Kdramas are all about romance and fantasy. It may be a love triangle, bad boy-good girl relationship, or a range of breakups, and it truly justified them all. But in this race of romance, very few could portray real, healthy, and mature relationships. Depicting the real problems of life also helps the audience resonate more with the story and the characters. Drama and angst are typical features of Kdramas, but sometimes a fresh perspective of respect and reality in the relationship keeps the audience hooked to their seats. Let’s look at the top 10 Healthy relationship Kdramas:
1. Her Private Life
The lead couple, Sung Duk Mi and Ryan Gold depicted the reality of respecting each others’ likes and dislikes and having their back in every walk of life. The story revolves around Sung Duk Mi, an art director who hid her personality as a fangirl, from everyone she knows. This list also included her CEO, Ryan Gold, with who she eventually ends up fake dating. The journey of the couple falling in love and opening up about themselves was truly a delight to watch!
2. Run On
This drama revolved around a former, national track athlete, Im Siwan, and a film translator of foreign languages, Shin Se Yung. The romance between this couple was gradual and natural. Their romance was not a typical, love at first sight, but rather a realistic one that blooms with time and understanding. They made communication and trust, the foundation of their relationship. The drama truly won the hearts of the audience, not only through this lovely couple but also through the mature second lead couple, Seo Dan Ah and Lee Yeong Hwa.
3. Hospital Playlist
A full-package Kdrama which focused on doctors, music, friendships, and healthy relationships. There were 4 different couples and all of them showed purity of love, understanding, and patience in their relationships. The main couple that gained a massive fanbase for itself was Lee Ik Jun and Chae Song Hwa who depicted the essence of timing and patience in a relationship. Their story bloomed only when they became adults, despite being in love for more than 20 years. Instead of being a typical wrong-timing love story, they showed the reality of how people may fall in love with someone else yet find each other in course of time.
4. It's Okay, That’s Love
This drama had its central focus on mental illness along with the ups and downs that come with it. The story revolves around a bestselling author and radio host, Jang Jae Yeol, who suffers from OCD and Schizophrenia, and a psychiatrist Ji Hae Soo, who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. This couple portrayed the importance of supporting one’s partner and accepting them for who they really are. This drama gave a realistic perspective to a relationship of accepting your partner’s flaws and helping them heal from their past.
5. Hometown Cha Cha Cha
This 2021 romance drama had a refreshing take on love triangles, communication, and disagreements in a relationship. The story revolves around a city dentist, Hye Jin who moved to her hometown, after getting fired from her work, and the most popular guy in the town, Hong Du Sik who is regarded as the jack of all trades. The most notable feature of this drama was showing the reality of giving space and time to your partners to open up, rather than being persistent. They also showed how love triangles can be dealt with differently and with maturity.
6. Romance Is A Bonus Book
This romance drama revolves around the romance of a divorced mother, Kang Dan-I, and a gifted editor-in-chief of a publishing company. Their relationship highlighted the struggles and challenges of life and supported each other throughout. Although the couple had an age disparity, the most important feature of this drama was not to force the character to act beyond his age. The importance of friendship and family was an add-on to this story.
7. Thirty But Seventeen
This drama revolves around a 17-year-old girl, who meets with an accident and goes into a coma. 13 years later, she wakes up as a 30-year-old woman, who is unaware of her whereabouts and meets a man who is stringent about relationships due to a past trauma. While rediscovering themselves, they try and open up to each which was one of the highlights of the show. This drama portrayed a relationship of helping your partners through patience, support, and understanding.
8. Fight For My Way
This 2016 drama was full of action, romance, friendship, and drama which gained massive attention from the audience. It portrayed ambitious individuals who support each other in chasing their dreams. They have their ups and downs but sail through the struggles of their personal and professional lives while having each other’s backs. They highlighted the importance of respecting each other’s dreams and supporting them in their journey. They depict a typical romance between young individuals who learn and live life together.
9. Because This Is My First Life
This drama had its unique touch on both, the plot and the relationship between the characters. Ji Ho, an assistant drama writer with no house, and Se Hee, a regular working individual who is burdened with mortgages, find love due to a contract marriage that bloomed out of financial desperation. This couple showed us the importance of self-reflection in a relationship. It was unique because of its focus on the struggles of the hero and how both of them build a mutual understanding through communication and compromises.
10. Business Proposal
Both the couples, Shin Ha Ri / Kang Tae Moo and Cha Sung Hoon / Jin Young Seo portrayed a very healthy relationship, till the end. Both couples depicted the importance of respecting each other’s decisions, being together with clarity in mind, and communicating with one another in a relationship. They journeyed through typical struggles like disagreements with families, being with a public figure, and also being in a long-distance relationship in a very mature and sensible manner. This drama highlighted a realistic approach to commitment and families in life which made it binge-worthy!
