5 K-Dramas With Womances That Steal The Show
You’ve probably heard of “bromance” in the drama world. If you haven’t, it’s basically code for friend romance between two male characters, and their chemistry is just that good. If you’ve seen shows like “Goblin” or “The Devil Judge,” then you know what top-tier bromance looks like. But the female equivalent—be it “womance,” “sismance,” “galmance,” or “girlmance”—isn’t talked about as much, though it definitely deserves the same buzz.
These five K-dramas are all about maintaining the girl code, being a seriously good friend, and having chemistry that easily rivals any real romance happening in the show.
Warning: Some spoilers ahead!
“Her Private Life”
In the daytime, Sung Duk Mi (Park Min Young) is a classy, suit-wearing art gallery curator who seems to be more dedicated to her work than anything else in her life. She never misses a step and is always on top of things at work. But in her private life (wink, wink), Duk Mi is a serious fan of K-pop idol Cha Shi An (Jung Je Won). So much so that she runs his fansite and lugs a massive camera around to take professional-quality photos of him.
Despite her secret fangirl activities, she’s been able to keep her two lives separate. That is, until a new gallery director, Ryan Gold (Kim Jae Wook), joins the office. With good instincts and a no-nonsense attitude, it isn’t long until Ryan starts to piece together Duk Mi’s little secret. To make matters more complicated, the gallery ends up doing a project with none other than Shi An. That’s when things get juicy.
Thankfully, Duk Mi has an ally on her side: her best friend, Lee Seon Ju (Park Jin Joo). She’s also a stan of Shi An, and she’s one of the few people who know of and support Duk Mi’s secret identity. Through all the things Duk Mi has to go through, Seon Ju is the ultimate friend that she can always rely on.
But seriously, what’s stronger than two fierce working women stanning the same idol?
Why it’s worth the watch:
Duk Mi’s constant struggle to balance her two different lives is just so funny and relatable. Who says a diehard fangirl and a successful business woman can’t be the same person? If you stan an idol or group, Duk Mi getting the chance to see her idol IRL will be a highlight. Underneath the silliness and romance, “Her Private Life” is really about being true to yourself and loving someone as they are.
Start watching “Her Private Life” now:
“A Business Proposal”
A simple deal between two besties is actually what starts the whole story of “A Business Proposal.” And it’s a hilariously chaotic start, to say the least.
At the request of her best friend Jin Yeong Seo (Seol In Ah), Shin Ha Ri (Kim Se Jeong) agrees to go in place of Yeong Seo on a blind date. Yeong Seo, the daughter of a wealthy family, is a firm believer in finding true love organically, but she’s been forced to go on multiple blind dates by her family.
Being the good friend that she is, Ha Ri throws on a lavish disguise with the plan to break up with the guy right away. But she’s hit with shock when she sees her blind date is Kang Tae Moo (Ahn Hyo Seop), the CEO of the company she works at. She pulls out all the stops, but her outlandish and blunt attitude ends up having the opposite effect, and Tae Moo asks to see her again, insisting they go through with an arranged marriage.
The two besties join forces to try and get Tae Moo to stop pursuing the fake Yeong Seo (or any Yeong Seo, for that matter).
Why it’s worth the watch:
“A Business Proposal” is widely silly with an over-the-top sense of humor while still doing the romantic scenes so well. Watching Ha Ri go back and forth between her regular 9-to-5 identity and her sassy, rich girl persona is like a spoof on the classic Cinderella tale.
“One More Happy Ending”
“One More Happy Ending” (aka “Happy Once Again) is about Han Mi Mo (Jang Nara), an ex-girl-group-member turned matchmaker who hasn’t had the best of luck in the relationship department. Despite her love woes, she runs a successful company that helps people find their perfect match. After a painful divorce and a messy end with a two-timing boyfriend, Mi Mo can’t help but wonder if her perfect match is really out there. That’s when she meets two possible bachelors.
First is Goo Hae Joon (Kwon Yool), a divorced doctor with prince-level looks. He treats Mi Mo during an emergency visit, and she proclaims she has fallen in love (can’t blame her!). Coincidentally, Hae Jun was a big Mi Mo fan during her K-pop days. Second is Song Soo Hyuk (Jung Kyung Ho), an old classmate of Mi Mo’s and a single father who happens to live next door to her. As the K-drama world would have it, Hae Joon and Soo Hyuk are longtime best friends.
But Mi Mo isn’t the only gal in search of love. So are her three besties, Baek Da Jeong (Yoo Da In), Go Dong Mi (Yoo In Na), and Hong Ae Ran (Seo In Young). These girls might have very different personalities, but they’re always there for each other in a pinch. As they face the scary world of love, marriage, and family, their womance remains strong through routine coffee shop meetings and onesie sleepovers.
Why it’s worth the watch:
Along with major female empowerment and heartwarming friendship throughout, “One More Happy Ending” is just so, so hilarious. Every episode is literally laugh-out-loud funny. If you miss the humor and cheesiness of dramas from the 2015-2016 era, this will hit the spot.
Start watching “One More Happy Ending” now:
“Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo”
This coming-of-age story is about a weightlifting university student, Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung), and her two fellow weightlifting friends, Jung Nan Hee (Jo Hye Jung) and Lee Sun Ok (Lee Joo Young), facing the treacherous world of college, sports, and young romance together.
One day, Bok Joo meets a handsome man named Jung Jae Yi (Lee Jae Yoon) on the street and immediately becomes smitten. She later finds out he is a doctor at an obesity clinic and makes an appointment as an excuse to see him again. In pursuit of her first chance at romance, she signs up for the weight-loss program and hides the fact she is a weightlifting major who should actually be gaining weight.
Just before this, she reunites with someone from her childhood: a swimmer at her university named Jung Joon Hyung (Nam Joo Hyuk). They quickly become frenemies since Joon Hyung likes to pick on her whenever he can.
Her college world and secret crush on her doctor collide when she runs into Joon Hyung at the clinic, only to find out he is her doctor’s younger brother. If he was teasing her before, you can bet this secret will give him a lot of new material to work with.
Why it’s worth the watch:
This drama is 100 percent feel good. There’s no grand or complicated storyline — it’s just a relatable story about a girl finding out who she is and learning about love, but trust that it’s never boring. The friendships in the show are truly golden. From solving an on-campus mystery to surviving strength training and putting a few mean girls in their place, these three girls go through everything together. The trio’s mukbang scenes are also iconic.
Start watching “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo” now:
“Guardian: The Lonely and Great God”
Whether you’re a longtime K-drama fan or a newbie, you’ve probably already watched or at least heard of “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (also known as “Guardian” or “Goblin”). This epic love story is about Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), a cursed immortal goblin who has lived for hundreds of years. A magical sword stuck in his chest, invisible to most, reminds him of a past that still haunts him.
Everything starts to change when he meets Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun), a senior high schooler who can see and communicate with ghosts. When she meets Kim Shin, she claims she’s the Goblin’s bride. Legend has it that the Goblin’s bride can remove the sword in his chest and end his immortality, something Kim Shin desperately wants.
At the same time, Kim Shin gets an unexpected housemate: a grim reaper (Lee Dong Wook). The grim reaper is connected to the pasts of both Eun Tak and Kim Shin. As a grim reaper, he is supposed to stay focused on his job and nothing else, but he meets a human named Sunny (Yoo In Na) and feels an unavoidable pull toward her.
While the two male leads in “Goblin” usually get all the credit for having one of the best bromances of all time, the female leads deserve the same praise. The two female leads meet when Sunny hires Eun Tak to work at her chicken shop. It starts with giving her a job, but Sunny quickly takes on a caring sister role toward Eun Tak. You might fall in love with the bromance, but don’t sleep on the chemistry between these two ladies.
Why it’s worth the watch:
“Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” is pretty much a classic K-drama at this point. It’s a must-watch no matter what genre you lean toward or what stage of your K-drama journey you are on! The strong womance is only part of what makes it exceptionally great.
Start watching “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” now:
What dramas have your favorite female leads? Have you watched any from this list yet? Let us know in the comments below!
Asya’s a BL-biased Soompi writer with a love of K-pop and all types of Asian dramas. Some of her favorite shows are “Psychopath Diary,” “Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!,” “Light On Me,” “The Untamed,” “Go Go Squid!,” and “Cherry Magic!”
Currently watching: “Impression of Youth,” “Study Group,” “The Witch,” “Heart Stain,” and “Gel Boys.”
Looking forward to: “Secret Relationships,” “I’m the Most Beautiful Count,” “Love Carved in the Moonlight,” “Me and Thee,” and “The Love Matter.”
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