#WFH Series: My Top Five Korean Dramas To Binge in Quarantine
In the midst of this crisis, I think many would agree that finding hobbies to peacefully occupy ourselves is a crucial coping mechanism. While I’ve been focusing on the usual activities like exercising and cooking, I wanted to share about one new hobby that has been providing a particularly effective form of escapism— Korean dramas.
Now, you might laugh at this but hear me out! Back in the day, I used to avoid Korean dramas like the plague because I thought that they all ended in tragic endings, such as accidental deaths or terminal diseases.
However, after taking a chance on a very popular romantic comedy drama (Crash Landing on You), I realized that I had found a new calling in life— watching all of the cutest Korean dramas I could possibly get my hands on.
While I’ve long considered myself to be a major movie and television show buff, Korean dramas have taken me to whole new level of craziness. Nowadays, it’s a regular occurrence for me to engage in a three day marathon in order to finish a good drama as quickly as possible (most dramas are about 16 episodes long and each episode runs for at least an hour). This has resulted in me sitting glued to my screen until the wee hours of the morning and rolling into bed anywhere between 1 am to 5:30 am (the latter has only happened once, thankfully).
Please allow me to rationalize my new obsession in a somewhat reasonable manner below:
Exhibit A: A Cure For Anxiety
When I’m watching a 16 hour+ drama, all worldly problems and anxieties simply melt away. In fact, I would argue that watching a super cute drama full of happy moments is a great cure for any fears and worries that I have right now regarding the COVID-19 and all related issues.
Exhibit B: Style Inspiration
Many of the shows I’ve been watching (especially the more recent ones) have been chock-full of incredible style inspo and make me itch to start dressing up again when social distancing measures are more relaxed. Also, can I please go shopping in Seoul as soon as possible?
Exhibit C: Expanding My Horizons (Linguistically and Culturally)
A fun side effect of this new obsession is that I’ve been actually picking up basic phrases and words of Korean. Is it possible that I could pass this addiction off as “educational” to anyone who confronts me about it?
As well, I have an unfortunate Korean friend with whom I’ve been testing out some of my fave phrases. You can bet that when I can meet up again, the poor guy is getting bombarded with a lot of terribly broken Korean!
Exhibit D: Cooking Inspiration
Since watching a bunch of dramas, I’ve been forced to watch the main characters constantly eating at Korean restaurants or cooking delicious home meals. As a result, I’ve been researching recipes and cooking them for myself at home. My current faves are jangjangmyeon, kimchi jjigae, and army stew.
And now, the list you’ve all been waiting for (if you’re still bothering to read this)—
My Top Five Korean Dramas:
1. Guardian: The Great and Lonely God (a.k.a. Goblin) - 2017
General Synopsis: This drama follows the lives of four characters with a large focus on the love story between a kind-hearted Goblin (a man blessed with the powers of a god but cursed with immortality) and his bride (a young girl destined to end his immortality).
After bingeing on probably 10+ Korean dramas over the past two months or so, there only have been a couple of dramas that have left me with a large void of emptiness after finishing the last episode (the emptiness stemming from the fact that I was super sad that it was over and I already missed the characters so much).
Guardian (also known as Goblin) was one such drama— it’s still ranked as fifth highest-rated Korean dramas for a good reason. While I was a little sceptical at first, I was quickly pulled into the story after the first few minutes (the handsome lead actor was also probably a big reason— I’m a total sucker for a pretty face). After finishing one episode, it’s my general rule that you can already determine if that drama is a good one (and I knew that I was a goner only halfway through it).
What I like most about this drama is that it will give you all the feels— you’ll experience an emotional rollercoaster of happiness, sadness, laughter, and pretty much everything else in between. A good Korean drama will feature a strong cast of characters that you’ll become strongly invested in; for Goblin, I loved the main characters and the supporting cast almost equally.
Verdict: A++
If you don’t shed a few tears during this drama, you ain’t human! Is it weird that I enjoyed the fashion of the male cast in this drama much more than the female cast? Also, can I please have all of their beautiful coats and sweaters?
2. Crash Landing on You - 2020 (Available on Netflix)
General Synopsis: A South Korean heiress (and CEO of her own fashion company) accidentally paraglides into North Korea, where she meets a handsome North Korean army officer who decides to protect her. Also, in true Korean drama fashion, their fates have been intertwined even before they met officially.
This drama has a special place in my heart as it was my first introduction to the romantic comedy genre of Korean dramas. Currently, it is the second highest rated Korean drama in history— a rating that I highly support. Other than its intriguing plot line, the drama features two incredibly popular Korean actors (my all-time faves Hyun Bin and Son Ye-Jin) who immediately drew me in with their cuteness.
Son Ye-Jin has been called the “Queen of Melodrama” for good reason; I think I adored her as much as I did the incredibly handsome Hyun Bin. Speaking of Hyun Bin, you’ll find that his character is flawlessly perfect in this drama (which is equal amounts of unrealistic and irresistible)— don’t we all dream of meeting the perfect man? Big sigh haha.
Verdict: A+
While I adored the main characters, I found some of the sub plot lines with the villagers and other supporting characters a little boring. Nevertheless, the finale had me feeling serious withdrawal pangs for days! I also know people who immediately started watching it again as they missed Hyun Bin’s face too much.
3. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? - 2018
General Synopsis: A narcissistic Vice Chairman starts realizing his true feelings for his beautiful secretary after she announces suddenly that she wants to quit working for him.
Where do I even begin with this one… Maybe with how I’m now officially a fangirl of the incredibly handsome Park Seo Joon? How the storyline was unbearably cute and I loved the entire cast? Basically, there’s nothing not to love about this drama.
Currently ranked 23rd on the list of highest rated Korean dramas, I loved this romantic comedy for its lighthearted moments and cute mishaps between the two very attractive main leads. Other than the main love story, I also loved the funny interactions between the supporting cast— this drama definitely made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion! As well, I find that I love watching Korean dramas that depict the work place as it’s fascinating to see this aspect of Korean culture (although I obviously understand that it’s highly dramatized).
Last but not least, this drama set itself apart by featuring the steamiest love scenes I’ve yet to witness on a Korean drama. If you’re interested in seeing an impressively muscular Park Seo Joon without his shirt on, be sure to tune in on this one! ;) #ParkSeoJoonThirstTrap
Verdict: A+
Random Side Tangent: After falling in love with Park Seo Joon, I was intrigued to discover that he was the main lead of the famous Itaewon Class (now one of the highest rated dramas as well) and that he had an important cameo role in the Academy Award-winning movie Parasite. It’s now strange to recall watching that movie in theatres and having no clue who he was at the time. Also, he is best friends with the younger male lead of Parasite (Choi Woo-shik) who actually went to a my neighbouring Coquitlam high school and to the same university from which I graduated (Simon Fraser University). What a small world!
As well, after acting together in the drama Hwarang, he is besties with heartthrobs V of BTS (aka Taehyung Kim) and Park Hyung-sik. If you love Park Seo Joon as much as I do, I highly recommend watching She Was Pretty and Fight For My Way as well— he truly is the master of romantic comedies!
4. Romance is a Bonus Book - 2019
(Available on Netflix)
General Synopsis: Two childhood friends, who share a deep love of reading, find themselves thrown together professionally and romantically after the main female lead, Kang Dan Yi, experiences life-changing events. Meanwhile, her extremely handsome best friend, Cha Eun Ho, struggles to conceal that he has been deeply in love with Dan Yi for many years.
This drama, which is ranked 40th on the list of highest-rated Korean dramas, is a favourite of mine for several reasons. For one, it introduced me to the insanely beautiful Lee Jong-suk, the very fashionable male lead. If you don’t fall in love with this guy, you probably should get yourself checked out because you probably are suffering from a heart of stone and serious problems with your vision.
Another reason is that the story centres around several characters who work together at a Korean publishing house. It has always been a dream of mine to work in the publishing industry (I actually graduated with a minor in publishing) in some capacity. I loved how this show depicts many aspects of the publishing industry within Korea (which certainly has its differences from the industry in North America).
As well, I love that this drama’s main theme is following your dream— even if you’re afraid that it’s too late for you. Although she worries that life has passed her by, Dan Yi strives to find a meaningful career and take a chance on love with her beloved friend. For anyone struggling to find their path in life, I’m sure that they would find this heartwarming drama to be inspiring and up lifting.
Last but not least, I love that this drama is probably the most realistic one that I’ve ever watched. Usually, Korean dramas are premised on something outlandish or highly unlikely to ever occur in reality— i.e. supernatural or fantasy elements. Another popular premise is that one of the main leads is usually an extremely young and successful CEO, or an heir/heiress of a chaebol (a Korean family-owned conglomerate). Need proof? Think: Crash Landing on You, What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?, and Strong Girl Bong Soon. On the other hand, this drama provided a welcome change from such antics— I loved watching the main characters going about their everyday lives with no insane plot twists.
Verdict: A+
Fun backstory: Lee Jong-suk was South Korea’s youngest ever male fashion model at age 15. Even before I read about that fact, I was awestruck by how amazingly well he wore every single one of his numerous outfits. Also, I believe that I counted him wearing about 30 different coats throughout the series.
Last useless fact— one of his first roles was as a musical genius in Secret Garden, a popular 2010 drama starring my other crush Hyun Bin.
5. Strong Girl Bong Soon — 2017
General Synopsis: A young woman, who is born with supernatural strength, attempts to juggle her professional aspirations, love life, and her burgeoning career as a crime fighter.
After watching Crash Landing on You, I was desperate to find another good romantic comedy to fill the void that the finale had left in my heart. Luckily, Strong Girl Bong Soon appeared like an answer to my prayers and I was able to happily immerse myself in this adorable drama. (At the time, Strong Girl Bong Soon was available on Netflix; unfortunately, they took it off the platform a few days after I finished it.)
From the very beginning, I was taken with super cute characteristics of the main female and male leads. The main actress, Park Bo-young, has been dubbed as a “romantic comedy queen” for her renowned roles in hits such as “Oh My Ghost” and “On Your Wedding Day.” Meanwhile, Park Hyung-sik, a former K-Pop Idol, does an amazing job as a spoiled, youthful CEO who harbours romantic (and initially unrequited) feelings for Park Bo-young’s character.
Other than its many almost unbearably cute romantic moments, this show captures your attention with a crime thriller plotline in which the main leads must work together in order to bring the criminal to justice.
Verdict: A
While I adored this drama because of the many comedic moments and interesting plotline, it is ranked last on this list because the previously-mentioned dramas were stronger thematically and the characters were more memorable. Nevertheless, I guarantee that any Korean-drama-loving viewer will love this!
At the time of writing this, I have watched way too many Korean dramas and honestly have so many more favourites to gush over. However, this post is already way too long and I have to filter it down somehow… I hope that you all enjoyed this overly-detailed and overly-enthusiastic post about my newfound obsession!
Are you are Korean drama lover? If so, what dramas are your favourite and why?
Cheers,
Debbie (a.k.a. The Stylish Wordsmith)
