Being friends was a choice, but falling in love is way beyond their control.

Here is the selection of dramas: from friends to lovers.
Do you prefer love stories that friends become lovers steadily rather than falling in love at first sight?
Follow the collection and share your favorites and opinions for those who are looking for similar dramas!

Friends to Lovers

iQIYI

Lu Ye Qi (Wang Jing Xuan), a quiet and brilliant math major, leads a double life as a professional comic artist. Though he sets out to create action-packed comics for boys, his lack of experience leads him to unintentionally produce stories that resonate more with female readers. Meanwhile, his classmate Zuo Qian Dai (Shen Yue), who harbors a huge crush on him, musters up the courage to confess her feelings—only for Lu Ye Qi to mistake her for a fan seeking his autograph. This fumbled encounter sparks an unexpected turn of events, leading Zuo Qian Dai to join his comic studio. As the team grows and their work gains popularity, dreams, creativity, and budding romance intertwine. Will Lu Ye Qi pursue the stories he truly wants to tell—and will Zuo Qian Dai’s love finally be returned?

The Comic Bang

Burst of Love Team

JTBC

Ten years ago, Gyeong WuYeon (Shin Ye Eun) and Lee Su (Ong Seong Wu) missed their chance at love due to a misunderstanding, despite both harboring deep feelings for each other. Now, a decade later, WuYeon, a calligrapher, and Lee Su, a professional photographer, still struggle with their unspoken emotions and missed opportunities. As their feelings intensify, WuYeon and Lee Su realize that their feelings are too strong to remain hidden. Will they overcome past misunderstandings and seize their chance for a happy ending, or will they remain forever caught in a cycle of what-ifs? This 2020 South Korean drama was directed by Choi Sung Bum.

More Than Friends

💕Friends or Lovers💕

One31

Pharan (Aimm Sanpetch Kunakorn) and Napdao (Cherprang Areekul) have been close friends since they were kids, maintaining their friendship even as they've grown into adults. Pharan leans more introverted, while Napdao's bright energy and positive outlook balances them out, as they lean on each other through school, career issues, family problems, and more. Gradually, Pharan and Napdao's feelings for each other begin to change, but confessing romantic feelings would forever change their lifelong friendship with each other, and the timing never seems to quite line up. Will they ever manage to successfully change their relationship from friends to lovers – or could this end their friendship for good?

9 Years of You

🔮 Magic 🪄 9 Team 🎩

Twenty four-year-old Jung Hee Wan (Kim Min Ha) lives as a recluse, having lost her will to live. Suddenly, she receives a visit from her childhood friend and first love, Kim Ram Woo (Gong Myoung). However, this is no ordinary visit: Ram Woo is now a grim reaper after he died six years ago, and he's come to let Hee Wan know that she only has one week left to live. With Ram Woo's encouragement, Hee Wan creates a bucket list of things to do in her final days alive, and the two begin to fulfill her final wishes. As Hee Wan and Ram Woo reconnect, they explore what life and death mean to them – and what love might have in store. This drama was adapted from the novel "A Week Before I Die" by Seo Eun Chae.

Way Back Love

✨ The Marvellous ✨ team

Despite not being biologically related, Kim Sanha (Hwang In Youp), Yoon Juwon (Jung Chaeyeon), and Kang Haejun (Bae Hyeonseong) share a close bond with each other. The trio spent their adolescence raised by Juwon's father Jeongjae (Choi Won Young) and Sanha's father Daeuk (Choi Moo Sung), who did their best to give them a happy childhood as they healed from past trauma. Upon reaching adulthood, however, Sanha and Haejun sought out their biological families, leaving Juwon behind. Ten years later, the five members of their found family reunite, but things aren't the same as they used to be – Juwon holds some resentment after feeling abandoned by Sanha and Haejun, while the two boys are struggling with new romantic feelings for Juwon and their own familial issues. Can these chosen siblings work out their feelings with each other, and will romance form between them? This drama was adapted from the 2020 Chinese drama "Go Ahead."

Family by Choice

Heartfelt Family Team

Sayako Shiratama (Alice Hirose), a 30-year-old working in a low-paying job, has long regretted failing her college entry exam. When she meets Taku Ogasawara (Shunsuke Michieda), a young college student who encourages her to pursue her dreams, she decides to return to studying. After successfully gaining university admission, she unexpectedly encounters Taku again, who is now her college senior. Their chance reunion raises the possibility of an unexpected romantic connection, despite their significant age difference. This 2023 Japanese drama series was directed by Takahiro Aoyama and Takeyoshi Yamamoto.

My Second AOHARU

🌹 The Late Bloomers 🖊 

In the late 1980s Seoul, five childhood friends from the Ssangmundong neighborhood navigate their challenging teen years together. Seong Deok Seon (Lee Hye Ri) struggles with her low school ranking, Kim Jeong Hwan (Ryu Jun Yeol) is soccer-obsessed, Seong Seon Woo (Ko Gyung Pyo) is the perfect student, Ryoo Dong Ryong (Lee Dong Hwi) is a knowledgeable geek, and Choi Taek (Park Bo Gum) is a genius baduk player who dropped out of school. As they support each other through various misadventures, they form unbreakable bonds that will shape their future lives. Their shared experiences and friendship become a testament to the power of youth and community during a transformative era in South Korean history. This is a 2015 South Korean nostalgic drama series directed by Shin Won Ho, the third installment in the "Reply" drama series.

Reply 1988

The Lucky Eights Team

Fuji TV

Mitari Yo (Adachi Rika) and Ishida Ren (Shirasu Jin), long-time best friends since high school, make a playful bet on their 29th birthday: whoever marries first receives a 300,000 yen cash gift before Mitari turns 31. As they navigate their professional lives in shoe manufacturing and urban redevelopment, unexpected romantic complications arise when a junior employee shows interest in Ishida and Mitari's ex-boyfriend Mizusawa Ryusei (Asaka Kodai) reappears. Their friendship is tested as they wonder if their true feelings might actually lie deeper than platonic companionship. Will one of them win the bet, or will they discover a different kind of connection? This is a 2019 Japanese drama based on a 2011 Taiwanese series, directed by Izuru Kumasaka.

In Time With You (JP)

Always With You Team

Kakao TV, SERIES ON

Gong Joo Yeong (Park Ji Hoon), a persistent 17-year-old high school student, falls for the cold and aloof Wang Ja Rim (Lee Ruby). Despite her initial disinterest, Ju Young's unwavering pursuit gradually softens her heart. His best friend Lee Kyeong Woo (Younghoon) and Ja Rim's friend Oh Ah Ram (Dayoung) become potential catalysts in their budding relationship. Based on Lee Yong Ka's popular webtoon, this is a 2020 South Korean Viki Original drama series.

Love Revolution

Teenage Love Team

Tencent

Tormented by rumors about her elder sister Qiao Bai Yu's death, teenager Qiao Qing Yu (Zhang Jing Yi) and her family move away from their village to the province's capital. However, Qing Yu still has her suspicions about what happened, and eventually teams up with her new classmate Ming Sheng (Zhou Yi Ran) to help her investigate the truth. Together, Qing Yu and Ming Sheng discover what really happened to Bai Yu, heal old family wounds... and even find love. This drama was adapted from the web novel "Huan Yu" by Qiang Yu.

Reborn

⚡Reborn souls 💔

Heavenly

Hee Su's (Ahn Ji Ho) life revolves around his best friend (and secret crush) Chan Young (Cho Jun Young), to the extent that his classmates know him as "Chan Young's friend" instead of by his own name. He's content with helping Chan Young with whatever he needs, from providing moral support or listening to his girl problems, as long as he can stay by Chan Young's side. But one day, Hee Su suddenly finds himself as the school's new advice expert, pushing him into the center of attention – but he doesn't know how he can give anyone advice when he can't even help himself! This drama was adapted from the webtoon of the same name by Lily Zuzu.

Programas