10 K-Dramas To Help You Get Through Hard Times
Life is sometimes super hard. And often times, when life throws you lemons, it’s impossible to even think about making lemonade. All we can do is wallow and wait for the time to pass and hope that time will heal everything.
With all the negativity in the world, it can be difficult to see the silver lining, but the one thing that the world of K-dramas has taught me is that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. You should continue to hope and believe that better days are on the horizon. Here’s a look at 10 K-dramas to watch if you’re looking for a bit of healing and hope to fill your days.
Warning: Spoilers for dramas below:
I Hear Your Voice
“I Hear Your Voice” stars Lee Jong Suk as Park Soo Ha and Lee Bo Young as Hye Sung. Soo Ha has the special gift of being able to read other people’s minds, which he got after seeing his father murdered when he was younger. He tries to track down Hye Sung, who was a key witness in putting away the murderer. He eventually finds her many years later and discovers that she is a lawyer.
This series is so hopeful in terms of the satisfying feeling of seeing bad and evil people being brought to justice. Soo Ha’s ability to read the minds of crooked people and call them out on it will give you the sense that all can be right in the world. Also, seeing Soo Ha persist and persevere for Hye Sung’s heart might seem like a long shot considering their age difference, but it just makes everything far more perfect when they end up together.
Watch “I Hear Your Voice”:
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim
A more recent drama, “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim” stars Park Min Young as the perfectionist secretary, Kim Mi So, and Park Seo Joon as the arrogant chaebol, Lee Young Joon. When Mi So approaches Young Joon and delivers a resignation from her position as his secretary, it makes Young Joon a little crazy. He’s desperate to keep her by his side and even proposes marriage. Mi So ends up in a battle trying to get away from her crazy boss, but with time, she slowly discovers that the fate she shares with her boss goes way back to even before she became his secretary.
In a series where the two main leads go through a very traumatizing event of being kidnapped as children, they find peace in each other. They are able to find healing in knowing they weren’t the only ones who went through such a traumatizing event.
It’s a beautiful romance and relationship where the two main leads are able to comfort each other and love each other whole-heartedly because of their broken past. It’s a beautiful rom-com!
Start watching “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”:
It’s Okay, That’s Love
In “It’s Okay, That’s Love,” Jo In Sung stars as the megastar writer, Jang Jae Yeol, who meets Ji Hae Soo, played by Gong Hyo Jin. They develop a strong distaste for each other, but when Hae Soo discovers that the owner of the house she’s renting and living in belongs to Jae Yeol, she must make amends with him and put up with his arrogant ways. Despite their hate for each other, the two discover that they’re a lot alike and this becomes a breaking point in their relationship. From there stems a beautiful romantic relationship.
With a cast including the likes of Jo In Sung, Gong Hyo Jin, Lee Kwang Soo, Lee Sung Kyung, and D.O. of EXO, you really can’t go wrong. Especially when they’re all in the business of trying to heal your soul. They pretty much hit the nail on the head when it comes to breaking down the stigmas of mental illness and bringing it to light. It’s a prominent issue in the world, and when Jae Yeol discovers that he has a mental illness, it’s his group of misfit friends and community of people who help him get through it. There’s nothing more healing than the overwhelming power of friendship and love.
Start watching “It’s Okay, That’s Love”:
Just Between Lovers
Junho and Won Jin Ah star in “Just Between Lovers,” a series about a tragic accident that happens to the lives of Lee Kang Doo (Junho) and Ha Moon Soo (Won Jin Ah). The two characters meet as adults and don’t realize that they were both involved in the accident that happened when they were children. They fall in love after having to work together on a construction site.
When watching the series, you really see how the accident affected Kang Doo and Moon Soo. Kang Doo lives his life without much purpose and not really caring about what happens to himself. Moon Soo has been traumatized so much that she can’t even remember what happened. The two find solace in each other after they learn that they were both there that day.
It brings comfort and hope to two people who experienced such tragic and devastating losses. It’s definitely a must watch if you’re looking for some healing!
Start watching “Just Between Lovers”:
You Who Forgot Poetry
“You Who Forgot Poetry” stars Lee Yoo Bi as Woo Bo Young, Lee Joon Hyuk as Yi Jae Wook, and Jang Dong Yoon as Shin Min Ho and is a series that focuses on Woo Bo Young’s first loves and love for poems. Her first love is Min Ho, the charming and rich but arrogant college boy who could care less about her. When she runs into him again at the hospital she works at, the two form a friendship. So when Bo Young starts to develop feelings for Jae Wook, Min Ho starts to realize that maybe he’s had feelings for her all along.
This series has got the deepest and introspective poems that are pretty much shared at every episode. Each poem corresponds with the theme of the episode and although there isn’t too much that happens throughout the series, it touches your soul. Bo Young’s feelings are so relatable and the thoughts she has as a result of life’s hardships all help to give a different perspective. It’s a series about love – unrequited and true, and is a series that anyone can find hope in.
The Best Hit
There’s so much to love about “The Best Hit.” With its star-studded cast of Yoon Shi Yoon, Lee Se Young, Kim Min Jae, Cha Tae Hyun, Lee Deok Hwa, Cha Eun Woo, and Yoon Son Ha, you can expect to be entertained. When Yoo Hyung Jae (Yoon Shi Yoon), a ’90s idol finds himself in the modern day, he’s obviously confused. But when he falls in love with Woo Seung (Lee Se Young) and discovers that Ji Hoon (Kim Min Jae) is his long-lost son, he starts to wonder if he really wants to go back to his time in the past.
This series tugs at the heartstrings. There are several characters who Hyun Jae had some unfinished business with in the past, and the series touches on those relationships. All the people he wronged in the past, he’s given the opportunity to make right, which makes us all feel pretty good inside. Because when things aren’t going right in life, it’s sometimes good to see them go right in K-dramas.
Your House Helper
“Your House Helper” has the premise of cleaning, which in turn, therapeutically makes us feel pretty darn good. Ha Seok Jin stars as Kim Ji Woon, a character who has a pretty weird passion of being a housekeeper. Given the fact that he’s a chaebol, it’s pretty odd that he’s decided to follow his dreams of cleaning. He becomes the housekeeper for a household of women who all have different personalities and backgrounds.
There’s something so comforting about seeing Ha Seok Jin cleaning in almost every episode of the series. It seriously almost makes you want to clean yourself. The drama also provides some pretty good tips on cleaning, and the female characters are all charming in their own ways. Seeing their relationships build and seeing how they each tackle the hardships of life make this series a worthwhile watch and one that will leave you feeling like you almost went to a therapy session.
Start watching “Your House Helper”:
Because This Is My First Life
In “Because This Is My First Life,” Lee Min Ki stars as Nam Sae Hee, an awkward computer designer who is house poor, while Jung So Min stars as Yoon Ji Ho, an aspiring drama writer who is on the brink of giving up on her dreams because she can’t afford to live in the city. The two meet and decide to have a contract marriage so that Sae Hee’s parents will stop setting him up on blind dates and so that Ji Ho can look for a job.
While the synopsis is pretty cliche, there’s so much about this drama that really hits home. Firstly, there’s the very much relatable Ji Ho who is just trying to get by in life. While everyone else around her seems to be succeeding without much effort, Ji Ho always feels like she’s at a standstill. Her big heart and big dreams really make us want her to succeed. Then there’s Sae Hee with his quirky and odd personality, who has been burned from a past relationship, preventing him from wanting to open up his heart to anyone else. It’s something a lot of people can relate to.
With these factors, “Because This Is My First Life” takes us through the pains and hopes of several characters who just try to come to terms with this thing called life. It’s a beautiful journey and one that a lot of us might find healing from.
Start watching “Because This Is My First Life”:
Healer
What an epic K-drama. “Healer” is one of those K-dramas that you can watch countless times and it’s still just as good. The drama stars Ji Chang Wook as Seo Jung Hoo, a man who runs errands anonymously, and Park Min Young as Chae Young Shin, a journalist. The two have parents who knew each other and were involved in a tragic mystery. They fall in love and figure out a way to solve the mystery of both their parents.
There’s a lot that goes on this series, but the romance and love between Jung Hoo and Young Shin pretty much make everything right in the world. They have such undying love for each other that it really makes you want to believe in fate, soulmates, and true love. When the world around them seems to say that they can’t be together, they discover that they need each other.
Their love is perfect and along with the soundtrack, it’s enough to heal the darkest of days.
Start watching “Healer”:
Romance Is A Bonus Book
A new series that deserves a spot on this list – “Romance Is A Bonus Book” stars Lee Jong Suk as Cha Eun Ho, a writer and editor of a publishing company, and Lee Na Young as Kang Dan Yi, a mother that’s trying to get back into the workforce. The two met when they were children, and in a twist of events, became best friends. Fast forward to when they’re adults, Dan Yi gets a divorce and has to find a job in order to support her daughter. She turns to Eun Ho to help her and Dan Yi ends up getting a job at the same company as Eun Ho.
The beautiful thing about this series is encompassed in the character Dan Yi. She struggles to make ends meet and even ends up homeless at one point. Despite this, you can see that the light within her never dies. She’s thankful for every opportunity and chance if it means she can support her daughter. It’s a character to admire and remind us to stay positive.
To all the Dan Yi’s in the world!
Hey Soompiers, which of these K-dramas is your favorite healing drama? Let me know in the comments below!
binahearts is a Soompi writer whose ultimate biases are Song Joong Ki and BIGBANG. She is also the author of “K-POP A To Z: The Definitive K-Pop Encyclopedia.” Make sure you follow binahearts on Instagram as she journeys through her latest Korean crazes!
Currently watching: “The Last Empress,” and “Running Man”
All-time favorite dramas: “Secret Garden,” “Goblin,” “Because This Is My First Life,” “Star In My Heart”
Looking forward to: Won Bin‘s return to the small screen and Song Joong Ki‘s next drama
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