When you’re stressed and tired from the realities of this life, don’t you just long for a sweet escape? Since traveling is not a good option, for now, it’s still possible to get that “feels” even from the comfort of your couch and indulge in a feel-good k-drama. Sometimes, it’s good to stay away from emotionally charged plotlines, and when you just need to destress, take your pick from these 10 dramas to keep you company!
Mr Queen
Bong Hwan (Choi Jin Hyuk) is an arrogant chef working at the Blue House in the present day. Besides cooking, he also has another special talent; he can figure out a person’s health condition and even get into their mind simply by observing what they pick for their side dishes. One day, he goes back in time and somehow gets trapped in the body of Kim So Yong (Shin Hye Sun), a queen in the Joseon dynasty. In this major throwback, he meets King Cheoljong (Kim Jung Hyun), the two-faced king who harbors so many secrets. At first, they go through a hard time trying to understand each other. However, throughout the drama, they begin to realize that their fake marriage only forged a strong companionship between them after all their confrontations and misunderstandings.
This drama serves up fun and wacky time-traveling antics drizzled with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Bong Hwan’s struggles to adapt to life as the Queen and all the hilarious supporting characters sure made this a great series to help take the edge off a stressful day!
Welcome to Waikiki
Dong Goo (Kim Jung Hyun), Joon Gi (Lee Yi Kyung), and Doo Sik (Son Seung Won) are three friends who are just trying to achieve their dreams. They also run a hostel to make money, but they’re finding it difficult to make ends meet. To make things worse, the hostel is facing bankruptcy forcing them to consider giving up on it until one day a single mother and her baby came into the picture. They welcomed them into the fold and it didn’t take long for the guys to grow fond of their new members.
Welcome to Waikiki is like a sitcom presented in K-drama style with all the elements of humor, romance, bromance, and hints of drama. It’s the perfect show to watch if you’re looking for a fun little break or if you need something to rinse off some major boredom.
My Roommate is a Gumiho
For the uninitiated, a gumiho is a mythical nine-tailed fox who desires to turn into a human being. In this drama, a gumiho named Shin Woo Yeo (Jang Ki Yong), has survived 999 years and is only waiting for one more until his full transformation. But on his last year, his magic bead (which was valuable to gumihos) was swallowed by a 22-year-old student named Lee Dam (Lee Hye Ri). Woo Yeo is then forced to make her his roommate so he can keep the bead safe or else Lee Dam will inevitably meet her end—and so are his chances to turn into a human. At first, she hesitates, but what follows next was a ruckus.
This romantic comedy is a feel-good series with two lead pairs that showed amazing chemistry. It offers heart-fluttering moments and the fantasy aspect is interesting to watch. So, if you’re in the mood for something fantastical and funny, this should be on your list.
Hometown Cha Cha Cha
This drama is one of the most popular series in 2021 that even went on to earn the highest viewership ratings according to Nielsen Korea. It’s about a righteous dentist named Yoon Hye Jin (Shin Min Ah), who relocates to Gongjin and opens her clinic. There she meets Chief Hong (Kim Seon Ho), a man who wears many hats and is loved by the community. It didn’t take long for Hye Jin to warm up to him too. As the two grow to love each other, they eventually uncover secrets from a painful past. Together, they helped each other heal. The two are supportive and warm towards each other and also towards their friends in the community.
With so much love and kindness passed along, this series is a K-drama alternative to a warm hug! Set in a small town where life is simpler, one can’t help but live vicariously through them. With all that’s going on in the world, why not take a trip down to Gongjin yourself for a slice of the simple life!
Because This Is My First Life
This sweet story follows the lives of Nam See-hee (Lee Min-ki) & Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min), two professionals who are both struggling in their lives and careers. Nam See-hee is a thirty-eight-year-old computer designer who is content living a quiet life along with his cat. However, he needs to find a roommate so he can earn extra cash to pay the mortgage. This led him to meet Jin-ho, an assistant screenwriter whose career has stalled. As the two ended up under one roof, a miscommunication led Nam See-hee to assume that Yoon Ji-ho is a boy. Yoon Ji-ho also thought that Nam See-hee is a girl. Despite the mix-up, the two tried to work around their living situation which also led them to know and learn from each other.
You’d enjoy this quirky drama as it tackles the theme of finding success even if it had to come later in life. You can relate to how these adults feel the pressure to keep their lives on track with what’s expected of them at their age. In a highly competitive world, we can identify how they are trying to stay afloat financially and emotionally.
Do You Like Brahms
The story centers around an elite pianist named Pak Joon Young (Kim Min Jae) who is an award-winning pianist who had so many struggles just so he can earn his keep as a respected musician. However, despite bagging so many awards, he still felt empty. He couldn’t find the meaning in everything he worked hard for. Then he meets a university student, Chae Song Ah (Park Eun Bin) who aspires to become a violinist. Even though she lacked talent, she was hardworking.
For those days where you just want to indulge in slow-burn dramas, this one hits most of the high notes! The story was inspired by the infamous love story between the famous German classical musician-composer Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann, the wife of Robert Schumann. Without being too overly dramatic, this drama offers a lighthearted love story.
Yumi’s Cells
This is a webtoon-based drama that started after Kim Yumi (Kim Go Eun) went through a painful breakup. This caused her love cells to fall into a deep coma, pushing other surrounding cells to work tirelessly to revive the fallen cell. Now, Yumi spends her days stuck in the grind of everyday life, until Goo Woong (Ahn Bo Hyun) comes along.
What’s good about this drama is that it’s a charming rom-com mixed with some live-action animation. It gives you a microscopic look into some animated scenes of Yumi’s cells as one of the protagonists. Besides the cute visuals, this drama is light and refreshing. It’s a good laugh and written with relatable characters that you will love.
Run On
This romance drama revolves around track and field athlete Ki Seon Gyeon (Yim Si Wan), film translator Oh Mi Joo (Shin Sae Kyeong), art student Lee Yeong Hwa (Kang Tae Oh), and heiress Seo Dan Ah (Choi Soo Young). As they struggle with life, love, and coming to know their true selves, this drama is relatable and comforting on top of being entertaining.
Run On is a good slice-of-life drama that centers around acceptance, purpose, and belonging. Even without huge climaxing moments, it still fills you in with a progressive storyline that gives you romance, drama, and comedy. So if you’re looking for a pick-me-upper in a treasure trove of K-dramas, this one should be a great choice!
Reply 1988
This third installment of the Reply series takes you back to a poignant year in South Korea and how five friends lived through it and created their own dreams. Given what was available to them at the time, we see them go through the demands of school, falling in love, and family matters that everyone can relate to. Just like the first two franchises, this story also ropes you into a guessing game on who ends up with the female lead.
Reply 1988 gives a nostalgic look at the simplicity of life back then, it’s also a heartwarming series that you can’t miss out on. It became one of the most popular Reply series among the three and it’s all for good reason. Besides a stellar cast, it just leaves feeling warm and fuzzy at the end.
Hospital Playlist
This medical K-drama is about 5 friends who are doctors at Yuljae Medical. They have been friends since med school, and this series shows their daily lives, friendship, passions, and romance! Lee Ok-jun (Cho Jung Seok) is an assistant professor of general surgery who has a good sense of humor. Ahn Jeong Wong (Yoo Yeon Seok) is in pediatric surgery as he loves kids so much. Chae Song Hwa (Jeon Mi Do) is an associate professor of neurosurgery and is the only girl in the group. Kim Jun Wan (Jung Kyung Ho) is a chief professor of cardiothoracic surgery who is blunt but actually caring. Then there’s Yang Seok Hyeong (Kim Dae Myeung), an awkward and loving son who’s also an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
This medical drama is not as traumatic or morbid as it revolves around events in the hospital. It focuses more on the great friendship between the main characters who are there for each other, be it a cancer scare, a divorce, or a sick family member. It’s a refreshing take on medical dramas that takes a tangent course from the usual fare.
