10 Great, Non-Cheesy & Realistic K-Dramas

The dramatic romance and revenge plots commonly associated with K-dramas make for an ideal escape from reality, but sometimes, a more grounded narrative is what audiences are after. That is not to say that unrealistic series are any less deserving of praise or attention than those that are more reasonable, as many of the best K-dramas of all time utilize fantastical and supernatural means of storytelling. However, some of these K-dramas tend to veer too far into the impossible, risking taking audiences out of their stories entirely.

Realistic K-dramas are still fun and present audiences with a drama-filled story, but they avoid using too many common K-drama tropes. The overuse of tropes often leads to a cheesy story full of convenient and predictable plot points. While many of the more realistic K-dramas also aim to have a happy ending, the path to getting there is easier for audiences to believe. Many K-dramas with logical narratives revolve around captivating portrayals of romance and friendship, both of which audiences have an easier time buying into compared to gritty tales of revenge or political conflict.

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10. Because This Is My First Life (2017)
Two Housemates Explore The Idea Of Falling In Love

Though a marriage of convenience may not be the most relatable relationship setup, the way it's depicted in Because This Is My First Life is still highly realistic. The people involved in the marriage are IT employee Nam Se-hee (Lee Min-ki) and assistant screenwriter Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min), the latter moving into a room rented out by Se-hee. Upon meeting for the first time, Se-hee and Ji-ho agree to keep their interactions strictly platonic.

The central love story in Because This Is My First Life is sweet and elevated due to Lee and Jung's captivating on-screen chemistry.

However, the pressure and expectations from other individuals in their lives, in addition to their complicated feelings, lead them to rethink their initial agreement. The central love story in Because This Is My First Life is sweet and elevated due to Lee and Jung's captivating on-screen chemistry. There's something for everyone to enjoy in K-drama, as varying views on romance, career choices, and marriage are addressed throughout the shows.

9. Like Flowers In Sand (2023-2024)
Young Characters Fall In Love And Attempt To Find Themselves

There's a handful of K-dramas that are strictly about sports, but a majority of sports-related series also include a bit of romance as well, including Like Flowers in Sand. The 2023 series tells a charming and realistic story about an ssireum team at risk of being disbanded. Ssireum is a style of wrestling, and it's a sport Kim Baek-doo (Jang Dong-yoon) participates in, though he's thinking about retiring. That is, until he discovers his childhood crush is the team's new management leader.

Much of Like Flowers in Sand depicts the rekindling of the connection between Baek-doo and Oh Yoo-kyung (Lee Ju-myoung), but there's a coming-of-age component to the series as well. Many of Baek-doo's peers struggle to find their identity in a town so wrapped up in ssireum, which is an experience many young viewers are likely to connect with.

8. Love Scout (2025)
A Family Man And a Workaholic Balance One Another Out

Having just premiered at the start of 2025, Love Scout has already proven to be a compelling, realistic series about love. The K-drama depicts the growing romantic connection between Kang Ji-yoon (Han Ji-min) and Yoo Eun-ho (Lee Joon-hyuk). As a CEO, Ji-yoon is highly ambitious, but her tendency to prioritize her work has resulted in the negligence of her personal and romantic lives.

Note: On the other hand, Eun-ho, a secretary and single father, has found the ideal balance between work and family.

While there is little drama that pops up in the workplace and the daily lives of Eun-ho and Ji-yoon, much of Love Scout is focused on the healthy development of their relationship. The two learn a lot from one another and help each other grow and become well-rounded individuals. Han and Lee have an undeniable chemistry, and audiences will find it difficult not to be completely invested in their sweet relationship.

7. One Spring Night (2019)
Social Stigmas Complicate A Newfound Romance

Like Something in the Rain, One Spring Night addresses social stigmas in South Korea that impact a potential romance. In One Spring Night, Lee Jeong-in (Han Ji-Min) is in an unfulfilling relationship that she stays in due to pressure from her parents to marry him. Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-ho (Jung Hae-in) has relationship problems of his own as he's a single dad wanting to find love again. Many people in Ji-ho's life, strangers and acquaintances alike, cast judgment on him for being a single parent.

A romantic connection between Ji-ho and Jeong-in begins to take shape, but they must find the courage to defy the expectations of others before making anything official. There is also a supporting storyline involving Jeong-in's sister and her abusive husband, whom she cannot divorce due to his control. Each depiction of love in One Spring Night is realistic and moving in unique ways, making the K-drama a powerful series to watch.

6. Lovestruck In The City (2020-2021)
Various Perspectives On Love Are Shared Through Interviews

There are several reasons why audiences will want to binge-watch Lovestruck in the City. The K-drama has a unique interview format where six individuals, each in their late 20s or early 30s, are asked about their takes on love. The characters, portrayed by familiar K-drama actors, often break the fourth wall and acknowledge the series' camera crew and viewers, creating an additional layer of realism to the show. Audiences are also given further insight into the characters' love lives as they're followed around during their daily routines.

To ensure audiences are fully invested in the on-screen romances, Lovestruck in the City introduces storylines taking place in the past and present, so there's a better understanding of the developing relationships. Viewers are guaranteed to feel incredibly seen by the variety of love on display in Lovestruck in the City. It's a series audiences will cry and laugh with and walk away from with a new perspective on love.

5. Incomplete Life (2014)
A Skilled Baduk Player Adjusts To Corporate Culture

One of the most beloved slice-of-life K-dramas, Misaeng: Incomplete Life, became a cultural phenomenon due to its accurate portrayal of South Korean corporate culture. The series follows Jang Geu-rae (Im Si-wan), a skilled baduk, or Go, player who dreams of playing professionally. As Geu-rae's chance of fulfilling his dreams becomes increasingly slimmer, he enters the professional workplace, interning at a notable trading company.

Misaeng: Incomplete Life gets its name from a baduk term which translates to "not yet alive" — an ideal way to describe the transitional period of life Geu-rae is in.

Though Geu-rae isn't as qualified as his colleagues, he doesn't let this stop him from wanting to succeed. Geu-rae gets creative and uses his knowledge of baduk to help him adjust to his job. Misaeng: Incomplete Life gets its name from a baduk term that translates to "not yet alive" — an ideal way to describe the transitional period of life Geu-rae is in. For many viewers around Geu-rae's age, the character's arc is relatable and refreshing to see so honestly depicted on screen.

4. My Liberation Notes (2022)
Three Siblings Look For A Better Life

Life isn't always as eventual or easygoing as it appears in movies and TV shows, and My Liberation Notes understands this. The series is set in a suburb in Seoul where three siblings (Lee El, Lee Min-ki, and Kim Ji-won) seek a way out of their monotonous routines. Like many viewers their age, the Yeom siblings struggle to find another path in life that isn't already predetermined for them by older family members or society at large.

For this reason, My Liberation Notes earned high levels of praise from critics and audiences, especially the latter, who felt the K-drama perfectly captured the societal pressure placed on young adults in Korea. The series' writing, which earned praise from acclaimed South Korean actor Gong Yoo, is full of dialogue that is deep and realistic. My Liberation Notes is one of the quieter, slower K-dramas, but such a tone is necessary for its emotional weight to truly impact audiences.

3. Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)
A Skilled Attorney Proves Others Wrong

Since its 2022 release, Extraordinary Attorney Woo has earned praise for its ability to touch upon subject matter rarely addressed in most K-dramas. The series revolves around an autistic rookie attorney, Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin). Young-woo is discriminated against because of her neurodivergence but manages to get a job at a notable law firm, thanks to her father's connections. Throughout Extraordinary Attorney Woo, audiences are exposed to the various ways Young-woo is teased and made to feel different.

These acts of hatred are both drastic and subtle, which has earned praise from critics and experts who are familiar with the various ways autism is stigmatized. What makes Extraordinary Attorney Woo realistic and so refreshing as a series is its protagonist's attainable success. Neither superpowers nor a fantastical phenomenon help Young-Woo prove her prejudiced peers wrong. Instead, Young-woo uses her natural intelligence and photographic memory to move up in her career as an attorney.

2. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
The Move To An Idyllic Seaside Village Results In Love

One K-drama guaranteed to put audiences in a good mood is Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. The series sees accomplished dentist Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a) move away from the city to a quiet seaside village named Gongjin. The new setting provides Hye-jin with a fresh start, where she opens up a dental clinic and becomes familiar with the town's residents. The K-drama is grounded and has a cozy small-town feel, as the supporting characters in Gongjin are not simply throwaway figures.

Every Gongjin resident that grows close to Hye-jin becomes invested in her life, especially when it comes to her growing romance with the local handyman, Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho). The connection between the two comes about naturally and is a result of Hye-jin's move and involvement in the village. The simple yet effective story in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha impressed audiences, and the series spent 16 weeks in Netflix's global top 10 for non-English TV shows.

1. Something In The Rain (2018)
Societal Taboos Impact A Couple Falling In Love

Certain romantic relationships are more difficult for outsiders to understand, including age-gap relationships. This is the taboo element of Yoon Jin-ah's (Son Ye-jin) and Seo Jun-hui's (Jung Hae-in) relationship in Something in the Rain. Though Jin-ah is in her mid-30s and Jun-hui is in his late 20s, others have an issue with the difference in their ages, choosing to go public with their relationship a risk.

Something in the Rain is considered one of the best romance K-dramas of all time. The series has earned this honor as a result of its honest and realistic portrayal of love, which has left many viewers feeling seen. In addition to its relatable display of a complicated romance, Something in the Rain also features a storyline involving workplace harassment at Jin-ah's job. The unjust culture at work is specific to South Korean businesses, but it can be easily understood by audiences worldwide.