When one thinks of South Korean dramas, the first image that pops up in their mind is of a typical heart-fluttering love story with gorgeous main leads. Well, that’s not where K-dramas are constrained to. Korean content is as diverse as it can ranges from spine-chilling horror to spectacular actions to heart-pumping thrillers.
While Korean dramas are loved for their light-hearted and peppy content, they are also stereotyped as typical love-centric shows which are only romance-driven. No matter how enjoyable these light, fluffy romance dramas are, they can get quite monotonous after a point of time. Moreover, not everyone is into fluffy rom-com. So, if you want something apart from rom-com K-dramas, here’s a list to binge on.
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Taxi Driver is a 2021 thriller with the central theme of justice, revenge and redemption. 'Kim Do-gi' is a taxi driver of Rainbow Taxi Company, who was previously a Special Forces officer. The taxi company isn't an average service provider but serves its clients by avenging the sufferers of criminal injustice by punishing their tormentors. These sufferers are those people who could not get justice via the judiciary, so 'Kim Do' takes it upon himself to help them. He is also helped by a hacker, an ex-police officer and a lawyer. This K-drama is perfect for all the crime drama fans out there.
Sky Castle took South Korea by storm when it was released in 2018. The storyline follows four families who are the top four richest families in South Korea. The drama depicts the psychological traumas and mental pressure each individual of these four families faces. In general, the rich characters shown here, lead a very glamorous life with no stress about the world, but in reality, they are all crumbling down, bearing the weight of social expectations. Thus, the show uses satire to represent the social circumstances of those who are 'born with a silver spoon'.
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Starring Song-Hye-Kyo as 'Moon Dong-eun', The Glory is a drama based on bullying and revenge. It is a bone-chilling thriller that shows how years of bullying mess with one's mental health and drive them towards insanity. 'Moong Dong-eun' drops out of high school because of the constant bullying she faces there. After dropping out, 'Dong-eun' seeks revenge on her tormentors and goes to extreme lengths to inflict pain on them. The plot will surely give goosebumps to one and make them jump. The Glory was a national and international success.
Sweet Home is a 2020 drama adapted from a webtoon of the same name. It is a horror thrill ride that follows 'Cha Hyun-su', a high school student. 'Hyu-su' moves into a rundown apartment after his family dies. One day a virus starts to spread into the vicinity of the apartment and turns the residents into monster-like creatures. The remaining survivors then struggle to navigate their way out and to stop the virus from spreading. The drama is action-packed, as the characters fight with the monsters to survive. With season two on the cards, Sweet Home is must watch.
This 2020 crime drama is action-packed and focuses on those families and small businesses who struggle to recover from the aftermaths of the Covid lockdown. 'Gun-woo', an aspiring boxer, works as a part-timer in multiple places to support his mother's coffee shop. One day, the shop is targeted by Smile Capital, an organization which loan sharks run. They convince ‘Gun-woo's' mother to sign up for a predatory loan, and she does. This creates a major difficulty for 'Gun-woo'. The rest of the plot proceeds as 'Gun-woo' and his friend 'Woo-jin' team up to bring down ‘Myeong-gil’, the owner of Smile Capital.
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Released in 2020, this sixteen-episode-long K-drama, The Uncanny Counter is a no-romance indulgence and perfect for those who want to binge on something ‘different’. The Uncanny Counter follows the story of a group of demon hunters known as ‘counters’. These demon hunters are not the original residents of planet Earth and have come here disguised as employees of a noodle restaurant. They capture evil spirits who have come to earth in pursuit of eternal life.
The story of Prison Playbook revolves around 'Kim Je Hyuk', who is a renowned basketball player arrested for hitting a man and subsequently sentenced to a year in prison. 'Kim Je Hyuk' hit the man as he tried to sexually assault his younger sister. The entire nation is stunned by this judiciary decision as they can’t imagine their basketball idol behind bars. In the drama, 'Kim Je Hyuk' meets his childhood friend and fellow basketball player, 'Lee Joon Ho', who is now a prison guard. He is 'Je Hyuk's biggest fan and eventually becomes his ardent supporter in prison. The rest of the story follows all the people and experiences that 'Kim Je Hyuk' meets and goes through in the cell. Prison Playbook is available on Netflix and it projects life in a different light altogether.
D.P. stands for 'Deserter Pursuit' and is adapted from a webtoon of the same name. The story revolves around two soldiers, 'Ah Ajun Ho' and 'Han Ho Yeo'. The duo is recruited to find and bring back the soldiers who have escaped the military. The drama is quite entertaining and doesn't leave any room for monotony. The 'bromance' in here is top-notch! Also, with this drama, you will understand why Goo Kyo Hwan became famous early in his career.
These dramas shall be your next pick if you want to explore different genres of K-drama apart from romance. Let us know which is your favourite genre. Till then, happy binging!
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