20 Best Friends To Lovers K-dramas

While the point of a romantic K-drama is to see two people fall in love, sometimes the story is made better when the pairing starts as friends, and in this case, there are countless amazing friends-to-lovers K-dramas. A The “friends-to-lovers” trope is a storyline in which two people start out as friends, often from as far back as childhood, but slowly develop romantic feelings for each other. Some of the Best Friends to Lovers K-dramas are already popular in the mainstream.

The series has an ensemble cast that showcases various romantic relationships, so a friends-to-lovers relationship is present among other romances. These are also shows that have been praised for their wonderful representations of romance, and just so happen to use the friends-to-lovers trope. however, Viewers can find a romantic K-drama from friends to lovers that is perfect for them. Another similar trope in K-dramas is “enemies-to-friends-to-lovers.” In any case, the K-drama world is bursting with amazing examples of these stories.

20

Come and Hug Me (2018)

Chae Do-jin & Han Jae-yi

This particular K-drama is not on the lighter side of romantic K-dramas as the pairing at the center find their relationship strained by a darker past. Chae Do-jin’s (Jang Ki-yong) father is responsible for the death of Han Jae-yi’s (Jin Ki-joo) parents when the two were children. Because of this, their friendship was strained and they went their separate ways. Their paths cross again as adults.

Do-jin becomes a detective, trying to find a way to balance the things his father has done. Jae-yi becomes an actress. Although they inhabit very different worlds, they keep being drawn back to one another, rekindling their friendship, and therefore, more romantic feelings.

Come and hug me is a heavier K-drama with elements of a thriller along with the romance, So fans will have to be prepared for a more emotional watch.

19

Twenty Five Twenty One (2022)

Multiple pairings

The heart of this K-drama is two teenagers who are stars in the world of competitive fencing. They also happen to be rivals and have the same circle of friends. Among the circle of friends, romantic relationships also form.

The story of the K-drama is also told through one of their diaries as one of their daughters finds it.

unfortunately, The friends-to-lovers element of this K-drama isn’t the biggest draw, but simply a bonus in how the story plays out. The bigger draw is the two fencing rivals realizing they have more in common than they originally believed and finding ways to work together and get along. Watching the rivals have to inhabit the same space, share friendships and gain an understanding of one another is the real draw.

The story of the K-drama is also told through one of their diaries as one of their daughters finds it. so, The audience gets to look back on the past while still seeing where the group of friends ends up in the future.

18

Dinner Mat (2020)

Woo Do-hye and Kim Hae-kyung

dinner dinner is not only one of the best K-dramas to have a friends to lovers relationship, But also one of the best K-dramas to center on food, and one of the most unique romance angles in the subgenre. The two main characters begin the series as complete strangers.

The two cry together over food when they both have a night alone. They agree to become dinner partners, and nothing more. This means they meet to try new restaurants and new foods while keeping their personal lives separate. Of course, as is often the case when two characters make this kind of deal, they find themselves bonding over their love of a shared interest (in this case, food) and growing closer. The two slowly become friends, but it’s clear that the chemistry is there for them to take the path from friends to romance.

17

Pinocchio (2014)

Choi In-ha & Choi Dal-o

Choi In-ha (Park Shin-hye) and Choi Dal-o (Lee Jong Suk) have known each other most of their lives and treat each other as closer than friends, more than family. They both want to get into broadcast journalism but find themselves facing some very different obstacles. As they do, they grow even closer, and their romantic feelings begin to surface.

In-ha is the daughter of a famous reporter, and she wants to follow in her family’s footsteps, but she has difficulty overcoming the “Pinocchio syndrome”, a condition in which she hiccups when she lies down. Dal-po, on the other hand, is haunted by a family tragedy—one in which In-ha’s mother played a role.

Their story blends a tale of career ambitions with friendship and romance in the format of a thriller. It makes for an interesting blending of genres.

16

Bubble Gum (2015)

Park Ri-Hwan & Kim Heng-Ah

If K-drama fans want a lighter story, but one with an incredibly slow-burning romance, Bubble gum is a good choice. There are points in the series where the pacing feels just a little too slow, but overall, this is a fun option for those who love the Friends-to-lovers subgenre of romantic K-drama stories.

Here, Park Ri-hwan (Lee Dong-wook) and Kim Haeng-ah (Jung Ryeo-won) were best friends from childhood. Ri-hwan’s family even took in Haeng-ah after her parents’ death. unfortunately, Ri-hwan’s mother isn’t exactly Haeng-ah’s biggest fan and makes her feelings about the young woman known—loudly.

despite this, They maintain a friendship into adulthood that involves Haeng-ah never being able to find a good relationship. Ri-hwan has continued to look out for his friend through all the failed relationships, slowly realizing that he has more than friendly feelings for her, but he’s too afraid to take the next step.

Much of the storyline here is predictable, but it’s like the comfort food of a K-drama romance.

15

Our Beloved Summer (2022)

Choi Ung & Kook Yeon-soo

Studio N’s first original series, Our beloved summer Covering a decade in the lives of its characters, it offers not only one of the best friends-to-lovers tropes in K-dramas, but also one of the best love triangles. This is a coming-of-age story about Choi Ung, a talented illustrator who was terrible at school, and his ex-girlfriend Kook Yeon-soo, who was perfect in school and is now a successful public relations employee.

The separation between them was so bad that they swore they never wanted to see each other Again. However, 10 years later, there is a documentary about their relationship and they have to face up to what they went through in their past. Meanwhile, their mutual friend and producer Kim Ji-ung faces the fact that he has always had feelings for Yeon-soo. Our beloved summer Won awards at both the Seoul International Drama Awards and the SBS Drama Awards.

14

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Rio (2016)

Prince Wang So & Hae Soo

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is a friends-to-lovers K-drama that’s also a time-travel tale. The story follows Hae Soo, a young woman who ends up being sent back in time to the Goryeo DynastyWhere she ends up in someone else’s body and has to figure out how to get back.

However, before she can figure this out, she meets Prince Wang So, and the two of them fall in love. Alas, this leads to heartbreak, love again, and more heartbreak, while a long triangle begins with the prince’s brother, Wang Wook. It’s not a happy ending K-drama either, as it’s tragic and the friends-to-lovers trope only allows the drama to leave viewers devastated until the end.

Moon lovers Received the K-Culture Pride Award at the Korea Brand Awards, which was created to help the exchange of cultural content between China and Korea.

With 20 episodes and two specials, it was also a critically acclaimed K-drama release. Moon lovers Received the K-Culture Pride Award at the Korea Brand Awards, which was created to help the exchange of cultural content between China and Korea. It was also nominated for a dozen prizes at the SBS Drama Awards, winning seven.

13

When the weather is nice (2020)

Mok Hae-won & Kim Jin-ho

When the weather is nice Follows a woman named Mok Hae-won, a cellist who quits her job in Seoul and returns to Bukhyun Village, a place she lived in when she was in high school. She runs into a former classmate and friend named Im Eun-seobNow a young man who owns a bookstore.

They soon become closer friends as they find comfort in each other as they shelter from the snow and realize that they may be all they need to recover from the pain of their past. The K-drama is perfectly set to turn the former childhood friends into lovers at the end of the series.

There are 16 episodes for fans of K-dramas to enjoy, and it was a huge success when it arrived on TV. The song “All Day Long” from the series ended up on the Korean music charts in 2020, while the series reached high ratings when it aired on JTBC and then replayed 48 hours later, streaming internationally.

12

More Than Friends (2020)

Woo Yeon & Lee Soo

Like many of the best friends to K-dramas lovers, More than friends is also about a love triangle. In this series, Kyung Woo Yeon fell hard for Lee Soo, and he loved her too. However, neither knew how the other felt, and they did not end up together.

10 years later, they are now adults, and On Joon-soo, the CEO of a publishing house, has fallen in love with Woo-yeon. The problem is that Woo-yen still has feelings for Lee SooAnd the two have a chance to finally move on with their feelings.

There are 16 episodes in this K-drama and it originally aired on JTBC in 2020. The series is a slow-burner and takes the idea of ​​two people who missed out on love to find it again, but does so in a slow and sometimes awkward manner. Despite this, the later episodes of the series really show why this is a perfect watch for anyone looking for a friends to lovers story, although it may take some patience. It is also worth it.

11

One Spring Night (2019)

Yoo Ji-ho & Lee Jeong-in

One spring night is a friends-to-lovers K-drama romance that also has one of the best love-at-first-sight storylines. The two characters here, Yoo Ji-ho and Lee Jeong-in have feelings for each other, But are determined to remain only friends thanks to social pressure of those around them. However, when they finally decide to pull the trigger on their relationship, it’s a beautiful and emotional moment. The series is also great when it comes to people finding love despite worry because they have single-parent households.

There are 32 episodes in this K-drama, making it one of the biggest when it comes to this specific romantic trope. Something in the rain And One spring night have the same writer and director in Kim Eun and Ahn Pan Seok, and Jung Hae plays the male lead in both K-dramas. however, One spring night is considered the higher release of the two, and a lot of that goes to the love story between the four, and their struggles to make it work despite everything in their worlds working against it.

10

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016)

Kim Bok-joo & Joon Hyung

Although the title may make it seem that the K-drama is more about sports than romance, Weightlifting fairy Kim Bok Joo Has just as much love as it does weightlifting. The series follows Kim Bok-joo, a young woman who attends a sports university to follow her dream of becoming a professional weightlifter.

while it She develops a crush on her best friend’s brother, And while her best friend, Joon Hyung, helps her win over his brother at first, he soon realizes that he may have feelings for Kim Bok-joo instead. All in all, it’s a classic friends-to-lovers trope with a K-drama love triangle mixed in between.

There are 16 episodes in the series and it won two awards at the MC Drama Awards.

The series was not successful upon its release, with low ratings across the board. However, it has since become a cult classic and has received mostly positive reviews and praise for its story and acting. There are 16 episodes in the series and it won two awards at the MC Drama Awards, including one for actress Lee Sung-kyung and a Best New Actor Award for Nam Joo-hyuk.

9

My First First Love (2019)

Yun Tae-o & Han Song-i

With more than one romance to portray in this K-drama, it’s no surprise that a friends-to-lovers relationship comes into play. My first first love Follows a group of five young people as they all begin to live together in Yun Tae-o’s house.

The friends must navigate this new living situation, along with experiencing their first love. Tae-o is particularly affected when his childhood best friend, Han Song-i, comes to stay with him after losing her father and being evicted from her home.

This is a romance that is both touching and serious. The series is a reboot of a 2015 OnStyle drama called My first timeWith both shows produced by the same production company. The series has two full seasons, with both released on Netflix (one in April 2019 and the second released three months later). Each season has eight episodes for fans of friend-to-lover K-dramas to enjoy.

8

happiness (2021)

Yoon Sae-bom & Jung Yi-hyun

Unlike other romantic K-dramas, Happiness Don’t just focus on love and relationships. Happiness is an apocalyptic thriller that takes place in the future, when a virus called “mad man disease” starts turning people into zombies.

The story centers on Yoon Sae-bom, a young woman who, in order to live in her new apartment, must be married. therefore, She calls her high school friend Jung Yi-hyun, and the two pretend to be married. Set against a deep sci-fi landscape, Luck’s Friends-to-lovers, fake-dating romance is heartwarming.

The strange apocalyptic thriller has a total of 12 episodes and was aired on Netflix in America in 2012. The series earned positive reviews from critics and also went on to receive several award recognitions. Han Hyo-joo and Bae Hae-sun both received acting nominations from the Blue Dragon Series Awards.

7

She Was Beautiful (2015)

Kim Hye-jin & Ji Sung-joon

A K-drama with a comedic violent fate is She was beautiful. The show follows Kim Hye-jin, a very beautiful young woman who is close friends with an unattractive young man named Ji Sung-joon. When Hye-jin’s family goes bankrupt, the two are separated and do not meet again for many years.

However, when they reunite, their fortunes have changed. Hye-jin lost her beauty and Sung-joon gained new looks and confidence. The K-drama is full of hijinks and silliness, but it all eventually amounts to a romance that is sweet and goes beyond the physical looks of the characters.

The series was a monster hit, with a massive 18.4% rating internationally. There are 16 episodes in the series, and it aired in 2015 on MBC. It was a massive success, garnering 18 nominations at the MBC Drama Awards. It won 10 awards there, including actor awards for Hwang Jung-eum and Park Seo-joon.

6

The Time We Aren’t in Love (2015)

Oh Ha-na & Choi Won

Although it is known by several different names, including The time I loved you, the time we weren’t in love is a strong choice for those looking for a romance from friends to lovers. The K-drama, which is based on a Taiwanese drama (in time with you by Mag Hsu), Follows two adults who have been best friends since high school. Despite sharing countless great moments together, they never fell in love.

However, when the time finally gets right, feelings develop. This is a series that is very straightforward in its romance, without any side genres or complex plotlines, making it a perfect starting point for friends to lovers. The 2015 series had 16 episodes and saw several awards success at the end of the year. It earned six nominations at the SBS Drama Awards. It only won one of the awards, with Yoon Kyun-sang winning the New Star Award, but both Lee Jin-wook and Ha Ji-won received nominations for their starring roles.

5

The Answer Series (2012-2015)

Various letters

• Figure

  Go Ara, Jung Woo, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Seong-gyoon, Baro, Min Do-hee, Lee Il-hwa, Sung Dong-il

  Release date

  October 18, 2013
  

  Seasons

  1

• Figure

  Jung Eun-ji, Seo In-guk, Eun Ji-wan, Lee Ho-won, Shin Soo-yul

  Release date

  July 24, 2012
  

  Seasons

  1

• In 1988 Seoul, five childhood friends navigate youth in their tight-knit neighborhood. Deok Sun struggles as the middle child, Jung Hwan focuses on soccer despite newfound wealth, Sun Woo excels academically, Dong Ryong, a lovable geek, faces academic challenges, and Taek, a baduk prodigy, leaves school to go professional.

  Figure

  Lee Hye-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Go Kyung-Pyo, Lee Dong-hwi, Ryu Hye-young

  Release date

  November 5, 2015
  

  Seasons

  1

When it comes to the US Answer K-drama series, there’s not just one chance for a friends-to-lovers romance, but three. The Answer Series is an anthology television show with three seasons. Each season follows a new cast of characters portrayed in the present and the past.

In the past, the audience sees how they became friends, along with the cultural events of the time, while their present offers clues about their fate as adults. finally, The Answer Series has strong themes of friendship, family and romance. Inevitably, every friend group has at least one couple who goes from friends to lovers.

Answer 1997 Released in 2012, Answer 1994 Came out in 2013, and Answer 1988 Released in 2015. As the titles suggest, each season takes place in a different time frame. They are all critically acclaimed, with wins at various awards ceremonies, including the K-Drama Star Awards, tvN10 Awards, and Baeksang Arts Awards.

4

Soundtrack #1 (2022)

Han Seon-woo & Han So-hee

Another K-drama that is very straightforward about its friend-to-lover romance is Soundtrack #1. The series follows Han Seon-woo and Han So-hee, who have been best friends for approximately 20 years.

however, When they stay in the same house together for two weeks, they begin to learn more about each other, and as a result, fall in love.. In many ways, this is a more intimate K-drama, with a relationship that is truly the definition of friends to lovers.

Notably, the series also has an emphasis on music, which only serves to heighten the romantic ambiance. The K-drama is also a rare one that does not have Netflix as its home, as it is released on Disney + in 2022 in different territories. It also has a sequel called Soundtrack #2Although this is a standalone movie that doesn’t really relate to the first one other than existing in the same universe. The first season only had four episodes and received mostly positive reviews for its love story.

3

Fight for My Way (2017)

Ko Dong-Man & Choi Ae-ra

Fight for my way is a romantic workplace drama that follows a group of friends called the Crazy Fantastic Four. These people have been friends since childhood, and although they have big dreams and ambitions, their reluctance to grow up makes it difficult for them to succeed.

This is especially true for Ko Dong-man and Choi Ae-ra, who develop feelings for each other but must overcome the immature dynamics of their youth. Fight for my way Not only is it great in the romance department, but it also has important themes that many audiences can relate to.

The series received 15 nominations at the KBS Drama Awards, winning eight of them, including six different Best Actor awards.

When it originally aired, the show was one of the most watched at the time and was number one on the charts for three straight weeks. Critical reviews were also positive, with praise for its plot and acting. The series received 15 nominations at the KBS Drama Awards, winning eight of them, including six different Best Actor awards.

2

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)

Cha Eun-ho & Kang Dan-i

This heartwarming romance isn’t just about friends becoming lovers, but also about second chances and making up for lost time. Romance is a bonus book Follows Cha Eun-ho and Kang Dan-i, who became childhood friends after Dan-i saved Eun-ho from an accident. The two bonded over their love of books, but went their separate ways when Dan-i started dating a selfish man. Years later, Dan-i is divorced and Eun-ho owns a publishing company.

Eun-ho helps Dan-i through her difficult times, and the two form a new romantic spark. Romance is a bonus book Has a great story and a romance that will melt your heart. The series has 16 episodes and they focus on the challenges in their personal and professional lives as they realize how much they really care about each other. The series received a pair of award nominations at the end of the year, with one for Wi Ha-joon for Best New Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards.

1

Something in the Rain (2018)

Jin-Ah & Joon-Hee

Another friend-to-lover K-drama to watch is a classic of the genre. Something in the rain is one of the best K-dramas regardless of subgenre, which follows Jin-ah and Joon-hee, two childhood acquaintances who reconnect and slowly become friends, and later, lovers. What sets this series apart from other friend-to-lover K-dramas is the care with which their relationship is handled. Their romance takes time and effort to work, and this type of slow-burn relationship is great to watch.

Moreover, the couple also has to face difficult situations, which makes the series more realistic. All in all, it’s a great one K-dramaAnd a perfect contender for a good friends-to-lovers romance. The series will stream on Netflix in 2018 and hit Disney+ in Japan in 2022. With 16 episodes, the series won the Excellence Award for Korean Drama Award at the 13th Seoul International Drama Awards, while Son Ye-jon won Outstanding Korean Actress at the same ceremony that year.