These are dramas I watched and enjoyed. I hope you agree with my selection.

Approved by Kat

As a child, Ki Ha Myung’s (Lee Jong Suk) life was torn apart by the media: his firefighter father was accused of killing his team members, and his devastated mother jumped off a cliff, trying to take Ha Myung with her. However, Ha Myung survived, rescued by an old man with memory loss who renamed him after his own deceased son. Now named Choi Dal Po, he grew up with his “niece” Choi In Ha (Park Shin Hye), a girl the same age as him who suffers from "Pinocchio Syndrome," which causes her to hiccup uncontrollably whenever she tells a lie. As adults, they end up hired as reporters for rival news stations, navigating the cutthroat world of broadcast news, and encountering ethical dilemmas and the tragic consequences of biased reporting while also working through their burgeoning feelings for each other and the dark secrets of their pasts.

Pinocchio

The Can't Lie Team

South Korean special forces officer Yoo Si Jin (Song Joong Ki) falls for surgeon Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo) but their ideological differences force them to split up. Now, war has broken out in a faraway nation, and Si Jin’s unit is deployed on the battleground. Coincidentally, an unpleasant workplace incident has forced Mo Yeon to join a group of medical volunteers in the same country. The former lovers reunite, but can they find love again – against the backdrop of a bloody war? This 2016 South Korean drama series was directed by Lee Eung Bok and Baek Sang Hoon.

Descendants of the Sun

The Sunshine Team

Ji Hae Soo (Kong Hyo Jin), a prickly psychiatrist, finds her meticulously ordered life upended when she crosses paths with Jang Jae Yul (Zo In Sung), a charming and successful mystery novelist with a secret. While they get off on an adversarial foot, they gradually begin to fall for each other, especially when a series of strange circumstances leads them to start living together far sooner than they ordinarily would have. As their unconventional romance blossoms, Hae Soo uncovers the depths of Jae Yul’s past trauma, revealing a hidden battle with mental illness. Can their love truly conquer the invisible demons that threaten to tear them apart?

It's Okay, That's Love

Love Obsessed Team

Betrayed by his king, Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), a decorated military general from the Goryeo Dynasty, was forced to watch his family die before him. Saved by the Almighty, yet condemned to an eternal life as a goblin, Kim Shin uses his supernatural abilities to save humans, including the mother of Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun), an optimistic high school student with a strange connection to the supernatural. When Eun Tak is repeatedly drawn to him, Kim Shin wonders if she might be the one he has spent an eternity searching for, the only one who can set his soul free, the Goblin Bride. Written by Kim Eun Sook, this award-winning 2016 South Korean fantasy romance series was directed by Lee Eung Bok and Kwon Hyuk Chan.

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

The Immortal Team

JTBC

Born from a long line of women gifted with monumental strength, Do Bong Soon (Park Bo Young) is far from ordinary. Only able to use her power for good, Bong Soon agrees to work as a bodyguard for Ahn Min Hyeok (Park Hyung Sik), the recently endangered chaebol heir and CEO of gaming company Ainsoft. With dreams of developing a video game of her own, Bong Soon hopes that by working with Min Hyeok, she’ll find a way to turn her dreams into reality. Meanwhile, her childhood friend, Detective Gook Doo (Ji Soo), is on the hunt for a kidnapper whose path soon crosses with Bong Soon. Using her gifts for the greatest good, will Bong Soon find her life full of everything she’s dreamed of and more? This is a 2017 South Korean romantic comedy series directed by Lee Hyung Min.

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Small but Mighty Team

Nam Sae Hee (Lee Min Ki), a socially awkward IT employee in his early 30s, has exhausted his savings buying a house, leaving him financially strained. Yoon Ji Ho (Jung So Min), a struggling writer in her 30s, finds herself homeless and struggling to make ends meet. When Ji Ho becomes a tenant in Sae Hee's house, their unexpected living arrangement sets the stage for a unique relationship. As they navigate their personal, familial, and financial challenges together, they begin to discover unexpected connections and support in each other's lives. Their journey raises questions about love, survival, and personal growth in difficult economic circumstances. This is a 2017 South Korean drama series directed by Park Joon Hwa.

Because This Is My First Life

The Scrimp & Scrape Team

EBC, CTV

Li Zheng (Wang Zi) and Shao Xi (Joanne Tseng), children of long-time friends, embody their names' meanings - Li Zheng being diligent and attentive, while Shao Xi remains laid-back and carefree. When Li Zheng returns to Taiwan from Japan and enters high school, he encounters Shao Xi for the first time. Despite their contrasting personalities, a powerful connection draws them together, challenging them to adapt and understand each other. As their relationship develops, they must navigate the complexities of their differences and the strong forces that seem to both unite and potentially separate them. This is a 2017 Taiwanese drama series exploring the unexpected dynamics of young love.

Attention, Love!

Attention, Love! Team

During the political turmoil of 18th-century Joseon, Baek Dong Soo (Ji Chang Wook) was adopted by a swordsmith and grew up alongside Yeo Woon (Yoo Seung Ho). However, their paths diverge dramatically in adulthood: while Dong Soo embraces justice and loyalty, eventually joining the royal guard, Woon is drawn into a clandestine assassin organization, becoming a skilled but conflicted killer. Their brotherhood is tested as they find themselves on opposing sides of a brewing war, one fighting to protect the Crown Prince and the other serving a shadowy faction aiming to overthrow the kingdom. This drama was based on the comic “Honorable Baek Dong Soo” by Lee Jae Heon.

Warrior Baek Dong Soo

⚔The New Joseon Warriors ⚔

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

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.

What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim

The Perfect Secretaries Team

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

Fuji TV

Back in high school, a meteorite crashed into Kotoko (Honoka Yahagi)'s home, leaving her with no choice but to move in with classmate Naoki (Yuki Furukawa). For Kotoko, this was a dream come true, as she’d had a longstanding crush on Naoki. Despite his initial disdain for her, Naoki eventually fell for Kotoko, and they ended up getting married. However, married life may not be the sweet fantasy they’d dreamed it would be. Kotoko has decided to become a nurse, but her studies aren’t going well. Plus, having a charming, good-looking husband has its drawbacks – as Naoki seems to have no shortage of female admirers! Can they overcome these hurdles and ensure their love survives the test of time? This 2014 Japanese drama, based on the hit manga of the same name by Kaoru Tada, follows 2013’s Mischievous Kiss: Love in TOKYO. It was directed by Kazuya Konaka and Takashi Ninomiya.

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