We always love a good story where the underdog finally prevails and gets the happy ending they deserve. In this list, we will discuss some of the best K-dramas where the underdog does succeed in reaching their goals.
1. Itaewon Class
In Itaewon Class, we follow Park Sae-Ro-Yi, our main protagonist. As a high school student, Sae-Ro-Yi stands up to the bully, Jang Geun-Won, who is the son of the wealthy CEO of Jagga, Jang Dae-Hee. Sae-Ro-Yi's; father is also an employee of Dae-Hee. Sae-Ro-Yi was forced by Dae-Hee to apologize to Geun-Won; however, he refuses. This results in Sae-Ro-Yi being expelled from school, and his father was fired from his position at Jagga. Geun-Won also causes an accident that kills Sae-Ro-Yi's father. Angered by the death of his father, Sae-Ro-Yi vows to take revenge on Jang Geun Won as well as Dae-Hee and destroy Jagga. This series is well-paced and highly thrilling.
2. My Mister
In My Mister, we follow Lee Sun-Kyun, our male protagonist, as well as Lee Ji-An, our female protagonist. Both of our characters are underdogs, and they have their problems; however, it is Lee Ji-An who is the real underdog. She is a young woman in her twenties who lives a difficult life. She tries to support her grandmother, who is bedridden and unable to move. Ji-An is also in serious debt, which she tries to pay off, but her plan doesn’t go as smoothly as she hoped. My Mister is an emotional rollercoaster that we can't escape.
3. Good Doctor
In The Good Doctor, we follow Park Shi-On, a young medical resident with savant syndrome. We see that from a young age, Shi-On had been bullied and ill-treated by the rest of society due to his disability. We learn that Shi-On had a difficult childhood as well; his father used to be a violent alcoholic. After the death of his brother, Park Shi-On becomes close with a doctor named Choi Woo-Seok, this inspired him to become a medical resident as well. Park Shi-On is our lovable underdog. We root for him to succeed from the very first episode.
4. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
In this series, we follow Woo Young-Woo, our female protagonist. She is a remarkable lawyer who has autism spectrum disorder. We follow her as she tries to navigate her path in life. We also see the prejudices she faces in society due to her autism. Young-Woo uses her unique perspective to bring new insight to all her cases. We see her as she grows and develops as a person and a lawyer.
5. She Was Pretty
In She Was Pretty, both of our main characters, Sung-Joon, our male protagonist, and Hye-Jin, our female protagonist, were both underdogs at some point in their lives. As we begin the drama, we see that Sung-Joon was an underdog as a child. He used to be bullied and mistreated by the other children, but as he grew up, he became handsome and well respected. Hye-Jin, on the other hand, was beautiful in the past however, as she grew up, she faced more difficulties and challenges. The focus of this series is to show us how frivolous outward beauty is.
6. When The Camellia Blooms
In this series, we follow Dong-Baek, our main female protagonist. She is a single mother who lives in the town of Ongsan. She owns a small restaurant that many of the townspeople frequent. Dong-Baek is an enigma in the little town, as locals' gossip and whisper about her past and her life as a single mother. We see that she is a strong, kind, and caring mother. We root for her to find love and happiness in Ongsan.
7. The Glory
In this series, we follow Moon Dong-Eun, our protagonist. She was a victim of school violence. She suffered horrific bullying from her peers in high school and her teacher. Moon was forced to leave the school due to the bullying. Throughout the series, we see her suffering due to her teachers, peers and her family. As a grown woman, Moon decides to seek revenge on everyone who had hurt and bullied her as a child.
8. Dream High
In Dream High, we follow a series of characters, however our main underdog here is Song Sam Dong. Sam Dong is a young boy who lives in the countryside; his dreams, however, are big. He dreams of owning a stock farm, but his life was turned upside down when he falls in love with Ko Hye-Mi. Hye-Mi is a student at Kirin High School of Art. After falling in love, Sam Dong follows her to the high school, where he discovers his talent in music.
9. Record Of Youth
In Record of Youth, we follow An Jeong-Ha, our female protagonist, and Sa Hye-Jun, our male protagonist, who is our underdog. He is a model. However, he dreams of becoming a well-known actor. Despite his tires, Hye-Jun has not received much success in the acting industry. We follow him as he strives to achieve his dreams.
10. The Innocent Man
In this series, we follow Kang Ma-Ru, who is an ordinary young man. His life gets turned upside down when he gets accused and convicted of crimes he had not committed. After he gets released from prison, Ma-Ru embarks on a journey of revenge. He desperately desires to clear his name and find the perpetrator behind the crimes.
