and yet again, I would happily watch this one again.
5. Itaewon Class (이태원 클라쓰)
Clearly I love the underdog story, because this is another one of those stories. Itaewon Class follows Park Sae-yo-ri (played by park Seo-Joon who will be in The Marvels in 2023) as he trys to get revenge from the head of Jangga Group where his father died in an accident after years of dedication to the company. Throughout the show, Saeyori and his friends have to work to overcome all of the obstacles thrown in their way by Jangga Group as they work on building up their bar, Danbam. This show will have you hanging on every episode, waiting for the moment that Sae-yo-ri finally succeeds in his goal and is able to return ot a “normal life”.
6. My Secret Romance (애타는 로맨스)
My Secret Romance is a drama that I initially warched a few years ago. It follows Cha Jin-wook (Sung Hoon) and Lee Yoo-mi (Song Ji-eun) who ends up having a one night stand with a bell hop after her mom’s second marriage. Little does she know, that bellhop is actually the chairman of the hotel’s son. After 3 years, the two meet again when Song Ji-eun ends up working at Cha Jin-wook’s father’s company. His father sees Lee Yoo-mi’s 3 year old brother, and thinks that the kid is Jin-wook’s child with Yoo-mi. This causes the two to start speaking again and is where ourstory truly emerges. I really enjoyed this story just for how sweet it was overall. It was about two people from completely different walks of life coming together. 10/10 would watch again.
7. My Shy Boss (내성적인 보스)
My Shy Boss is a drama that I have probably watched at least 5 or 6 times. The story follows Eun Hwan-ki (Yeon Woo-jin), the incredibly shy, introverted CEO of Brain PR. Because he is so shy, at his own company he is considered an outcast, until he encounters Chae Ro-woon (Park Hye-soo), an extroverted ex-performer who interviews and is accepted at Brain PR to try and find out the true answer behind her big sister’s suicide. The story overall is just adorable and will continually make you chuckle as well as make you feel for the who cast of characters.
8. Vagabond (배가본드)
Vagabond is another K-drama series with Bae Suzy. This time it features one of my favorite people ever: Lee Seung-gi. Vagabond follows a stuntman, Cha Dal-gun, who gets entangled in a massive conspiracy after his nephew dies in a plane explosion. He ends up joining forces with Go Hae-ri (Be Suzy) an operative of the NIS who is trying to get a promotion. Together, the pair work on uncovering a foul plot involving corporations and the government to get justice for Cha Dal-gun’s nephew. Once you’ve watched the whole thing, the story will make you waiting on the edge of your seat for season two!
You can find these dramas, as well as many more on Netflix, so please let me know if you want a part two!
What dramas on Netflix are you in love with, K-Nuggets? Let me know in the comments below!
사랑합니다!
–Rachel
