6 progressive K Dramas of 2021 that changed the stereotypes featuring Run On, Mr. Queen and more

A dive into some K Dramas of 2021 that had progressive storylines, realistic characters and more.

By Anoushka Mathew

Updated on Dec 20, 2021 | 05:19 PM IST | 5.1M

Run On, Mr. Queen Posters; Picture Courtesy: JTBC and tvN

K Dramas are known to be the typical ‘boy meets girl, they fall in love with little to no issues and live happily ever after’ but these 6 dramas are completely different in the storylines, characters, settings and more. So here are the dramas:-

Run On

Ki Sun Gyeom (Im Siwan) is a sprinter on the national team who was forced to quit due to legal issues. Oh Mi Joo (Shin Se Kyung) writes translated subtitles for movies. She was thrilled to see her name listed among the credits when she first started. Ki Sun Gyeom had just quit sprinting when he encountered Oh Mi Joo, who felt that destiny most certainly brought them together. The chemistry shared between the main characters as well as the side couple was a sight to see. The slow burn love story may not be everyone’s cup of tea but their interactions are definitely the best part of the series.

Move to Heaven

Geu Roo (Tang Jun Sang) is a young autistic man. He works for his father’s business “Move To Heaven.” Their job is to arrange items left by deceased people. One day, Geu Roo's own father dies. Geu Roo is left alone, but his uncle Sang Koo (Lee Je Hoon) suddenly appears in front of him. Sang Koo is a cold man. He was a martial artist who fought in underground matches. He went to prison because of what happened at his fight. Sang Koo now becomes Geu Roo’s guardian. The heartwarming relationship shared between the uncle and nephew brews beautifully as they slowly understand each other. Lee Je Hoon as the crass underground fighter and Tang Jun Sang as the soft-hearted boy complimented each other really well.

Mr. Queen

Jang Bong Hwan (Choi Jin Hyuk) is a South Korean chef who has risen up the ranks to cook for the country’s top politicians in the Blue House’s presidential residences. Ever the dreamer, he finds himself in the body of the young queen, Kim So Yong (Shin Hye Sun), when whisked away to an era deep in Korea’s past. While Queen Kim So Yong’s husband is the reigning monarch, King Cheol Jong (Kim Jung Hyun), he is so in name only. The late King Sunjo’s Queen, Sun Won, has taken advantage of King Cheol Jong’s better nature, and is ruling the realm in his name. And she faces competition from her own brother, Kim Jwa Guen, who also has designs on power. Shin Hye Sun as the manly queen was one of the funniest characters of 2021. Her antics, cooking skills and expressions attracted many eyeballs to the series.

Nevertheless

Park Jae Eon (Song Kang) is a university student, majoring in art. He seems nice to everyone and he is usually cheerful. Yet, he is really indifferent to others and he doesn't want to have a romantic relationship. Unexpectedly, he falls for Yoo Na Bi (Han So Hee) and begins to change. Yoo Na Bi is an art student at the same university as Park Jae Eon. In the past, she broke up with her first love due to his unfaithful ways. After that, she decided to become unswayed by love. She then meets Park Jae Eon and develops feelings for him. While their relationship was a typical push and pull kind of relationship, the focus should be on the lesbian side characters Yoon Sol (Lee Ho Jung) and Seo Ji Wan (Yoon Seo A). They had a short love story but the progress was beautiful to watch as they came to terms with their feelings for each other.

Hospital Playlist 1 and 2

The stories of people going through their days that are seemingly ordinary but actually special, at the hospital, a place known as the microcosm of life, where someone is being born and someone's life meets their ending. The five doctors are long-time friends of 20 years who started their undergrad in 1999 in the same medical school and now are colleagues in the same hospital and have a band together. The camaraderie between the main cast members was comforting as well as the love lines that brewed in the second season.

My Name

Following her father's murder, a revenge-driven woman puts her trust in a powerful crime boss and enters the police force under his direction. Yoon Ji Woo (Han So Hee), a member of the organized crime ring, goes undercover as a police officer and harbors cold revenge in her heart. Helping Yoon Ji Woo go undercover is Choi Moo Jin (Park Hee Soon), the boss of the biggest drug ring in Korea, whose true motives are not easy to read. Han So Hee brought the character to life with the display of raw emotions and action and her chemistry with Ahn Bo Hyun was an added bonus!