10 Best K-Dramas with Slow-Burn Romance
Includes “Coffee Prince,” “Something in the Rain,” “Crash Landing on You,” and other hits noted for excellent renditions of a slow-burn romance
Son Suk-ku (left) plays Mr. Gu, and Kim Ji-won plays Yeom Mi-jeong (right) in 'My Liberation Notes.' Photo courtesy of JTBC
Insofar as the characters traverse the multitude of emotions, they are experiencing for something more meaningful in terms of a relationship, a slow-burning romance may frequently stir up longing and anticipation, which makes it a pleasant experience to watch.
Listed below are the 10 best K-dramas with unique slow-burning romances.
Princess Hours (2006)
Essentially a lighthearted coming-of-age story with a pulsing, slow-burning romance, Princess Hours was the tenth most-viewed K-drama of 2006, contributing to the Hallyu wave.
Its awkward, regular high school student, Shin Chae-kyeong (Yoon Eun-hye), is forced to marry the egotistical, attractive Crown Prince Lee Shin (Ju Ji-hoon), also a student at her school. When she moves into the imperial household, Chae-kyeong struggles to cope with the protocol, her grumpy husband, and her royal obligations, yet can’t help but worry about her conceited, callous husband.
The plethora of controversies involving the royal family intensifies the sequence of events that follow. Even as Lee Shin keeps up his covert contact with his ex-girlfriend, he fails to ignore Chae-kyeong and his cousin’s burgeoning bond.
The newlyweds remain at odds, while love carefully infiltrates. It’s a fleshed-out, slow-burning romance between them, complete with moments of unsaid pain, affection, animosity, veiled jealousy, and a craving for each other’s presence and care.
Coffee Prince (2007)
To update his family café, Choi Han-kyul (Gong Yoo) only hires attractive men as wait staff. Meanwhile, there’s Yoon Eun-hye’s Go Eun-chan, a tomboy who gets hired misidentified as a guy. For financial gain, she keeps pretending to be a boy. But things go awry when Han-kyul, unaware of reality, starts to feel something for her.
Eun-chan feels guilty, while Han-kyul is unsure and jittery about his sexual orientation. His dilemma causes him such distress that he begins to mistreat and avoid Eun-chan, and he acts more inappropriately after learning the truth. In the end, love wins, and they make up.
Coffee Prince was unique in shattering gender conventions. With its portrayal of a Hoyden heroine, it was ahead of its time, especially when you consider how many K-dramas rely on feminine makeovers to attract attention.
It addresses issues of patriarchy, masculinity, feminine identity, and the gender divide while also being a stunning slow-burn in which emotional struggle, dishonesty, and disclosures all lead to the blossoming of Han-kyul and Eun-chan’s passionate relationship.
Something in the Rain (2018)
This love story, also known as Pretty Sister Who Buys Me Food, is still highly pertinent in that it tackles taboo topics in society, especially those that have to do with relationships.
Something in the Rain stars Seo Jun-hee (Jung Hae-in), an animator in his 20s, who falls for Yoon Jin-ah (Son Ye-jin), a coffee store district supervisor in her 30s, after returning from a job overseas. Jin-ah is also the best friend of his elder sister, so things are complicated here. In a world where dating an older woman is thought of as odd, the two’s age disparities continue to jeopardize their secret romance.
The occurrences in the narrative, based on their slow-burn romance subtleties and their attempts to come out about the relationship, are woven around challenges facing working women in the face of widespread, implicitly sexist behaviors—sexual misconduct, mistreatment, misogyny, and other ills.
Crash Landing on You (2019)
A paragliding accident causes South Korean chaebol heiress Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) to crash into the North Korean side of the demilitarized zone, where she is discovered by North Korean elite Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin), a captain in the Korean People’s Army. He feels obligated to keep her safe and assist her return to the South, but as the extremely difficult process unfolds, feelings begin to surface.
Time, factionalism, potentially life-threatening situations, and complex family dynamics all test this cross-border love story, but it never wavers until the very end.
Crash Landing on You shot to become a worldwide hit and the third-highest-rated Korean drama in history on cable television. Its one-of-a-kind depiction of an allegory of how crucial it is to have love and peace between two nations, personified by two star-crossed lovers, makes it so appealing.
Itaewon Class (2020)
Setting a new standard for Korean dramas and inspiring the industry to embrace diversity and create stories that resonate with a global audience, Itaewon Class has stimulated creativity, challenged stereotypes, and advocated for inclusivity.
In it, Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon) schemes to murder Jang Geun-won (Ahn Bo-hyun), a highly influential man’s son, after his father is killed in an accident and sent to prison. After being freed, Sae-ro-yi opens DanBam, a bar-restaurant in the diverse neighborhood of Itaewon, hoping to prosper and exact revenge, but he lacks business sense. This is when he runs into Jo Yi-seo (Kim Da-mi).
She has a thing for Sae-ro-yi, so she offers to take over as manager of DanBam. Her cold conduct and apathy can make it seem like she’s a sociopath, but beneath it all, she truly cares about her peers. Yi-seo stands by him and DanBam, even when Sae-ro-yi rejects him. She becomes a CFO as Sae-ro-yi’s company expands. Finally, Sae-ro-yi confesses his love for Yi-seo, confirming his feelings for her.
One aspect of a slow-burning romance that I find so compelling about Itaewon Class is its complex yet well-realized characters. Together, the independent and feisty Yi-seo and the gregarious and resilient Sae-ro-yi develop an emotional bond that endures beyond screen time through their struggles and personal development.
When the Weather Is Fine (2020)
Following a string of unpleasant incidents, cellist Mok Hae-won (Park Min-young) leaves her job in Seoul and moves back to her hamlet in Gangwon Province. There, she reconnects with Im Eun-seob (Seo Kang-joon), her old classmate and neighbor who currently operates a bookshop.
They discover warmth in each other and open their hearts while trying to escape the harsh reality of life during the bitter winter. As they heal their past wounds together, their relationship slowly deepens.
I enjoy how this slow burn helps to deepen the bond between Hae-won and Eun-seob before physical attractions even come into play. The gradual intensification heightens the passionate tension and profundity of emotions, establishing the foundation for a stronger, more mature relationship.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)
Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun) lives with his autistic elder brother, Moon Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se). Gang-Tae is a caregiver in a mental health ward where he meets famed children’s book writer Ko Moon-young (Seo Yea-ji), who is arrogant and unfriendly.
She takes a love interest in Gang-tae, learns that their pasts are similar, and persistently pursues him. Progressively, the protagonists begin to nurse each other’s emotional scars as dark secrets become apparent. As they mend, they become a family, and love explodes between Gang-tae and Moon-young, enabling them to move past their painful pasts, recover, and find their true selves. Love enters their lives unexpectedly, grows gradually, and endures forever.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay was an iconic blockbuster hit that spoke to the soul via its catharsis, deeper ramifications, narrative splendor, splendid characters, and vivid heart-fluttering romance.
Our Beloved Summer (2021)
Our Beloved Summer features a stark contrast between the leads’ past and present. Kuk Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi), in contrast to the carefree idler Choi Woong (Choi Woo-shik), was an imposing disciplinarian. She is currently a struggling public relations professional, but Woog is the successful, enigmatic illustrator Ko Oh.
A decade after their breakup and vowing never to see each other again, the plot culminates in Yeon-soo and Woong falling in love again. When their previous documentary unintentionally goes viral, they are forced to reunite in front of the camera.
The characters are shown dipping back and forth between the two timelines as their complex love story develops.
Soundtrack #1 (2022)
Friends for more than twenty years, Han Sun-woo (Park Hyung-sik) is a freshman photographer, and Seo Eun-soo (Han So-hee) is a lyricist. Eun-soo is blunt and vivacious, whereas Sun-woo is soft-spoken and sensitive. Once the two move in together for work, their friendship turns into something deeper. Their nascent sentiments are softly hinted at in Seo’s verses as they feel drawn to each other.
A K-drama cliché, but one that often wins, is a slow-burning romance between close friends. After all, friends make the ideal confidantes and mind readers, as they easily ease each other’s tension by releasing blocked feelings. Friends make the best lovers, which is probably why.
Within the brief span of four episodes, this little romantic drama delves deeply into a complex story of love that remains unspoken until its final moments. The characters’ ongoing challenges of fear and realization lead to an incredibly delectable build-up of feelings between them.
My Liberation Notes (2022)
Three siblings and an intriguing man who have unfulfilled goals and seek freedom from a tedious, wretched life are the centerpieces of My Liberation Notes.
The way it speaks of societal constraints and the realistic narrative are spot on. Aside from that, the slow-burning romance between Yeom Mi-jeong (Kim Ji-won) and the enigmatic Mr. Gu (Son Suk-ku) somewhat undermines its otherwise weighty plot.
Their feelings keep them close to one another most of the time, and actions over words express love. Though difficult, the dynamic between them causes romantic tension to rise between them.
