Let These Slice-of-Life K-dramas Be Your New Comfort Watch
Many people love K-dramas for their ability to lift us out of the mundanity of everyday life. Plots usually involve extraordinary or fantastical circumstances: An ordinary girl falls for a sensitive and caring 939-year-old goblin, a high-powered CEO paraglides into the heart of a hunky North Korean officer, confusing romantic entanglements result from babies getting switched around in hospitals. The fact that these larger-than-life stories can transport us beyond the limits of our daily lives is perhaps why they’ve captured our hearts.
But real life can be equally as exciting. Sure, maybe chaebols aren’t falling out of the sky, but navigating work can be more fraught than a battlefield. People can be more frightening than fictional monsters. Falling in love and finding joy with friends and family can be just as thrilling as defeating a villain. And while the everyday, slice-of-life K-dramas might not feature elaborate plotlines, they offer a unique lens into South Korean society. Most importantly, they speak to what it’s like to be, well, human. So grab a pack of ramyeon and jjan (cheers) to the K-dramas that bring laughs, tears and all the relatable feels.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Brilliant (dare we say…extraordinary?) young attorney Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin, of The King’s Affection) takes center stage in this charming drama, which hit the top spot on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list of non-English TV shows following its 2022 release. The series follows Woo as she tackles challenges both in and out of the courtroom, as a new member of a prestigious law firm and a woman on the autism spectrum.
Our Blues
Everything comes back to Jeju Island in this ensemble drama — namely, the ups, downs and interconnected lives of the people who call it home. The series introduces us to the people who live and work on Jeju Island, including a man (Cha Seung-won) moving back to his hometown from the mainland and reconnects with the woman who was his first love (Lee Jung-eun).
Divorce Attorney Shin
Another attorney makes this list, this time the titular divorce attorney Shin Sung-han (Cho Seung-woo), a former pianist who sets up shop as a lawyer. Shin navigates the complex world of divorce while also dealing with a personal tragedy of his own, which drives him to fight for his clients by any means necessary.
My Mister
Dong-hoon (Lee Sun-kyun) is a manager at a construction firm run by a spiteful college junior. After work, he spends his evenings drinking with his two hapless brothers, who live at home with their mother. As the middle child, Dong-hoon holds it together for his family, silently carrying his family’s struggles on his shoulders while dealing with his own marital issues. At work, unfriendly temp worker Ji-an (Lee Ji-eun, aka IU) has her own story of misfortune. She works tirelessly to support her grandmother and to repay debts to a menacing loan shark, Gwang-il (Jang Ki-yong), with whom she shares a secret history.
Dong-hoon and Ji-an enter each other’s lives when Dong-hoon accidentally receives a bribery package, which Ji-an witnesses. While Dong-hoon may have his troubles, his family and childhood friends offer him comfort and support, in addition to brevity and humor. Ji-an, unable to trust anyone due to past trauma, finds warmth and compassion from Dong-hoon. The characters of My Mister face some pretty tough realities, but the message is clear: Everyone is fighting a personal battle of some sort, so spreading a little kindness and understanding goes a long way.
Reply 1988
In Reply 1988, five families living in Seoul are more than just neighbors. Set in the year the South Korean economy was starting to recover from the war that split the North from the South, the K-drama showcases the openness and kindness that holds these families together. The children have grown up together, playing out in the alley, and the women prepare meals together, knocking back beers and gossiping like sisters. They all look out for one another through the messiness and unpredictability of life. The kids grow into teenagers and navigate first love, friendship and dreams of the future, sharing growing pains on the block.
Part of a highly beloved anthology series where each season takes place in a specific nostalgia-packed year, Reply 1988 weaves together ’80s pop culture with cultural moments like the Seoul Olympics and protests by students and activists that brought democracy to South Korea. Even if you didn’t grow up in South Korea in the ’80s, the fourth most watched K-drama ever will tug at your heartstrings.
Misaeng: Incomplete Life
Misaeng is a term from the game of baduk (or go) — a chess-like strategy game where players use pieces to gain territory against their opponent. It’s also a way to describe life in the rat race — a state of half living. Geu-rae (Yim Si-wan) is a former aspiring baduk player from a struggling family. Thanks to a favor, he lands a coveted internship at a corporate firm, despite only having his GED and no special skills. (Meanwhile, other interns can speak fluent Russian and English.) The wisdom acquired in his baduk days helps him push through and find camaraderie with his co-interns, his co-workers and even his gruff boss — who, behind his prickly exterior, hides a caring side. They all face tribulations that they’re trying to mask and to overcome in the day-to-day grind.
