The world of celebrities might feel like "the dream life" to most of us, but behind all the glamour, fame, and money, there is always a place that is kept well hidden from the public eye. Beyond their curated public image lies a truth that makes these idol-like celebrities the same as us. As you may have heard before, what we see of a celebrity on camera is a very brief and curated version of their entire personality. These 10 K-dramas best depict what it is like to be a public figure, covering its ups and downs.
1. Touch Your Heart
This drama, starring the fan-favourite couple Yoo Inna and Lee Dongwook, displays a very heartwarming love story between a seemingly cold-hearted lawyer and an actress on the brink of obscurity. It shows the effects a small scandal can have on a female artist as she tries her best with her last chance at grabbing a major role. Oh Jinshim, the actress, meets Kwon Jungrok to gather experience for her new role as a lawyer, and as they get to know each other, they fall in love.
2. Sh**ting Stars
Although primarily a sweet romance, this drama brings out a perspective on celebrity life that most of us haven't seen—their management teams. Seemingly happy, kind and charismatic artists often harbour a completely different demeanour when away from the camera. Furthermore, this drama also gives an insight into celebrity PR and all the people who work to show us a clean and curated image of the artist.
3. Record Of Youth
This drama created a collaboration between Park Bogum, Park Sodam, and Byeon Woo Seok and was one of the most anticipated dramas in 2020. It shows the journey of three friends trying to follow their dreams and make a place for themselves in the world of glamour. All of them try to offer the best version of themselves in hopes of success, but as they keep failing, it becomes harder and harder to keep their chins up. It is a 'record' of the 'youth' spent chasing dreams that depend more on their social backgrounds than their skills.
4. The Heavenly Idol
This K-drama is known for being fantastical, but it brings us a glimpse of the idol world in a very ruthless manner. Not all idols are as "kind" and "caring" as we imagine them. Some of them are arrogant and straight-up cruel. This drama also shows the dark behind-the-scenes of idols from smaller companies who are constantly on the brink of losing their dreams forever, yet they must persevere.
5. The Beauty Inside (2018)
What is more authentic—the beauty outside or the beauty inside? Beauty Inside is another comedic and fantastical drama set in the real world, where an actress (Seo Hyunjin) and a prosopagnosia patient (Lee Minki) cross paths and get tied to each other. The actress, Han Segye, is known for having a "reputation" as a troublemaker. This often makes her a victim of many invasive rumours about her private life. In reality, she experiences a physical change in appearance once every month. The love story between the leads focuses on the importance of personality over appearance, which is valued so much by the world.
6. Let Me Be Your Knight
Things such as major illnesses can drive idols away from their successes. "Let Me Be Your Knight" is a K-drama that focuses on humanising idols by portraying the leader of a famous boyband (Lee Junyoung) who suffers from sleepwalking. It also shows the fragile reality of musicians as the band, Luna, attains unexpected worldwide fame and loses it all in a matter of moments. Driven by stress, anxiety, and fear, Yoon Taein, the leader of the group, develops a severe case of sleepwalking.
7. Uncontrollably Fond
Spoiler Alert! The ending is not happy. This K-drama has its sweet and heartwarming moments, but it mainly highlights that fame and money do not lead to a happy life. Most celebrities are physically and mentally unwell and devastatingly lonely. Starring Suzy Bae and Kim Woobin, this celebrity-commoner romance is unlike the usual. Both of them were exes in the past. The drama shows one last shot for them to grow closer to each other.
8. My Love From Another Star
This drama is on the list of some of the most famous K-dramas out there. It focuses on the relationship between an alien (Kim Soohyun) and an actress (Jun Jihyun). The actress has to deal with the jealousy of her friends and family for her beauty and success, simultaneously experiencing an uncanny love story with an alien who, strangely enough, understands her better than her own kind. The story focuses on the internal politics of the celebrity world and the way fame and money can bring in more enemies than friends.
9. The Accidental Couple (That Fool)
If you love the classic celebrity-commoner romantic comedy trope you will love this one. What's more, the plot involves fake dating too! In the story, an actress and her secret high-profile boyfriend get into a very public car accident, and in a fit of panic, she picks up a random fan of hers who was at the scene, and they begin to pretend that they are dating. However, what started as an accidental PR stunt became a real love story.
10. Imitation
If you know about K-pop, you know it is practically "illegal" for idols to date—especially between themselves. Imitation is a drama that revolves around that exact plot: rookie artist Lee Maha and the famous Kwon Ryok, played by Lee Junyoung, fall in love. However, the drama also provides deep insight into the realities of rookies in the vast and cruel entertainment industry and how small actions can make or break them.
