15 Steamy K-Dramas You Should Watch Today
K-dramas like Love & Leashes are full of passion and romance, but what are some other similarly hot and steamy K-drama series?
- Love and Leashes and other steamy K-dramas push the boundaries of the genre, exploring intimacy and social taboos.
- Something In The Rain tackles the taboo of older females dating younger males, giving classic rom-com scenes a fresh twist.
- The World Of The Married combines steamy scenes with heartbreaking moments, capturing the excitement of forbidden lust.
Directed by Park Hyun-jin, the Netflix romantic comedy Love and Leashes introduced many Western audiences to the world of steamy K-drama shows — but it's far from the only one. Love and Leashes' 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 being highly polished soap operas. Though many Korean dramas still fit this category, storytelling has evolved significantly, and even some of the most seemingly traditional K-dramas put their unique spins on conventional romantic tropes.
Nowhere is this more true than in the steamiest Korean dramas streaming online today. Love and Leashes 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 themes in ways that less racy and steamy romantic K-dramas cannot. 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.
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15. Something In The Rain (2018)
Stream now on Netflix
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. 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. What makes Something In The Rain a steamy Korean drama is the way it realistically tackles the South Korean taboo of younger males dating older females. 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 (2019)
Stream now on Netflix
Sung Deok-mi is an art gallery curator who is secretly a zealous fan of the K-pop idol, Cha Shi-an. A steamy K-drama for fans who like K-pop, Her Private Life begins when false rumors surface about Sung Deok-Mi and Cha Shi-an dating. After the idol's wild fanatics threaten Sung Deok-Mi, she pretends to date 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. Apart from being a steamy Korean drama, this also results in funny scenes like Ryan ignoring a deliveryman to passionately kiss Deok-Mi.
13. My Secret Romance (2017)
Stream now on Viki Rakuten
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 spent the night together. Fast forward three years and Yoo-mi is now working as a nutritionist at Jin-wook's company. The two start rocky with Jin-wook being hard on Yoo-mi just to be near her. However, when the two finally start to warm up to each other again, it turns into a steamy Korean drama riddled with passion, misunderstandings, and love.
12. The World Of The Married (2020)
Currently unavailable to stream
A K-drama spin on the popular BBC One series, Doctor Foster, The World Of The Married follows the life of successful psychiatric doctor Ji Sun-woo, who seems to be leading a perfect life with her husband, Lee Tae-oh, and their son, Lee Joon-young. But her world is turned upside down when she learns that Tae-oh is having an affair with the young Yeo Day-Kyung — and her “friends” have been hiding it from her. While decidedly one of the steamiest K-dramas, The World of the Married is also heartbreaking. Tae-oh and Day-Kyung deliver unforgettable intimate scenes that perfectly capture the excitement of forbidden lust.
11. A Witch’s Romance (2014)
Stream now on Prime Video
Ban Ji-yeon is a 39-year-old woman who has given up on love in the steamy Korean drama, A Witch’s Romance. However, her heart begins to thaw when she meets 25-year-old Yoon Dong-ha, and the two embark on a December-May romance. Another spicy K-drama that's not afraid of the South Korean social taboo regarding 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 betray their growing feelings of love for one another.
10. It's Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)
Stream now on Netflix
It's Okay to Not Be Okay is an emotional, romantic, and steamy Korean drama that follows the lives of three individuals. 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 witnessed the murder of their mother when he was young. In every new town, Gang-tae works in the psychiatric hospital, and there he encounters Ko Moon-young, a famous author who has antisocial 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.
9. Love and Leashes (2022)
Stream now on Netflix
Entering into a contractual relationship, Jung Ji-woo and Jung Ji-hoo are two coworkers in the Netflix K-drama Love and Leashes. What makes Love and Leashes unique even among the steamiest K-dramas is that it explores communication, respectful boundaries, and romantic feelings in a relationship hinged on hardcore BDSM. It's a steamy rom-com that lovingly plays with the most common tropes in K-drama. For instance, Ji-hoo only brings up his secret interest in BDSM to Ji-woo after she accidentally discovers a collar he ordered at work. Nonetheless, Ji-woo turns out to be a quick learner, masterfully stepping into the stilettos of a dominatrix eager to please the man she's beginning to fall in love with.
8. Nevertheless (2021)
Stream now on Netflix
Nevertheless follows two singles who have trouble being in relationships and are non-believers in love. Park Jae-eon is a known flirt who's not into being in a committed relationship, and as for Yu 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 give commitment a try. As the two explore a semi-friends-with-benefits setup, they begin to fall in love and change their cynical outlook. This 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's Wrong With Secretary Kim? (2018)
Stream now on Hulu
When Lee Young-Joon, a vice-chairman of a major corporation, learns that his very capable secretary Kim Mi-so will be resigning after nine years, Young-Joon decides to do whatever it takes to make sure she stays by his side in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim? This includes setting up a fireworks show just for her and giving her thoughtful gifts reminiscent of the time they've enjoyed working together. However, this is no ordinary K-drama about falling in love with the boss. As he stalls 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 (2016)
Stream now on Viki Rakuten
This K-drama follows the story of Park Do-kyung, who is left at the altar by his fiancé, Oh Hae-young. When Do-kyung later learns that she's to be married, he goes out of his way to ruin her wedding plans. However, it's soon revealed that the woman's life he's just ruined is not “his” Oh Hae-Young, but another Miss Oh. As Do-kyung gets close to this “other” Hae-young, the two begin to fall in love. However, after seeing Oh Hae-young with her former fiancé the previous night, Do-Kyung is not very happy to see her the next day, which eventually culminates in one of the steamiest kissing scenes in K-drama.
5. My Name (2021)
Stream now on Netflix
Ji-woo is the daughter of a gangster who witnessed her father's murder. Obsessed with revenge, she trains herself to rise in the ranks of his father's gang, whose leader was his best friend. She then infiltrates the police under the name Hye-jin, and she and her partner Pil-do uncover shocking truths about her father. While mainly a noir-inspired crime series, Ji-woo/Hye-jin and Pil-do navigate sexual tension from the moment they meet in this steamy Korean drama. After surviving a crucial fight and shootout, Pil-do dresses Ji-woo/Hye-jin's wounds, an intimate moment that leads to not just passionate lovemaking, but a rare tender respite for two people who've been fighting all their lives.
4. Eve (2022)
Stream now on Viki Rakuten
Lee La-el is the heir of a chaebol — a family-owned Korean corporate conglomerate — whose genius scientist father was killed when she was a child. Now 28 years old, La-el sets out on a mission of revenge against one of the men responsible for her father's death, the 41-year-old Kang Yoon-gyeom who is also a chaebol heir. La-el seduces Yoon-gym to orchestrate his divorce from 45-year-old Han So-ra, the daughter of the country's most powerful politician. However, after Yoon-gym and La-el share some of the most realistic and steamiest kissing and love-making scenes in K-drama, they fall in love, threatening to throw a wrench in La-el's ₩2 trillion revenge plan.
3. Somebody (2022)
Stream now on Netflix
Calling Somebody one of the steamiest K-dramas would be an understatement. Kim-sum is an extraordinarily talented app developer who has Asperger syndrome. When her AI-assisted dating app Somebody gets involved in a series of murders, Kim-sun tracks down the killer, Sung Yun-oh, and their instant connection leads to a passionate romance. Compared to any other steamy Korean drama on this list, Somebody contains the most actual sex scenes, which include full-frontal nudity and explicit lovemaking. Meanwhile, Kim-sum's only friends Gi-eun and Mok-won — a veteran cop and a shaman — investigate the murders committed by Yun-oh.
2. Hit The Spot (2022)
Stream now on Viki Rakuten
Hee-jae is a friendly and considerate person who knows next to nothing about romance. The same can be said of her best friend Mi-na, but at least Mi-na knows a thing or two about sex. When their workplace Play Books — an erotic book and toy shop — needs new hosts for a sex and romance podcast, Hee-jae and Mi-na take on the challenge of their lives. From the graphic sex scenes that open this steamy Korean drama to the characters having frequent conversations about sex, toys, and doing the deed itself, Hit the Spot takes viewers on a titillating ride as Hee-jae and Mi-na discover and unleash their sexuality.
1. You Raise Me Up (2021)
Stream now on Viki Rakuten
Apart from being one of the most binge-able spicy K-dramas, You Raise Me is a rom-com with lots of heart. Already suffering from erectile dysfunction, Do Yong-shik experiences the most awkward reunion with an ex when he discovers that his urologist is Lee Ru-da, who was his first love. What's even more awkward is that Ru-da bragged about her first love to her overconfident boyfriend Do Ji-hyuk, who is not impressed by Yong-shik. However, Yong-shik and Ru-da slowly rekindle their feelings for each other, leading to some very realistic, intimate, and heavy kissing scenes. Even with its hilarious premise, this steamy Korean drama balances comedy and intimate scenes very well.
Keywords: Steamy K-Dramas | 18+ Kdramas | Korean drama films | Drama series | Kdramas for adults