Nice solid dramas, not on constant rewatch list but worth a first watch. 

Cover image: Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung

Better

JTBC

Once bullied for her looks, Kang Mi Rae (Im Soo Hyang) undergoes a dramatic transformation through plastic surgery, only to face new challenges in college when people ridicule her for altering her appearance. Reconnecting with Do Kyung Suk (Cha Eun Woo), who values inner beauty over appearances, Mi Rae finds herself caught between external judgment and internal growth. As Kyung Suk stands up for her against harsh labels and superficial commentary, Mi Rae starts to reclaim her confidence and realizes that true beauty is about who you are on the inside… and starts to sense that she and Kyung Suk might become more than just friends. This 2018 Korean drama was adapted from the webtoon of the same name by Maenggi Ki and was directed by Choi Sung Bum.

My ID Is Gangnam Beauty

The Beauty Lovers

Sohn & Co

Disaster strikes teenage violin prodigy Woo Seo Ri (Shin Hae Sun) when a traffic accident leaves her hospitalized before she's supposed to study abroad in Germany. Gong Woo Jin (Yang Se Jong), who blames himself for the accident, is traumatized and plagued by guilt. Thirteen years later, he works as a set designer but remains emotionally cut off from everyone around him. After over twelve years in a coma, Seo Ri miraculously recovers. Though now thirty years old, she is still mentally a teenager. She crosses paths with Woo Jin, and the two become close, unaware of their shared past. Can these emotionally scarred individuals rescue each other, or will their history get in the way? This 2018 South Korean drama series was directed by Jo Soo Won.

Thirty But Seventeen

Do Min Ik (Kim Young Kwang) is a competent and clearheaded man who works as the executive of a leading telecommunications company. He recognizes people he has met just once and can read others’ thoughts – until he's diagnosed with face blindness. Jung Gal Hee (Jin Ki Joo), his dowdy, disheveled, but loyal secretary, is fired out of the blue. But on the same day, she witnesses Min Ik almost getting murdered. Min Ik, now suffering from face blindness, mistakes Gal Hee for Veronica Park (Kim Jae Kyung), a charming and influential film industry figure, and falls in love with her. Gal Hee starts pretending to be Veronica, but as time passes, even she starts getting confused about who she really is! But when Veronica finds out about Gal Hee’s double life, this complex tangle of relationships gets even more complicated.

The Secret Life of My Secretary

Secret Secretaries Team

No Ji Wook (Ji Chang Wook) is a successful public prosecutor whose life changes suddenly after intern Eun Bong Hee (Nam Ji Hyun) joins his team. The duo becomes close, but things get chaotic when Bong Hee is wrongly accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend. Ji Wook pulls out all the stops to help Bong Hee – jeopardizing his stellar career in the process. Ji Wook and Bong Hee realize that the only way out of this mess for both of them is to track down the real killer. But will they close the net in time? And could they find love together as they hunt this cunning criminal?

Suspicious Partner

The Suspicious Team

Park Bong Pal (Taecyeon), a college student with the ability to see ghosts, works as a part-time exorcist. When he meets Kim Hyeon Ji (Kim So Hyun), the ghost of a 19-year-old who died in a car accident, they form an unexpected partnership. After accidentally kissing, Hyun Ji discovers Bong Pal might hold the key to her past and moves in with him. Together, they help ghosts cross over to the afterlife, using Hyun Ji's unique ability to see how ghosts died. As they investigate, they become intrigued by the mysterious Professor Joo Hye Seong (Kwon Yool), who seems connected to their individual mysteries. This is a 2016 South Korean supernatural drama series based on the webcomic "Ssawooja Gwishina" by Im In Seu, directed by Park Joon Hwa.

Bring It On, Ghost

GHOSTBUSTERS

KBS2

During the Joseon Dynasty, Kim Yoon Hee (Park Min Young) disguises herself as a boy to support her struggling family by taking entrance exams for other students at Sungkyunkwan University. When the principled Lee Sun Joon (Park Yoo Chun) discovers her scheme, he unexpectedly helps her take the exam under her brother's identity and enter the university herself. They become roommates and classmates, with Yoon Hee befriending the playboy Goo Yong Ha (Song Joong Ki) and rebellious Moon Jae Shin (Yoo Ah In), while simultaneously developing feelings for Sun Joon. As she struggles to maintain her secret identity, Yoon Hee must navigate the challenges of university life and her growing emotions. This is a 2010 South Korean historical drama series based on a bestselling novel and directed by Kim Won Suk and Hwang In Hyuk.

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

After enduring tragedy and struggles as a child, Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won) made a successful career for herself as a stuntwoman, although she has little patience for nonsense. When she meets narcissistic and arrogant CEO Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin), she despises his attitude, but he feels strangely drawn to her in a way he can’t explain. Joo Won tries to win Ra Im over, but she rebuffs his advances, uninterested in the showy things he has to offer her. Their adversarial relationship takes an absurd turn when their souls swap, and they’re forced to act in each other’s lives while they try to find a cure for their conundrum – but neither of them could've expected that their body-switching would lead to falling in love.

Secret Garden

SG Team

Oh Ha Ni (Jung So Min) is head-over-heels for Baek Seung Jo (Kim Hyun Joong), the school's most popular boy, but there's just one problem: he doesn't even know she exists! Determined to win his heart, Ha Ni concocts countless schemes to get his attention, but nothing seems to work. But when all hope seems lost, fate steps in when an earthquake destroys Ha Ni’s house, forcing her and her father to move in with a family friend – who just happens to be Seung Jo’s father! Now living under the same roof, Ha Ni’s dreams of catching Seung Jo’s eye seem closer than ever. Will she finally melt his icy exterior, or is she doomed to be stuck in the friend zone forever ? This 2010 South Korean drama was adapted from Kaoru Tada’s manga of the same name.

Playful Kiss

the PKer team

Working-class highschooler Jan Di (Ku Hye Sun) secures a scholarship at the prestigious Shin Hwa High School. Shin Hwa is attended by elites, most infamously the F4 — the four richest boys in school. Not one to stir up trouble, Jan Di keeps to herself... until her best friend accidentally drops ice cream on F4 leader Goo Joon Pyo (Lee Min Ho). After Jan Di stands up for her friend, her anonymity goes out the window and the F4 won't leave her alone. However, as Jan Di learns more about the F4, she realizes that there's more than meets the eye... and it seems Joon Pyo feels the same way. Will this unlikely duo find romance? Released in 2009 and based on the Japanese manga of the same name, this drama is a worldwide phenomenon and a fan-favorite classic. It was directed by the late Jeon Ki Sang and Lee Min Woo.

Boys Over Flowers

🌸The Fabulous Four Team🌸

Lee Yeong Joon (Park Seo Joon) is the arrogant hotshot vice president of his family’s company, thanks to the tireless efforts of his incredibly talented secretary, Kim Mi So (Park Min Young). With her by his side for the last nine years, Yeong Joon has been able to appear like the shining star he believes he is. But when Mi So suddenly decides to quit, Yeong Joon quickly realizes just how important she is... and not just to his career. Jealous over his older brother, Lee Seong Yeon’s (Lee Tae Hwan) growing relationship with Mi So, Yeong Joon decides it’s time to get his secretary back, no matter what. Based on the novel of the same name by Jung Kyung Yoon, this 2018 South Korean romantic comedy series was directed by Park Joon Hwa.

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