Korean dramas are known for their cheesy and romantic relationships, including love triangles, best friends turned lovers, childhood sweethearts, and others. Contract relationships are also a part of this list, which have won the hearts of audiences worldwide. These relationships are solely based on mutual profits or parental pressures but eventually bloom into beautiful and adorable relationships. Let’s look at some of the Top 10 Contract Relationships in KDramas:
1. Prime Minister And I
This romance drama revolved around Kwon Yool, the youngest Prime Minister candidate of South Korea, who was exceptional at work but a failure in raising his 3 kids, and Nam Da Jung, a reporter at Scandal News, who strived to get an interview with Kwon Yool. Due to a sudden course of events and misunderstandings, they decided to get into a contract marriage which eventually bloomed into a beautiful marriage of love and understanding.
2. Lie To Me
This drama was released in 2011, and it revolved around Gong Ah Jung, an administrative official for the Ministry of Culture and a single woman in her late 20s, who out of desperation lies about her being married to the renowned and wealthy bachelor, Hyun Ki Joon. Coincidentally they met each other in a bar, where she was passed out and Ki Joon escorted her to the hospital. Eventually, due to some misunderstandings and rumours, they get into a contract relationship which eventually develops into a hilarious and adorable storyline.
3. Business Proposal
This webtoon adaptation revolved around Shin Ha Ri who replaces her friend and goes in her disguise on a blind date with a person named Kang Tae Moo, who later turned out to be the CEO of her company. Furious about being cheated, he asked Shin Ha-Ri to become his fake girlfriend to avoid any more blind dates being set up by his grandfather. Eventually, their fake relationship bloomed into a real and healthy relationship of trust and respect. A mixture of romance, comedy, drama, contract relationships, cute second-lead romance, and more, made this drama a complete must-watch package for the audience.
4. Her Private Life
This drama was based on Sung Deok Mi, an art curator who hid her personality as a fangirl and suddenly finds herself in a pit of chaos amongst the high school fans of her popular idol, who presumed her to be his girlfriend. Her boss, Ryan Gold, uncovered her secret and asked her to get into a fake relationship with him, to protect her from the fans. Eventually, it bloomed into a beautiful relationship of respecting each other’s past and preferences.
5. Marriage, Not Dating
A 2014 drama, Marriage, Not Dating revolved around a successful surgeon, Gong Ki Tae, who wished to remain unmarried, and Joo Jang Mi, a woman who had given up on finding her true love, after her past relationships. Their story began when Gong Ki Tae, wanted to stop the nagging and interference from his family members and brought Joo Jang Mi as his fake wife, with aspirations that his family will never accept her. Eventually, they fell in love and make this drama a great weekend watch!
6. Because This Is My First Life
This drama revolved around Ji Ho, an assistant drama writer with no place of shelter, and Se Hee, a regular working man who is burdened with mortgages. Both of them entered into a contract marriage to seek mutual financial benefits. They gradually began to learn and understand each other and eventually fell in love. This contract relationship drama revealed the realistic problems of young and middle-class individuals.
7. Love In Contract
This unique drama followed the story of an intelligent and highly talented woman, Choi Sang- Eun who ran a contract marriage agency and acted as a perfect wife for her clients. One of her clients was Jung Ji Ho, who had been in a contract relationship with her for 5 years but remained a mysterious man with no personal whereabouts. However, their chapter turned a new leaf when his boss and colleagues wished to know about his personal life and marriage in-depth, and the beginning of a love triangle due to a new entry of a popular actor, Hae Jin into their lives. This drama starred popular actors like Go Kyung Po, Jae Young Kim, and Park Min Young which made this drama binge-worthy!
8. Something About 1 Percent
This drama was released in 2016 and followed the story of a smart, rich, and handsome, yet an arrogant man, Lee Jae-In, whose increasing arrogance was shown a mirror when his grandfather named his entire inheritance to a very kind and sensible school teacher, Kim Da Hyun. He was compelled by his grandfather, to enter into an engagement contract of about 10 months with her, to get his inheritance back. Both of them hesitantly agreed but gradually developed feelings for each other.
9. Fated To Love You
This romantic comedy was released in 2014 and revolved around Lee Gun, an arrogant and selfish CEO of a large company, and Kim Mi Young, an innocent but hardworking employee at a law firm. Eventually, they met in Macao, where he was on a weekend getaway to propose to his longtime girlfriend and she was there on vacation after winning a prize from her office. The same night when he was supposed to propose to his girlfriend, both, he and Kim Mi Young were drugged by one of Lee Gun’s rivals and mistakenly ended up spending the night together. This bloomed into an unexpected pregnancy, a contract marriage, and an adorable love story.
10. Full House
This 2004 romantic comedy revolved around an aspiring scriptwriter Han Ji Eun, who lived in a house inherited through her parents and was fooled by her two best friends, who sold off her property while she was away. On her way back home, she met the famous actor, Lee Young Jae, with whom she ended up on bad terms. Later, she realized that the new owner of her house was Young Jae and due to a sudden course of events and rumours, they entered into a contract relationship which eventually bloomed into a real and an adorable one!
