From Kdrama rookie to Kdrama royalty; Here are 12 dramas to need to watch to aid you in your journey

What's so great about being a K-Drama Addict like everyone else, when you can be a K-Drama Royalty? For that, you have to go the extra mile and check off dramas that not many know about. Though these dramas are not super popular, they have exceptional plots and stellar performances from the cast.

If you think you've got what it takes to be K-Drama Royalty, here are 12 recommendations that'll help start your journey.

49 Days (2011)

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Shin Ji Hyun (Nam Gyu Ri) meets with a car accident the day before her wedding and slips into a coma. A grim reaper tells her that she’ll not be taken to the afterlife if three people shed genuine tears for her in the next 49 days. For this purpose, she possesses the body of Song Lee Kyung (Lee Yo Won), the woman who attempted to commit suicide which led to Shin Ji Hyun’s car accident. What starts off as a relatively easy task proves too much to handle when her memories slowly return to her over the next few weeks and she realises that her life before the accident was far from perfect.

Beating Again (2015)

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Kang Min Ho (Jung Kyung Ho) used to be a cold-hearted and ruthless investor who didn’t let his emotions get in the way. One day, he suffers from a heart attack and has to receive a heart transplant. After the surgery, his personality flips 180°. He is friendlier to the people around him and gets emotional over the slightest things. What is stranger is that he keeps getting a weird rush of emotions whenever he meets Kim Soon Jung (Kim So Yeon). That’s because the heart he received belonged to her fiancé, who suffered from brain damage from a mysterious car accident.

Missing Noir M (2015)

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Action

Gil Soo Hyun (Kim Kang Woo) is a genius detective working for the FBI. He chooses to return to South Korea to work for a special unit called the Special Missing Person Unit, which takes on some of the hardest cold cases. Join him on his journey to bring justice with Oh Dae Young (Park Hee Soon), a detective with many years of experience under his belt.

A Beautiful Mind (2016)

Genre: Melodrama, Medical

The plot draws inspiration from the novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley. Lee Young Oh (Jang Hyuk) is a top-notch neurosurgeon who can’t empathise with people due to a condition. When a series of mysterious deaths take place in the hospital, he finds himself working together with police officer Gye Jin Sung (Park So Dam) to try and uncover the truth. Things take a turn for the worse when people begin accusing Lee Young Oh of being a psychopath due to his inability to feel empathy.

Chicago Typewriter (2017)

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Chicago Typewriter follows the relationship between three individuals in their past and present lives. In the present, renowned writer Han Se Joo (Yoo Ah In) engages a ghost-writer by the name of Yoo Jin Oh (Go Kyung Pyo) when he meets with a writer’s block. During this time, he also comes across a fan of his, Jeon Seol (Lim Soo Jung). Unknown to the three, their relationships with one another goes way back to the time when Korea was under Japanese rule. As it turns out, their present-day encounter is not a mere coincidence.

Man to Man (2017)

Genre: Melodrama, Comedy, Action, Thriller

The requirements for a successful drama go beyond having a couple with good on-screen chemistry. There needs to be something to spice things up. Take Descendants of the Sun or even Goblin for example.

In Man to Man, you’ll witness a budding bromance as celebrity Yeo Woon Gwang (Park Sung Woong) engages bodyguard Kim Seol Woo (Park Hye Jin) for his security. Unknown to Yeo Woon Gwang, Kim Seol Woo is actually an undercover NIS agent. His mission proves harder than expected as on top of his growing bromance with Yeo Woon Gwang, he also finds himself falling for Woon Gwang’s manager, Cha Do Ha (Kim Min Jung).

Mother (2018)

Genre: Suspense, Crime

Mother is a heart-wrenching drama that touches on motherhood and child abuse – both of which are sensitive topics and bound to tug on your heartstrings. It challenges viewers to think about the true meaning of motherhood and what actually constitutes it. Kang Soo Jin (Lee Bo Young) works as a temporary teacher at Kim Hye Na’s (Heo Yool) elementary school. She realises that the child is being abused by her birth mother back at home, despite her saying otherwise. She decides to kidnap Kim Hye Na and take on the role of her mother.

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018)

Genre: Romance, Mystery, Thriller

A perfect balance of romantic and adrenaline-inducing scenes. If you’ve always avoided dramas that are too cheesy or thriller dramas that are too scary, this is for you. Kim Moo Young (Seo In Guk) doesn’t remember his past and becomes a suspect for a murder case. But his life starts to pick up when he runs into Yoo Jin Kang (Jung So Min), who piques his interest. Kim Moo Young tries to pursue Yoo Jin Kang, but her brother is a detective and disapproves of their budding relationship.

Doctor John (2019)

Genre: Medical, Romance, Mystery

The best part about this drama is the leads’ ability to immerse themselves into the characters throughout this suspense-filled drama. Cha Yo Han (Ji Sung) is a talented anaesthesiologist who’s quick to diagnose the ills of his patients, while Kang Shi Young (Lee Se Young) is a final-year resident doctor working under him. Prior to her residency, Kang Shi Young was working as a doctor in a prison when she first came across Cha Yo Han, who was jailed for euthanizing a patient with untreatable pain. but having the skills to cure the ills of his patients doesn’t mean that Cha Yo Han is able to do that for himself. Doctors make very bad patients. As Kang Shi Young works with him, she finds out about a painful secret of his that neither of them can find a cure to.

Secret Boutique (2019)

Genre: Thriller

Secret Boutique is all about the money, secrecy, politics, and corruption. Jenny Jang (Kim Sun Ah) is the proud owner of J-boutique, one of the most well-known high-end fashion houses in South Korea. But her life hasn’t always been this comfortable – she was born into poverty and only rose to fame with the help of an influential woman called Kim Yeo Ok (Jang Mi Hee). With a strong ambition for greater success and wealth, Jenny steps into the tangled world of politics and chaebol families, using her boutique as a front.

The Game: Towards Zero (2020)

Genre: Mystery, Crime

Kim Tae Pyeong (Ok Taecyeon) possesses a special ability where he can see when a person dies by looking into their eyes. When a serial killer is on the loose, Kim Tae Pyeong offers to help the police by using his ability. However, he realises that he can’t see the death of detective Seo Joon Yeong (Lee Yoon Hee).

The World of the Married (2020)

Genre: Romance, Melodrama, Thriller

Revolving around adultery, betrayal, revenge, every episode of this series is sure to get your emotions riled up. If you are looking for something outrageous and dramatic, be sure to check out The World of the Married, the ultimate makjang Korean drama of 2020.

Ji Sun Woo (Kim Hee Ae) is the envy of all women. She has it all - a successful career, a perfect family with a good-looking husband and a filial son. But all of these come crumbling down when her husband and her friends betray her. Follow Ji Sun Woo as the scorned woman sets out to get her revenge on the love of her life and those she used to trust.

ALSO READ: Eps 7 & 8 of Vincenzo preface a budding romance between Song Joong Ki & Jeon Yeo Bin as they grow closer

Have you watched any of these K-Dramas? Share your thoughts with Pinkvilla in the comments section down below!