We are all guilty of spending hours upon hours in a binge-watch session when it comes to K-dramas which to their fault are always one-hour long or more. But a perfect middle ground is found in the world of Korean Web dramas with bite-sized episodes and just the right amount of feels. A great accompaniment for subway journeys and snack breaks, here is a list of 10 Korean web dramas for you.
1. A-Teen
Standing on the brink of adulthood, struggling with life challenges, and preparing for what was to come with no real-life experiences to garner lessons from, six high school students strive to become their finer versions to navigate an increasingly tough reality.
Having their unique tales to tell, these kids explore what it means to be ‘eighteen’.
With ups and downs, friendships and conflicts, first loves and heartbreaks, this youth drama is painted with overwhelming fondness as it weaves a mint fresh and yellow happy story.
2. Pop-Out Boy
Bearing an eerie likeness to the protagonist of a romance comic that was popular more than a decade ago, Han Sun Nyeo led a mundane life; attending school, hanging out with friends, and fantasizing about her first love. Just to add some spice and fun to her boring story, this drama takes an amazing turn leaving her stunned when she comes face to face with our debonair male protagonist Chu Nam Wook who quite literally popped out from a comic book.
While our pretty Sun Nyeo is busy figuring out what just happened and how to fix it, Nam Wook’s only agenda is to win his leading ladies’ heart. With toe-curling fluff and cheesy dialogues, this drama is a lovable one.
3. Growing Season
This coming-of-age drama features the story of three university students; free-spirited and headstrong Heo Yi-Joo who welcomes some fun in her life, careful and plain Kang Ha-young living in a long-term relationship, and their cheerful and hyper junior, Ban Ah-in who is absolutely naive when it comes to intimacy. When girls with totally different ways of life are pushed together to work on a project, a wonderful friendship strikes up as they bond with each other over personal matters and find a companion to open up to. This youth drama tries whacking some sense in the youngsters as it traverses through the complicated aspects of young love.
4. Sweet Revenge Season 1 and 2
What happens when a self-proclaimed pushover comes upon an application which lets them take revenge on whoever’s name they type in? Well, watch Sweet Revenge 1 and 2 to follow the lives of two teenage girls who go through an entertaining rollercoaster ride when they find this dangerously weird app on their phones and become the subject of affection of our painfully handsome male leads. It can be a big gaffe waiting to happen or maybe just your fairy godmother looking out for you, anyhow this idol drama series is as interesting as it can get.
5. Twenty-Twenty
As if coping with her mother’s domineering temperament wasn’t enough, trying to be herself while also living up to the expectations of those around keeps getting harder as Da-Hee is smothered by the people closest to her when their controlling nature starts becoming overbearing.
Yearning for an escape and a new start, she feels a connection with her personable classmate Lee Hyunjin who with his own set of problems and a messed-up family strives hard to become a music producer. Sharing the same sense of pain these two find solace in one another leading to a 2020 school romance with a narrative full of aspirations and desires.
6. Best Mistake
Hoping to get rid of her annoyingly persistent admirer, Kim Yeon-Do posts a picture of a random dashing guy on her SNS account, and this is where the fun begins as she realizes what a blunder she made when that guy turns out to be none other than her striking and popular school mate Ji Hyun Ho. News travels fast and we get to witness a lovely and hilarious tale of six high school students. With an equally interesting season 2, this series is a ‘must binge-watch.
7. Be My Boyfriend
Following the trend of ‘Falling in love by contract’, this high school romantic comedy creates an adorable picture when Oh jin Ah, a beautiful and popular trainee hunts down Lee Seungmin; a junior who like the rest of the school is already smitten by her charms, to coax him into a contract based relationship. No one complains when subtle fondness for our sweet Seungmin creeps in her heart making us want to find out where this fake relationship ends up.
8. Be Positive
Just as the name implies this idol drama cheerfully motivates the younger generation to stay strong and positive. Hwang Dong a film major wins a grand prize for his script but faces annoying complications while trying to complete his movie direction project. Following numerous comical instances, he ends up asking his ex-girlfriend for help who surprisingly complies. With characters screaming at you to ‘Believe in yourself’ this mini-drama will leave you energized.
9. Love After School
This ‘friends to lovers’ youth drama is a story where two people meant for each other get drift apart because of silly rumors spread by a jealous peer. But don’t worry, the sparks are reignited five years later when Se-In meets Myung Rok and takes us on a heartwarming trip. Continuing their story in season 2, this web series is a good watch.
10. Trap
This web drama is a mix of thrill and romance with its interesting style of narration as it tells us a story of affection, bad faith, and temptation. Yang Hyeji went through a lot after getting cheated on by her ‘perfect’ boyfriend, losing a good friend, and becoming the talk of the town, still managing to cope up with all this and finding an endearing connection with Kyung Woo her fellow University student. This story highlights self-love and the presses on the point of choosing your friends wisely making this a good watch with an unexpected twist.
