5 Korean Dramas That Will Touch Your Heart

Korean Drama popularity is at its peak because of the various drama series coming out every season. While Romcoms gain more popularity, many other dramas are capturing the hearts of their international viewers. These dramas have touching stories that leave a lasting impression on you. Today, we will talk about 5 such dramas with unconventional yet heartwarming stories.

This article contains spoilers. 

1. “A Piece of Your Mind”

tvN

It is a romance drama aired in 2020. Its cast includes Jung HaeIn and Chae SooBin. It is a story about a girl who falls in love with a boy because he cherishes his old love. Jung HaeIn is a software developer who has shut himself down because his childhood love left him for someone else. But all the walls he built around him get broken when he meets a sound engineer named Han SeoWoo, played by Chae SooBin. 

He always thought he could not love again but falls for the caring and sweet SeoWoo even before he realizes it. It is not just a story about lost and found love but about facing the personal tragedy of losing loved ones. Both the main characters have lost their parents to accidents, leaving a deep scar in their souls. Finding solace in each other, they face their demons to find love and happiness in their lives again. What makes this story unforgettable is the subtle way the director Lee SangYeo told this powerful story written by Lee SookYun to make it more impactful. All the actors performed their characters so realistically that you feel connected to them right from the start.

2. “Uncontrollably Fond”

KBS

“Uncontrollably Fond” is a complex story told in a simple, memorable, and beautiful way. This romance drama will leave you teary-eyed. Its cast includes Kim WooBin, Bae Suzy, and Lim JuHwan. Because of a fateful turn of events, Shin JoonYoung chooses his father even though he helped cover the accident of Noh Eul’s (Bae Suzy) father. Due to this, Noh Eul gets into a life-and-death situation because of JoonYoung. Despite loving Noh Eul, JoonYoung leaves her out of his guilt for causing her pain. As fate has it, they meet again after many years. Noh Eul is looking for a job to make a documentary about a K-Pop idol that turns out to be JoonYoung. JoonYoung has been diagnosed with a brain tumor with only three months for him to live.

Before dying, he wants to make things right, especially with the woman he loves. He does not realize that Noh Eul no longer trusts him and has a new man in her life. JoonYoung tries to win Noh Eul back and remind her of their love. Long story short, he finds and discloses the person who killed her father. But as a result, his disease is revealed to the whole world. Noh Eul can no longer ignore her first love, especially when his time is limited. Eventually, Joon Young gets to live blissful weeks like he wants. The drama has a sad ending when Joon Young peacefully drifts to the other side with his head on Noh Eul’s shoulder, as he wants. However, the story does not leave sadness in your heart. Instead, it leaves a warm feeling about a love cherished by two people throughout their lives.

3. “Twinkling Watermelon”

tvN

The Korean drama series “Twinkling Watermelon” was released in 2023. RyeoUn, Choi HyunWook, Shin EunSoo, and Seol InAh are acting as the main leads. It is a beautiful story of love, passion, friendship, and family. The series starts with a loving family where the parents and their elder son are deaf and mute. Only the younger son of the family can hear and speak. So, he becomes their link to the world. They need him to convey their message to people and to look after the other son. EunGyeol (the younger son) tried to become an adult from a young age. But being a kid, he was fascinated by music and found a mentor who taught him to play guitar. One fateful evening, when his parents told him to look after his brother while they went to work, he sneaks out to play guitar. As fate will have it, their house caught fire, and his brother and father barely survived. It puts so much regret and guilt in him that he sacrifices all his music dreams and dedicates his life to his family. He becomes the top student for his dad and starts living to protect his brother. 

After an eventful encounter with a young band, he plays with them. When his father finds out, he gets mad, and they have a huge argument. In the end, EunGyeol runs from his home. He finds a shop where he sells his guitar, and like in many Korean dramas, it is the day when there is a red moon. The shop owner is a mystic being who ultimately sends him to the past at the time when his father was his age. EunGyeol was surprised to find that his father could speak at that time. He finds out that after an accident, his father lost his voice. He is even more surprised that his father was a lead vocalist in a band. In his desperate attempt to prevent that fateful accident, EunGyeol starts to play in his father’s band. He is also shocked to find out that his mother, who is mute from birth, is being harassed and abused by her female teacher.

This series is a roller coaster ride in a fun, heartwarming way. EunGyeol tried to help his mother and father meet and fall in love. He helps his mother have the courage to tell her father about what she went through. Even after trying so hard, EunGyeol could not prevent the fateful accident. He is heartbroken and thinks that he is unable to help his parents. When he returns to the current time, he is amazed to find that what he thought was wrong, his trip to the past uplifted the lives of his parents. His father was a businessman who made guitars, and his mother was a renowned artist. He was a part of a K-Pop group and was very popular. All the actors performed amazingly, but I enjoyed Choi HyunWook’s acting the most. He brought life and fun to his role.

4. “Thirty-Nine”

JTBC

“Thirty-Nine” is a heart-touching drama series released in 2022 starring Jeon MiDo, Yeon WooJin, Son YeJin, Kim JiHyun, Lee MooSaeng, and Lee TaeHwan in the main lead. As is expected of such mature and successful actors, this series is a worthwhile experience. It is a story about three childhood friends who are thirty-nine years old. As they move towards their fortieth year, their lives change drastically. This series is about love and friendship in the middle age of your life. It is a beautifully told story of loss and love. It is also the most realistic story I have ever seen. The three friends have been more than family to each other. They have been through the thick and thin of life together. They have supported each other in every decision and event in life. Jeong ChanYo, played by Jeon MiDo, announces that she has cancer and has very little time to live. This announcement is devastating for her friends and parents. It breaks down Cha MiJo, played by Son YeJin because her bond with ChanYo is special. 

However, after the first breakdown, the two friends decide that instead of being sad all the time, why not make it a memorable time for everyone? So they start doing things they have always wanted but could not. There are many emotional scenes, so keep a box of paper napkins nearby. The most emotional yet beautiful scene is when ChanYo discloses her terminal condition to people around her. The series has a sad ending because ChanYo dies. The other two friends go through a lot to handle the grief but eventually move on with their lives. This series tells the greatest truth of life. That people you love may leave you, or you may leave the people you love, but life never stops; it moves on.

5. “Reply 1988”

tvN

“Reply 1988” is my favorite drama on the list and one of the series that made me fall in love with Korean dramas. It has a long lineup of big names in Korean dramas. This drama, released in 2015-2016, includes Lee HyeRi, Ryu JunYeol, Park BoGum, Go KyungPyo, Lee DongHui, Ryu HyeYoung, Ahn JaeHong, Choi SungWon, Jung HaeIn (in a cameo). It is a story about friendship, family, and love in the most fun way possible. This nostalgic story set in the late 1980s and the 1990s does complete justice to the era. The production has done well by bringing everything from that era to the screen. From the lifestyle to fashion to music, even electronic gadgets, you will see everything there. 

It is a feel-good drama where five middle-class families live on the same street, and the parents and their kids share a special friendship. They help and support each other in their struggles, sorrows, and happiness. Of course, where there are teenage girls and boys, falling in love is inevitable. So, two friends fall in love with the only girl in their group. But, once they find out that the other is also in love, they both let go of their affection. As the kids grow up, they choose different professions and move out. When they get together on holidays, the spark of love rekindles. In a very emotional moment, one friend gives up on his love, giving way to the other. 

All the actors in this series are amazing, and the characters are relatable. But for me, HyeRi was the best. She made the character so memorable. It is a highly recommended drama that will make you smile!