There are many K-dramas about family and friendship. There are a lot of K-dramas that show us that the people we meet in life and the friends we make become our family. Sometimes, the family that we have by blood is not the kindest. These K-dramas explore the love and the relationships that we develop with other people who become like our family. Our family isn’t connected to us by blood but by love.
1. Be Melodramatic
In this drama, we follow the lives of three friends, Lim Jin-Joo, Lee Eun-Jung, and Hwang Han-Joo. They have been friends since college. They are all women in their thirties trying to navigate life and its turbulences. They rely on each other for support. Throughout the drama, we see how much they must depend on each other. They treat each other as family and are there for each other through the various challenges and difficulties they face.
2. Hello, My Twenties!
In this drama, we follow the lives of five university students, Yoon Jin-Myung, Song Ji-Won, Jung Ye-Eun, Yoon Eun-Jae, and Kang Yi-Na. They are young women in their early twenties, and they are roommates. Far away from home, the women depend on each other for comfort and support. The women have very different personalities, but they treat each other as family. They provide unconditional support to each other.
3. Itaewon Class
In this drama, we follow the life of our protagonist, Park Sae-Ro-Yi. We follow him on his quest for revenge and success. Throughout the drama, we get introduced to various people: Kim Da-Mi, Choi Seung-Kwon, Ma Hyun-Yi, and Tony Kim. They are all people who feel isolated in society. They don’t fit in the conventions of society. We see how they come together to form a company. They become each other's rock, and they protect one another.
4. The Uncanny Encounter
In this drama, we follow a group of people with superpowers called Counter. With the help of their abilities, they hunt out evil spirits. The group comprises of So Mun, Ga Mo-Tak, Do Ha-Na, Chu Mae-Ok, and Choi Jang-Mool. They also run a noodle shop together. They become each other's family. They eat together, fight together, and they protect each other from any dangerous situation.
5. Hospital Playlist
In this drama, we follow the lives of five doctors at a hospital called Yulje Medical Center. They are all adults, well into their thirties. They have been friends since they were students in medical school. They eat together usually; they hang out together often and they are also in a band. They act like each other's family. Despite being doctors and researchers, they behave like children with each other. They are open with each other and are protective of each other.
6. Reply 1988
In this drama, we travel to 1988 South Korea and follow the lives of five friends. Duk-sun, Sun-Woon, Jung-Hwan, Taek and Dong-Ryong. They all live in the same neighborhood and have been childhood friends. We see even as adults, they support each other and are very close to one another.
7. Hotel Del Luna
In this drama, we follow the life of Man-Wol, the CEO of a hotel called Hotel Del Luna. This Hotel is for spirits and is responsible for guiding them to the afterlife. Man-Wol was stuck as the CEO of the Hotel for generations. During her stay, she meets the spirits of other humans, such as Kim Sun-Bi, Choi Seo-Hee, Ji Hyun-Joong, and Kim Yoo-Na. They all work in the Hotel and help Man-Wol run the Hotel. Soon, she also meets Koo Chan-Sung, a human who becomes the assistant manager of the Hotel. They become each other's family. The spirits love and care for Man-Wol, and in turn, Man-Wol grows attached to the spirits working for her in the Hotel.
7. It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
In this drama, we follow the lives of two brothers, Moon Kang-Tae and Moon Sang-Tae. We also follow the life of a well-known children’s writer, Ko Moon-Young. They are very different people, but somehow, they develop into each other's family. They have all grown up without a proper family, and find comfort and love in each other. They learn how to love and trust one another. In the end, they consider each other to be family.
8. Mystic Pop-Up Bar
This drama revolves around a woman named Wol-Ju. She runs a mysterious food cart on the rooftop of a building. This food and bar cart is open to all beings, even spirits. Together, the hurt souls of the dead and the living come to the bar to find peace and comfort.
9. Goblin
This drama revolves around a young girl named Ji Eun-Tak and a mysterious creature named Kim Shin, a human who was cursed to become a supernatural entity. He is also called a Goblin. Ji Eun-Tak is an orphan who lost her mother at a very young age. She is neglected and mistreated by her extended family and cousins. She is not loved by her family. Eun-Tak also has the power to see and communicate with spirits. She is also the Goblin’s bride. She meets and later befriends a grim reaper, and she becomes close to her boss, Sunny, Kim Shin, and a human named Yoo Duk-Hwa. Together, they form a close-knit bond with each other. She considers Kim Shin and the reaper to be like her family.
10. Prison Playbook
This series revolves around the lives of the prison inmates and the officers. It follows the life of a relief pitcher named Je-Hyeok, who was sentenced to a year in prison. It also follows Lee Joon-Ho, Je-Hyeok's friend, who is also a prison officer. He is an officer who works in the same prison where Je-Hyeok is.
