Directed by Park Hyun-jin, Netflix’s romantic comedy Love and lust introduced many western audiences to the world of Steamy K-drama shows – But it is far from the only one. Love and lust‘ BDSM spin on the classic romantic K-drama made it a somewhat shocking discovery for viewers unfamiliar with how quickly the genre has developed over the years. In the past, K-dramas have earned a reputation for their polished soap operas. While many Korean dramas still fit into this category, the narrative has evolved significantly, and even some of the most seemingly traditional K-dramas put their own unique spins on conventional romantic tropes.
Nowhere is this more true than in the steamiest Korean dramas streaming online today. Love and lust is just one of the many sexy, steamy or spicy K-dramas that subvert typical expectations about the genre. The steamiest K-dramas aren’t just about sex—they tackle intimacy, companionship, social taboos, love, and other topics in ways that less racy and steamy romantic K-dramas can’t.. For those looking for Korean dramas that break away from the usual fare, these shows and movies turn up the heat in the romance genre.
25
Forecasting love and weather
The K-Drama is set to release in 2022
Forecasting Love and Weather is a South Korean drama series that airs in 2022. The show follows the lives and careers of employees at the Korea Meteorological Administration, focusing on their complex romantic relationships and professional struggles. Starring Park Min-young and Song Kang, the series explores themes of love, ambition and the unpredictable nature of weather, both literal and metaphorical.
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Andrew Grace, Harrison Xu, Keisuke Hoashi, Will Choi, Lee Sung-wook, Nara Yun, Park Young-soo, Ren Hanami
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February 12, 2022
Forecasting love and weather Is not the absolute steamiest K-drama out there, but it has quite a few steamy, and even a little more suggestive, scenes between its main couples. The series begins with a woman being cheated on by the man she has been with for years. And the deception is not left to the imagination.
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She also hooks up with a complete stranger after the breakup, who she ends up working with when she becomes a team supervisor for the Korean Meteorological Association. The two decide to move forward with a relationship while attempting to hide it from everyone around them. The show is full of near-misses as members of the team almost catch them together. Their relationship is complicated when another co-worker stays with them while his wife is away, and they struggle to maintain a professional relationship.
The show has an interesting concept when examining relationships – comparing them to weather patterns – and while it has steamy moments, it’s not quite as steamy as the rest of the K-dramas here.
24
The lover
The K-Drama was released in 2015
The Lover is a South Korean drama that explores the lives of four people, each from different walks of life, as they navigate love, relationships and identity. The show delves into themes of desire, intimacy and human connection, all while exploring the complexities of modern relationships.
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Mostafa Shaaban, Sara Salama, Hanan Soliman, Mohammad Lotfi, Khaled Sarhan
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June 19, 2015
Although K-dramas have a reputation for being incredibly clean, and many fans believe that they have only recently started to include steamier scenes with couples, this is not always the case. The K-drama debuted in 2015 and features more suspense and explicit scenes than many on the air today. The lover is essentially an anthology series since it focuses on four different pairings. The show, however, follows couples who all live in the same apartment complex.
A Korean man needs a roommate, and he specifically asks for a non-Korean because he thinks he won’t feel the need to bond with him. He ends up living with a Japanese man.
One pairing features a couple living together for years, but unmarried. Another features an older woman supporting her younger boyfriend as he pursues his dream. The third is a young couple who have just moved in together and have not revealed all their true selves to one another. The final pairing is particularly progressive for the time since it is the only one that is not heterosexual. A Korean man needs a roommate, and he specifically asks for a non-Korean because he thinks he won’t feel the need to bond with him. He ends up living with a Japanese man.
The series is full of raunchy humor, which is highly unusual in the K-drama landscape. It also contains more intimate scenes than usual. It made it a breath of fresh air when it premiered.
23
Kiss Sixth Sense
The K-Drama is set to release in 2022
Kiss Sixth Sense Started as a webroman before it was adapted into a webtoon, and later, a live-action K-drama. It’s a romantic comedy that leans more into fantasy than a K-drama might usually try to do.
Hong Ye-sool (Seo Ji-hye) is a young woman with a strange supernatural ability. She can see the future when someone kisses her. Although it may seem helpful on the surface, it makes her life more complicated when she accidentally ends up kissing her boss. The kiss lets you see their future together, including more intimate moments. Her visions make her focus on seeing what the future might be like, and she becomes interested in getting closer to her boss.
Of course, since this is a romantic K-drama, there are further complications when Hong Ye-Sul’s ex-boyfriend tries to re-enter her life.
22
It’s okay, it’s love
The K-Drama was released in 2014
It’s Okay, That’s Love is a South Korean television series starring Jo In-sung and Gong Hyo-jin. Set in the world of psychiatry and mental health, the series follows the intertwined lives of a mystery writer and a psychiatrist, delving into their personal struggles and relationships. The show was written by Noh Hee-kyung and directed by Kim Kyu-tae.
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Sung Dong-il, Lee Kwang-soo, Jin Kyung, Zo In-sung, Do Kyung-soo, Kong Hyo-jin, Yang Ik-joon, Cha Hwa-yeon
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July 23, 2014
It’s okay, it’s love is usually not one of those shows that comes up in conversation around steamy K-dramas. That’s because the series is more likely to come up in conversations about the portrayal of mental health in media instead. Both aspects of the show – A steamy romance and a mental health storyline – are the backbones of the series.
The show follows a man who is a best-selling novelist and a radio DJ who also happens to have obsessive-compulsive disorder that stems from trauma in his childhood. When he crosses paths with a psychiatrist who has a negative view of love and a phobia of sex, they butt heads, but there is a spark between them.
The series, however, is not a simple romantic K-drama. It deals with a man framed for murder and features an examination of undiagnosed schizophrenia. The series won many awards and was also recognized with a plaque of appreciation from the Korean Society for Schizophrenia Research.
21
Love to hate you
The K-Drama was released in 2023
Love To Hate You is a 2023 Netflix series that explores the love-hate relationship between a successful lawyer and a top actor. The show delves into the complexities of their professional and personal interactions, revealing the nuanced dynamics of modern relationships.
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Kim Ok-bin, Teo Yoo, Kim Ji-hoon, Go Won-Hee, Ell, Harrison Xu, Hao Feng, Kim Sung-ryung
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February 10, 2023
Love to hate you is on the lighter end of a K-drama rom-com spectrum, but it still features some serious subjects. The two main characters are on the wrong foot because they both have very specific and negative views on the opposite gender.
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Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-win) is a lawyer with a free spirit and a healthy sexual appetite. She, however, does not particularly like men in general and is ready to offer her own brand of social justice for women who have been harmed by them. Nam Kang-ho (Teo Yoo) is an actor who hires her law firm And happens to have an aversion to most women because of his own past experiences. Although the two start out as enemies, they also have a fantastic sexual tension for the audience.
20
King of the land
The K-Drama was released in 2023
King the Land: Amidst a tense succession battle, a charming heir faces off against his hardworking employee, known for her irresistible smile, which he finds unbearable. The series navigates the complexities of personal dynamics and family loyalty in the high-stakes world of corporate succession.
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June 17, 2023
- Seasons
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1
It is important to note that K-dramas are not known for their steamy content. Even romance K-dramas are more likely to imply physical aspects of a relationship or to include charged moments of flirting instead of giving the audience any kind of mature scene. This is slowly changing in stories with any kind of romance on Korean TV, but it’s still much more likely for kissing scenes, like those in King of the landTo be considered the steamiest aspects of a K-drama as something more overtly sexual.
There is much more to their interactions than that, and the chemistry in the series is impressive.
King of the land Doubles as a romantic comedy and an inheritance drama. The series follows the wealthy heir to a luxury hotel group and his interactions with one of the hotel employees whose smile he can’t stand. Of course, there is much more to their interactions than that, and the chemistry in the series is impressive.
19
Lovestruck in the City
The K-Drama was released in 2020
Lovestruck In The City (2020) follows the lives of young urbanites navigating the complexities of romance and relationships in the bustling city of Seoul, South Korea. The series delves into the personal stories of each character, exploring their dreams, emotions and the impact of love on their lives while capturing the vibrancy and dynamic nature of city living.
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Ji Chang-Wook, Kim Ji-won, Kim Min-Seok, So Joo-yeon, Ryu Kyung-soo, Han Ji-eun, David An, Will Choi.
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December 22, 2020
Lovestruck in the City is closer to what audiences might think of as an American sitcom like Friends Or New girl. It follows a group of people in various stages of relationships as they live in a large city in South Korea. The format of the series is set similar to a documentary with the characters giving interviews about their relationships, and It has the flirtatious leanings of rom-coms like King of the land And Forecasting love and weather.
It doesn’t have as much steamy content as some of the other K-dramas here, but what it does feature is one of the best first kisses in K-dramas to date. Critics often compare the characters of Park Jae-won and Choi Kyeong-jun to the most famous will-they-or-won’t-they couple on television, Ross and Rachel from Friends.
18
Melting me softly
The K-Drama was released in 2019
Also called Melt me, Melting me softly is a blend of romance and science fiction. The two Main characters agree to participate in an experiment in which they will be frozen for 24 hours to see the effects. Unfortunately, something goes wrong with the experiment and the two end up frozen for 20 years. When they wake up, they not only have to catch up on two decades of events, but they also have to deal with their physical limitations to how much they can interact with others, which is, paradoxically, where the steam comes into play.
It’s the tension between the characters that leads to some of the show’s steamier moments. The two have to maintain lower heart rates and gradually increase their body temperatures to avoid any damage to their bodies. As their attraction to one another grows, it becomes almost impossible, leading to the two characters kissing under the stream of a cold shower to keep themselves out of danger at one point.
17
The forbidden marriage
The K-Drama is set to release in 2022
The Forbidden Marriage is a historical drama that takes place during the dynasty years. The show revolves around King Lee Hun, who issues a decree prohibiting marriage in the country, and the story unfolds as a group of characters navigate love, politics and power among the royal court.
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Kim Young-dae, Park Ju-hyun, Kim Woo-seok, Kim Min-ju, Uhm Hyo-seop
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December 9, 2022
- Seasons
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1
A series set in a historical Korean era involving a marriage ban and a cam artist might not seem like it would include much heat, but surprisingly, it does.. Both a historical drama and a romantic comedy, the series follows a young woman who acts like a matchmaker, despite the fact that the king canceled the wedding. The king’s grief over the loss of his wife leads to the ban, but when the matchmaker tries to get out of prison by saying that she is possessed by the spirit of his deceased wife, things get complicated.
There is a clear attraction between the two despite the fact that the matchmaker denies it. She implies that the king is ugly at one point, leading him to remove his clothes in her presence to prove a point. The tension comes from whether he will discover the truth behind her lies, but along the way, there are many heated moments between the two.
16
Secret love affair
The K-Drama was released in 2014
It should be noted that Secret love affairOr Secret affair As it is also known, is not a romantic comedy. Many of the K-dramas known for their steamier moments are far more comedic than this series. Instead, it lies much closer to melodrama and it serves to provide a lot of social commentary on how Korean society views romantic relationships.
The series follows a woman in her 40s who allows everyone around her to believe that she has led a very fulfilling life. She is married and successful, but for her there is something missing. When she falls for a pianist in his 20s, she realizes that she is experiencing love for the first time. The story is of their affair and how it can very easily damage both of their lives, But throughout the story, moments that reflect how Korean society would see the couple, how society views love in general, and how society measures success, are all interwoven.
15
Something in the rain
The K-Drama was released in 2018
Something in the Rain is a romantic drama series that follows Yoon Jin-ah, a single woman in her 30s, and her unexpected romance with Seo Joon-hee, the younger brother of her best friend. As their relationship develops, they confront social expectations and personal challenges. The series explores themes of love, age and social norms related to modern relationships.
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Son Ye-jin, Jung Hae-in, Joo Min-Kyung, Kim Jong-tae, Jang Won-hyung, Oh Ryoong
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March 30, 2018
in something in the rain, 35-year-old Jin-ah is a successful single woman who begins to fall in love with her best friend’s younger brother when the latter returns from abroad after three years. It’s a twist on an old rom-com trope. The two slowly fall in love while getting to know each other and navigating their age gap, inevitably telling their respective families and others about their romance.
This gives even the most classic rom-com scenes – like sneakily holding hands under the table or walking in the rain – a new lease on life.
what makes Something in the rain A steamy Korean drama is the way to go It realistically tackles the South Korean taboo of younger males dating older females. This is something a handful of K-dramas have taken on since. This gives even the most classic rom-com scenes – like sneakily holding hands under the table or walking in the rain – a new lease on life.
14
Her private life
The K-Drama was released in 2019
A professional must reconcile her love for K-pop with her work life and her new relationship.
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Ahn Bo-Hyun, Park Jin-joo, Kim Bo-ra, Jung Je-Won, Won-Chang Jung, Kim Mi-kyung, Kim Jae-Wook, Park Min-young
- Seasons
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1
Sung Deok-mi is an art gallery curator who is secretly an ardent fan of the K-pop idol, Cha Shi-an. In the age of fandom communities on social media, This K-drama definitely hits a pop culture sweet spot.
A steamy K-drama for fans who like K-pop, Her private life It begins when false rumors spread about Sung Deok-Mi and Cha Shi-an dating. After wild idol fanatics threaten Sung Deok-mi, she pretends to be dating her boss Ryan Gold, a retired artist who manages the gallery. When the two are forced to keep up appearances at work and elsewhere, what starts out as make-believe eventually turns into a real romance. Besides being a steamy Korean drama, it also results in funny scenes like Ryan ignoring a deliveryman to passionately kiss Deok-Mi.
13
My secret romance
The K-Drama was released in 2017
The K-drama My secret romance Follows Cha Jin-wook and Lee Yoo-mi, who meet at a Gangwon-do resort, with the former working there as a bellhop under his father’s orders and the latter there for her mother’s wedding. The two hit it off and spend the night together.
Fast forward three years and Yoo-mi works as a nutritionist at Jin-wook’s company. The two’s new relationship gets off to a rocky start with Jin-wook being difficult for Yoo-mi, even antagonizing her, just to be near her. While outsiders may see him as a playboy, the truth is that he kept a male from their night together and just wants the opportunity to get to know her. When the two finally start to warm to each other again, it turns into a steamy Korean drama riddled with passion, and some of the usual romantic comedy misunderstandings, and love.
12
The world of the married
The K-Drama was released in 2020
A K-drama spin on the popular BBC One series, Dr. Foster, The world of the married Follows the life of successful psychiatrist Ji Sun-woo, who seems to be leading a perfect life with her husband, Lee Tae-oh, and their son, Lee Joon-young. What seems perfect, however, rarely really is.
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Her world is turned upside down when she learns that Tae-oh is having an affair with young Yeo Tae-kyung – and her “friends” have been hiding it from her. While deciding one of the steamiest K-dramas, The world of marriage is also one of the more heartbreaking As some of the characters give in to their darkest thoughts. Tae-oh and Day-Kyung provide unforgettable intimate scenes that perfectly capture the excitement of forbidden lust, but the series also features more violence than the usual steamy series.
11
A witch’s romance
The K-Drama was released in 2014
This particular K-drama is actually a remake of a 2009 Taiwanese series, and although it only has 16 episodes, it has a great story. Ban Ji-yeon is a 39-year-old woman who gave up on love in the steamy Korean drama, A witch’s romance. However, her heart begins to melt when she meets 25-year-old Yoon Dong-ha, and the two embark on a December-May romance.
The prevailing intimacy of the passionate scenes between the two betrays their growing feelings of love for one another.
Another spicy K-drama that doesn’t shy away from South Korean social taboos about older women dating younger men, A witch’s romance Also deals with the effects of tragedy. While Ji-yeon’s war photographer husband disappeared before her wedding day, Dong-ha lost his girlfriend to a heart problem. The prevailing intimacy of the passionate scenes between the two betrays their growing feelings of love for one another.
10
It’s okay to not be okay
The K-Drama was released in 2020
The life of a children’s writer and a man who cares for his younger brother collides and leads to love.
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Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji, Oh Jung-se, Park Gyu-young
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1
- creator(s)
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Park Shin-woo, Jo Jung
It’s okay to not be okay is an emotional, romantic and steamy Korean drama that follows the lives of three people. Moon Gang-tae lives with and takes care of his autistic older brother, Moon Sang-tae. The brothers move around a lot after Sang-tae witnesses the murder of their mother when he was young. In each new city, Gang-tae works in the psychiatric hospital, and there he meets Ko Moon-young, a famous children’s author who has anti-social personality disorder.
Moon-young realizes that their pasts overlap and becomes romantically obsessed with Gang-tae. Together, Gang-tae, Moon-young, and Sang-tae unravel their shared past in one of the most poignant, complex, and emotional K-dramas in recent history. The series received a nomination for Best Television Movie or Miniseries at the International Emmy Awards.
9
Love and lust
The K-Drama is set to release in 2022
Jung Ji-woo and Jung Ji-hoo enter into a contractual relationship, two coworkers in the Netflix K-drama Love and lust. what makes Love and lust Unique even among the steamiest K-dramas is that it explores communication, respectful boundaries and romantic feelings in a relationship hinged on hardcore BDSM. Many of the steamier on-screen romances for incorporating BDSM into their stories have been criticized in the past for not including the importance of communication and boundaries.
It’s a steamy rom-com that lovingly plays with the most common tropes in K-drama. For example, Ji-hoo only brings up his secret interest in BDSM to Ji-woo after she accidentally discovers a collar he ordered at work. Nevertheless, Ji-woo turns out to be a quick learner, masterfully stepping into the stilettos of a domineering eager to please the man she’s beginning to fall in love with.
8
That’s it
The K-Drama is set to release in 2021
Nevertheless is a South Korean TV series that explores the complex relationship between two art students, Yoo Na-bi and Park Jae-eon. Despite Yoo Na-bi’s aversion to love and Park Jae-eon’s flirtatious nature, they are drawn to each other through a series of encounters. The show delves into themes of love, desire and the challenges of modern relationships, providing a nuanced look at youthful romance.
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Han So-hee, Song Kang, Cheska Aguiluz, Yang Hye-Ji, Lee Ho-jung, Jeong Jae-kwang, Ha Do-kwon, Lee Seung-hyub
- Release date
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June 19, 2021
- Seasons
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1
That’s it Follows two singles who have trouble being in relationships and are non-believers in love. It’s a common rom-com trope to see a player bond with someone who can’t get past the trauma of a broken heart but That’s it Makes it feel fresh.
Park Jae-eon is a known flirt who doesn’t want a committed relationship, and as for Yoo Na-bi, her terrible past has made her disillusioned with love. In a twist of fate, they decide to enter into a relationship with each other and to test commitment. As the two explore a semi-friends-with-benefits setup, they begin to fall in love and change their cynical outlook. The steamy K-drama is all about the tension of weighing whether the other feels the same way. Na-bi even has an intensely passionate dream about Jae-eon.
7
What is wrong with Secretary Kim?
The K-Drama was released in 2018
What is wrong with Secretary Kim?
What is wrong with Secretary Kim? (2018) is a South Korean television series that follows the lives of Lee Young-joon, a narcissistic vice-chairman of a major corporation, and his highly capable secretary, Kim Mi-so. After nine years of dedicated service, Kim Mi-so decides to resign from her position, prompting Lee Jung-joon to uncover the reasons behind her decision while discovering more about their intertwined pasts.
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Park Seo-joon, Park Min-young, Lee Tae-hwan, Kim Beyong-ok, Baek Eun-hye, Heo Sun-mi, Jo Deok-hyun
- Release date
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June 6, 2018
- Seasons
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1
When Lee Jung-joon, a vice chairman of a major corporation, learns that his highly capable secretary Kim Mi-soo will be resigning after nine years, Jung-joon decides to do whatever it takes to make sure she stays by his side. in What is wrong with Secretary Kim? After all, she’s a great secretary, and he wouldn’t want to keep her by his side for any reason other than work, right?
His attempts to get her to stay include setting up a fireworks show just for her and giving her thoughtful gifts reminiscent of the time they enjoyed working together. However, this is no ordinary K-drama about falling in love with the boss. As he steals her leave at every turn, the two begin to fall in love and heal each other from their past shared traumatic experiences, resulting in some of the steamiest K-drama scenes.
6
Another Miss Oh
The K-Drama was released in 2016
Another Miss Oh is a South Korean TV drama series that aired in 2016. It stars Eric Mun as Park Do-kyung, a sound engineer with the ability to see the future, and Seo Hyun-jin as Oh Hae-young, a A woman whose life becomes entangled with Do-kyung due to a series of misunderstandings. The storyline explores themes of love, fate and the impact of past relationships on the present.
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Eric Moon, Seo Hyeon-jin, Ye Ji-won, Kim Ji-seok, Jeon Hye-bin, Heo Jeong-min, Kim Mi-kyung, Nam Gi-ae
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Park Do Kyung, Oh Hae Young, Park Soo Kyung, Lee Jin Sang, Oh Hae Yeong, Park Hoon, Hwang Deok Yi, Han Tae Jin
- Release date
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May 2, 2016
- Seasons
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1
The K-drama follows the story of Park Do-kyung, who was left at the altar by his fiance, Oh Hae-young. When Do-kyung later learns that she is to be married, he goes out of his way to ruin her wedding plans. However, it was soon revealed that The woman’s life he just ruined is not “his” Oh Hae-young, but another Miss Oh. Mistaken identity contributes to a comedy of errors that turns into a sweet and steamy story.
When Do-kyung gets close to the “other” Hae-young, the two begin to fall in love. However, after seeing Oh Hae-young with her ex-fiance the previous night, Do-kyung isn’t too happy to see her the next day, which eventually culminates in one of the steamiest kissing scenes in K-drama.