Summary
Romances are a staple feature inK-dramas, and many of 2024’s best series featured some incredible couples that will be hard to forget. From classic tropes to unique twists,this year’s K-dramas have seen some beautiful and devastating love storiesthat can easily make audiences laugh, cry, or sometimes even both. While some of these romances play a bigger part in their respective series than others, they all help to contribute to their show’s success as some of thebest K-dramas of 2024.
2024’s K-drama slate is full of incredible showsthat only continue to impress.Pyramid Gamelived up to the legendarySquid Gameas its perfect replacement, whileSweet Homeconcluded its dramatic tale of humans and monsters with a bang.The best K-dramasoften feature dramatic storylines and addictive sub-plots that make binge-watching seem necessary. This is especially true for romance fans, as 2024 has delivered some of thebest K-drama romancesbetween doomed lovers and fairytales.
This Rom-Com K-Drama From 4 Years Ago Is Perfect If You Miss Kim Yoo-jung’s My Demon
2023’s My Demon showcased a tender relationship between a powerful heiress and a powerless demon, and the perfect follow-up came out 4 years ago.
8Do Da-hae & Bok Gwi-ju
The Atypical Family
The Atypical Familyfocuses on problems within modern society and how this affects a family whose unique superpowers are stunted by social issues.At the heart of the story is Bok Gwi-ju (Jang Ki-yong), whose depression means he can no longer travel back to the happiest moments in his life. This is until he meets con artist Do Da-hae (Chun Woo-hee) as she becomes an unexpected variable and grants him the ability to change the past as he always wished to have.
Unlike many other K-dramas on this list,The Atypical Familyfavors a melodrama romance rather than one bound by romantic comedy traditions. This gives Da-hae and Gwi-ju’s unconventional relationship a much more sincere feeling, especially as they both battle their demons. While it certainly doesn’t have the same impact as other romances from 2024,Da-hae and Gwi-ju’s slow-burn relationship is a bright light inThe Atypical Family.Their relationship gives the characters a new-found hope that is wonderful to watch develop on-screen.
Cast
The Atypical Family is a 2024 comedy-drama series created by Hannah Jacobs. It follows the lives of the eccentric Thompson family as they navigate challenges and opportunities with humor and resilience. Starring Emma Thompson and David Tennant as the parents, the show delves into themes of identity, acceptance, and the complexities of modern family life.
7King Yi-in and Kang Hee-soo
Captivating the King
A stronghistorical K-dramawith an enticing concept,Captivating the Kingdelivers an incredible romance that is full of complications.Captivating the Kinguses many popular K-drama tropes with great successand presents a series that is ultimately captivating throughout. At the center of the series, actors Jo Jung-suk and Shin Se-kyung punctuate the complexities of King Yi-in and Kang Hee-soo’s relationship with passionate and deep performances that make the K-drama soar to new heights.
Obstacles in the couple’s power dynamic make the budding romance between Yi-in and Hee-soo feel all the more intense.
While the dynamic thatCaptivating the Kingdepicts is not unique to the K-drama, it deserves merit for how well it is done. Obstacles in the couple’s power dynamic make the budding romance between Yi-in and Hee-soo feel all the more intense, particularly as political tensions within the courts begin to reach their boiling points. Although the ending ofCaptivating the Kingdoesn’t quite meet expectations, this historical romance makes a strong impression and delivers a breathtaking romance.
6Nam Han-eul & Yeo Jung-woo
Doctor Slump
Doctor Slumpsees comedy mastersPark Shin-hye and Park Hyung-sik return to the rom-com genre with a bang.The K-drama focuses on an enemies-to-lovers story that shows the two actors' slapstick comedy skills at their best as their characters attempt to regain their footing after having professional and personal crises. The series is effortlessly funny, but it also focuses heavily on the theme of mental health and well-being. This adds depth to the leading couple’s relationship as they go out of their way to support one another in their darkest times.
The comedy ofDoctor Slumpnever outdoes its more serious message, allowing Nam Han-eul and Yeo Jung-woo’s character development to be front and center. While Han-eul and Jung-woo are not afraid to put each other in their place, they also value each other’s space. This results in some heartbreaking moments when they push each other away for their own well-being but makes their time together even more valuable.Doctor Slump’s romance may not have the same profound intensity as other 2024 K-dramas, butit’s a heartwarming story that Park Shin-hye and Park Hyung-sik deliver to perfection.
Doctor Slump is a South Korean romantic medical comedy-drama that initially aired in 2024. Two former high-school rivals, Nam Ha-neul and Yeo Jeong-woo, find themselves reunited after pursuing careers as doctors but were forced to leave their professions after unfortunate circumstances. Out of luck and out of jobs, the two live together in a small studio apartment and must learn to get along.
5Cho Sam-dal & Cho Yong-pil
Welcome to Samdal-ri
There’s something so refreshing about a K-drama that explores small-town life. It also provides a great opportunity for a romance-focused storyline.Welcome to Samdal-ridelivers this perfectly with a tale of three sisters who return to their hometown on Jeju Island to find respite after getting into trouble in the city. Each sibling finds love and a new sense of life within the K-drama, yet the best and most significant storyline comes from the middle sister, Cho Sam-dal (Shin Hye-sun), and her relationship with her childhood best friend, Cho Yong-pil (Ji Chang-wook).
Shin Hye-sun and Ji Chang-wook’s playful dynamic is chaotic but sensitive and givesWelcome to Samdal-rithe emotional charge and stability it needs to succeed.
Sam-dal’s relationship with Yong-pil is beautifully developedthroughoutWelcome to Samdal-ri. Their entwined storylines are well set up, but their initially tense meeting makes for a great conflict in the series. As their views towards each other begin to soften, it’s hard not to root for Sam-dal and Yong-pil as they navigate the difficulties of re-instating their romantic relationship. Shin Hye-sun and Ji Chang-wook’s playful dynamic is chaotic but sensitive and givesWelcome to Samdal-rithe emotional charge and stability it needs to succeed.
25 Best Love Triangles In K-Dramas, Ranked
Love triangles in K-dramas are one of the biggest tropes in the genre and sometimes the main plot point. What are the best of them all?
4Kang Ji-won & Yoo Ji-hyeok
Marry My Husband
Marry My Husbandis one of the year’s initial smash hits as it adds time-travel elements to a revenge story that sees Kang Ji-won (Park Min-young) go back in time to convince her husband to marry someone else. The story is full of marriage politics, intense rivalries, and devious antics that make it seem like a real romance for Park Min-young’s character off the cards. However, her love story with Yoo Ji-hyeok (Na In-woo) adds a welcome breath of fresh air to a K-drama that is so hellbent on destruction.
Ji-won and Ji-hyeok’s relationship echoes the message thatMarry My Husbandaims to present. Both characters are deeply unhappy in their situations and Ji-won’s second chance at life allows them to rewrite their futures and find happiness together inMarry My Husband’s ending. While their romance isn’t the main focus of the K-drama,Park Min-young and Na In-woo make their characters easy to root forand their love story one that shines in the face of darkness.
Kang Ji-won, a terminally ill cancer patient, is brutally murdered by her husband, Park Min-hwan, and her best friend, Jeong Su-min, after discovering their affair. Miraculously, Ji-won is transported ten years into the past, giving her a second chance at life and revenge. Determined to alter her fate, she partners with Yoo Ji-hyuk, a director at her company, and sets out to prevent her tragic end by exposing and dismantling the lives of her betrayers.
3Jeong Gu-won & Do Do-hee
My Demon
My Demonproves that Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung are titans in the K-drama worldas their epic fantasy romance is completely gripping. AlthoughMy Demonis full of classic K-drama tropes and clichés, it is easily one ofSong Kang’s best couplesand proves why Kim Yoo-jung are Song Kang are such a commanding pairing. The duo have an out-of-this-world chemistry that is hard to replicate and makes their return to another K-drama in a leading position well anticipated.
My Demonrelies on its sweeping fantasy elements to help its romance soar and does so with great success. Theunconventional love story between the icy heiress and a demongives an unusual spark thanks to incredible performances from Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung, grounding the unbelievable story with a more than believable romance. WhileMy Demonloses steam in its final episodes, the passion from the romance never dies and makes Gu-won and Do-hee’s relationship a must-watch for any romance K-drama fans.
My Demon is a fantasy drama series exploring the unlikely relationship between a kind-hearted woman and a cynical demon. As their worlds collide, they form an unexpected alliance to fend off threats from both human and supernatural realms. The series delves into themes of friendship, redemption, and the battle between good and evil.
2Im Sol & Ryu Sun-jae
Lovely Runner
Lovely Runner’s success is one of the biggest surprises of 2024. Based on the webtoonTomorrow’s Bestby Doong Doong, thetime-travel K-drama’s fanfiction-like concept led to major issues inLovely Runner’s production. However, the series' firm conviction in its depiction of a time travel romance and the insanely well-cast leading actors makeLovely Runnersuch an online sensation that it’s hard to ignore.
Byeon Woo-seok surprises audiences with his charisma, proving to be a perfect match for Kim Hye-yoon’s explosive performance.
Im Sol and Ryu Sun-jae’s relationship is rooted firmly in the rom-com genre and the two leading acting execute this insanely well. Kim Hye-yoon shows a lot of experience as a seasoned rom-com leading lady and newcomer Byeon Woo-seok surprises audiences with his charisma, proving to be a perfect match for Kim Hye-yoon’s explosive performance. Together, the duo makes a shallow story feel completely genuine.Sol and Sun-jae’s relationship develops naturally and gives a nice twist on such a popular genrethat makes the duo one of 2024’s most memorable K-drama couples.
Lovely Runner is a TV series that follows the story of a young athlete who rises to fame in the world of track and field. As the protagonist navigates the highs and lows of competitive sports, the series explores themes of perseverance, sacrifice, and personal growth.
1Hong Hae-in & Baek Hyun-woo
Queen of Tears
No 2024 K-drama romance matches the intensity ofQueen of Tears' Hong Hae-in and Baek Hyun-woo. As a couple on the brink of divorce,Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s relationshipstrives away from dynamics often seen in K-drama. This allows Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-Hyun to deliver career-best performances througha heartwrenching storyline that makesQueen of Tearsa clear K-drama classic in the making.
Queen of Tears' finale broke Crash Landing on You’s record for the highest-rated episode of a tvN show.
Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s relationship is the anchor ofQueen of Tears.Their progression from a couple who despises each other to one who would die for each other is devastating yet beautiful andKim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun deliver these performances to perfection. Both actors are at their best when paired together and make Hae-in and Hyun-woo’s chemistry seem all too magnetic as they slowly find their way back to one another. As a result, it’s hard not to see whyQueen of Tears’Hae-in and Hyun-woo is the bestK-dramaromance of 2024.
Queen Of Tears
Hong Hae-in, the heiress of the prestigious Queens Group, and her husband Baek Hyun-woo, known as the “supermarket prince,” navigate the complexities of their high-profile marriage. While Hae-in exudes a cold and calculating demeanor, Hyun-woo brings warmth and emotional depth to their relationship. Their union, celebrated as the “wedding of the century,” faces a monumental crisis that forces them to reassess their differences and rediscover the strength in their bond.
