If you’re looking for K-Dramas where the ML fell first, but the FL fell harder, here are 10 recommendations you might enjoy!Note: This list is not a ranking.Spoiler Alert!
1. “The King: Eternal Monarch”
“The King: Eternal Monarch” is a love story that transcends space and time. It is natural, therefore, that its scale is grander than a thousand universes. Lee MinHo plays Lee Gon, the eponymous King of the Kingdom of Corea in a parallel timeline, while Kim GoEun plays Jeong TaeEul, a police detective with a nose for the truth. Lee Gon is attached to Jeong TaeEul from a very young age because he believes her to be his savior. So, when he meets her in another world, it doesn’t take long for him to fall in love. However, Jeong TaeEul takes her sweet time understanding him and his worldview before letting herself fall. When she does, she goes to the ends of her own world and several others to be with him, and nothing could be sweeter than that.
2. “Alchemy Of Souls”
One of the biggest fantasy romance dramas to come out of the Korean entertainment industry, standing testimony to its endless potential, is “Alchemy of Souls”. Set in a fictional world of sorcery and political intrigue, this drama redefines the term “soulmates” in the most ethereal way possible. When a dangerous shadow assassin Naksu is on the brink of certain death, her soul enters the body of a lowly peasant woman, MuDeok (Jung SoMin), to survive. What she was not expecting was for Jang Uk (Lee JaeWook), the rightful heir to the throne, to recognize her at once and begin a relationship with her as her pupil. Naturally, their closeness translates into romance, with Jang Uk falling first but MuDeok (or, Naksu) falling infinitely harder.
3. “Business Proposal”
“Business Proposal” is peak romantic comedy, with an iconic main couple, a fan favorite second couple, and even more endearing supporting characters. The classic premise of a blind date gone terribly wrong but also perfectly right makes for an immensely enjoyable ride. The cold and indifferent but secretly vulnerable CEO Kang TaeMoo (Ahn HyoSeop) finds himself inexplicably drawn to the colorful and bright Shin HaRi (Kim SeJeong) after she goes on a date with him on behalf of her best friend. Through a comedy of errors, love blooms sooner rather than later. However, by the time Shin HaRi comes around, TaeMoo is already knee-deep in love. The chase that follows will give you all the butterflies.
4. “She Would Never Know”
Speaking of butterflies, “She Would Never Know” is the type of drama that will have you rewinding and rewatching every scene until you have memorized it enough to play it back in your head while you daydream about your own K-Drama romance. SF9’s RoWoon plays Chae HyunSeung in the most wistful way possible, making us fall in love with yet another fictional character. However, the object of his affection, Yoon SongAh (Won JinA) is not so easy to impress. HyunSeung is in love before he even knows it, but SongAh waits until she is entirely sure of her heart, which is probably why their relationship is so healthy and mature. This couple is both realistic and dreamy, adding to the immersion of the drama, and we love to see it.
5. “Why Her?”
“Why Her?” is a deeply complex and layered tale about feminine strength, power, and struggle against a society that is hell-bent on putting her down. Seo HyunJin plays Oh SooJae, our titular heroine, who has much more on her plate than the prospect of pursuing a romantic relationship. So, it isn’t surprising at all when Gong Chan (Hwang InYoup), a young man whose fate is entangled with Oh SooJae’s, falls in love with her head-first and is willing to give her the world whereas she would much rather conquer it on her own. Still, she opens up her heart to him eventually and allows herself to be loved - something that she didn’t even know she desperately needed to heal. With exceptional performances by our leading actors, “Why Her?” is a must-watch.
6. “Encounter”
If poetic melodrama bordering on makjang is your cup of tea, there is no better romance than “Encounter”. A rollercoaster ride of emotions is what this drama is, taking you through every stage of grief possible before rewarding you with the most satisfactory ending ever. The luminous Song HyeKyo plays Cha SooHyun, a successful but troubled CEO, and our resident King of Hearts, Park BoGum, plays Kim JinHyeok, her employee/personal sunshine. Throughout the drama, JinHyeok fights for their love, providing a safe space for SooHyun to build trust and let her guard down before she can fully accept their relationship. It pays off, without a doubt, and the happily-ever-after is as fulfilling as it gets.
7. “Something In The Rain”
Anyone who enjoyed “Encounter” will revel in the gloriously cathartic journey of “Something In The Rain”. In another instance of “us against the world”, “Something In The Rain” explores the exciting yet cautious relationship between Seo JoonHee (Jung HaeIn) and his pretty noona, Yoon JinA (Son YeJin), who buys him food. As simple as the premise appears, it is laced with societal pressures and biting judgment against women and their choices, especially in terms of romance. However, love perseveres and prevails, leaving us with a sweet aftertaste. Here too, our male lead has been in love with the female lead for as far back as he can remember, but it isn’t until much later that she truly sees him in a different light. Once she falls, she falls irrevocably in love.
8. “Soundtrack #1”
“Soundtrack #1” rests on the bittersweet tune of unrequited love but ends on a note of fairytale romance that maxes out on gratification. ZE:A’s Park HyungSik is phenomenal as the quiet yet consistent Han SunWoo, a photographer, whereas Han SoHee plays the not-so-blissfully unaware Lee EunSoo, his muse. The two have been friends for decades, and if not for a brief period of living together, they would most likely have remained so for the rest of their lives. Luckily, a songwriting project brings them together as EunSoo tries to map out the feeling of one-sided love with SunWoo by her side, who, coincidentally, has been in love with her all along. Even though it initially takes her some time to realize her own feelings, she ultimately goes all-in for SunWoo, completing the friends-to-lovers arc with perfection.
9. “Doom At Your Service”
A young woman, Tak DongKyung (Park BoYoung), receives a life-changing diagnosis and wishes doom upon the world, summoning Myul Mang (Seo InGuk) in the process. Myul Mang is Destruction incarnate who gets called upon on his birthday, so he must fulfill a human’s wish. Things get even more complicated when the forced cohabitation trope comes into play, and neither can get rid of the other, especially not when Myul Mang is unexpectedly falling in love. The two sign a 100-day contract, and in the time they spend together, Myul Mang becomes willing to throw away his life for hers, and she would rather abandon the world than him. “Doom At Your Service” is forbidden love at its finest, initiated by Myul Mang and completed by DongKyung, thus making it a perfect fit for this list.
10. “Our Beloved Summer”
“Strangers to friends, friends into lovers, and strangers again” - that’s how the story of high school sweethearts Choi Ung (Choi WooShik) & Kook YeonSu (Kim DaMi) goes, at least until they are compelled to reconnect 5 years after their separation, on public demand. To explain, back in school, they were paired for a documentary filming the top student helping the weakest student study, and it so happened to go viral years later, prompting an update. They went from enemies to lovers while filming the documentary, but after a sour, unexplained break-up, resentment and regrets took over. Years later, their buried feelings come back up to the surface, and while originally, Ung was the one who fell first, this time around, YeonSu actively pursues him until he decides to give their relationship another chance. The role reversal is sincere and heart-warming, and you will love every second of it.Which of these K-Dramas is your favorite? Share your thoughts with Kpopmap in the comments section down below! Top 15 Greatest K-Dramas Of The Decade KDRAMA STORIES|May 18, 2022 Top 10 Recent K-Dramas That We Predict Will Be Legendary Even After Ten Years KDRAMA STORIES|Aug 30, 2022 Top 10 K-Dramas We Wish We Could Watch Again For The First Time KDRAMA STORIES|Aug 23, 2022 Top 10 Characters From Recent K-Dramas You Do Not Want To Meet In Real Life KDRAMA STORIES|Sep 7, 2022
