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10 Must-Read Romance Webtoons

Romance webtoons are great because they are fundamentally entertaining and profoundly engaging, allowing us to experience a rush of emotions

Mar 21, 2023

'Freaking Romance' by Snailords. Photo courtesy of Webtoon

Reading an intricate and vividly descriptive romance story can frequently outclass watching romantic movies or dramas. In that sense, romance webtoons are great because they are fundamentally entertaining and profoundly engaging in the way they allow us to experience a rush of emotions. Their amazing stories, stunning illustrations, prose techniques, and world-building competence make a substantial contribution to why we are becoming increasingly invested in them.

More than we could possibly imagine, their large spectrum of genres includes paranormal romance, dark romance, romantic comedy, romantic suspense, historical romance, multicultural romance, erotica, fantasy, gothic romance, time-slip romance, sci-fi romance and much, much more! There is something for everyone, crammed with rich narrative elements. Romance webtoons are like transportable wonderlands that are one of a kind and leave you with several distinct experiences. Here are my top 10 suggestions for romance webtoons, which you might also find intriguing given what I have encountered.

Lore Olympus

Based on the classical Greek tale The Abduction of Persephone, but with a predominately modern setting, the magnum opus by Rachel Smythe is a modern retelling of the Greek gods Persephone’s love affair with Hades. The plotline of its first season involves a scheme by Minthe, Thanatos and Thetis to disgrace Persephone, as well as her conflicted feelings over Apollo’s lewd propositions and a college scholarship that precludes her from carnal knowledge. Season two includes both Persephone’s abduction and the blossoming romance with Hades.

Webtoon link: Here

True Beauty

True Beauty, also known as The Secret of Angel and by other names, was created by Yaongyi. It follows Lim Jug-yeong, a teen who faces discrimination from her family and heckling from her peers due to being deemed ugly. As a result, she picks up makeup skills from beauty tutorial videos, skyrocketing to fame overnight and befriending Lee Su-ho and Han Seo-jun, the two most popular boys on campus. As the plot unfolds, Jug-yeong grapples with keeping her bare face hidden and a slew of other life and career challenges.

Most of us are acquainted with the famed K-drama version of True Beauty starring Mun Ka-young, Cha Eun-woo and Hwang In-youp. And yet, I recommend that you read the excellent webtoon whether or not you’ve watched the drama.

Webtoon link: Here

Let’s Play

Sam Young, a 22-year-old female software developer hoping to get into video games, is the subject of Leeanne M. Krecic’s romantic comedy Let’s Play. Sam’s pet project, Ruminate, is brutally blasted by a gaming critic who goes by the name of Marshall Law and his devoted followers. After the incident, Law moves in next door to Sam, which causes things to spin out of control.

Let’s Play is devoted to young women who desire success on their own terms and analyses and parodies the largely male-dominated gaming industry as well as gaming culture, covering subjects like relationships, anxiety, and despair.

Webtoon link: Here

I Love Yoo

Shin-Ae, who has been plagued by suffering and bad luck since the beginning, says she doesn’t want anything to do with people or love. While she feels okay with her lonely, monotonous and loveless life, she is compelled to alter her ways in Quimchee’s I Love Yoo when she damages a random stranger’s garments.

Webtoon link: Here

Siren’s Lament

Instantmiso has produced an exquisite yet poignant tale with Siren’s Lament. The story of Lyra may appear tear-jerking as you read it, but it turns into something that is wholesome in so many ways. Lyra is a homebody who is satisfied with her daily routine. Nonetheless, when she unwittingly enters the world of sirens, her life quickly explodes into chaos. She will realize that her existence can be more meaningful than she ever imagined after being embroiled in a jinx.

Webtoon link: Here

Heartstopper

Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring’s lives are featured in the graphic novel and webcomic series by British author Alice Oseman. At an all-boys British grammar school, Nick – a joyful, gentle rugby player – and Charlie, a sensitive, gay, over-analyzer, meet and fall in love. The series is an extension of Oseman’s 2015 novella Nick and Charlie, albeit his 2014 novel Solitaire provided the characters’ introduction. The same-titled Netflix original series by Alice Oseman later featured Kit Connor as Nick and Joe Lockwood as Charlie.

Webtoon link: Here

Age Matters

During her time house-sitting for a friend, a woman unwittingly becomes a sexy and stunning CEO’s personal assistant. She has been chosen to serve as the 23-year-old tycoon’s aide, something he is not too thrilled about. At heart a romantic, she is also worried about approaching 30. But together they reinvent the norms of camaraderie, romance and work in Enjelicious’ utterly fascinating webtoon, Age Matters.

Webtoon link: Here

Freaking Romance

In her new apartment, the focus of Snailords’ Freaking Romance, Zylith discovers herself mesmerized by something unimaginable. As the title implies, the story is a beguiling work of mystical fiction about a woman living alone, finding her dream home, and realizing that an individual who also lives there is a gorgeous ethereal intruder from another realm. And although neither he nor she can reach the other, that is precisely what makes this suspenseful plot so, well, freaking romantic.

Webtoon link: Here

unTouchable

Thanks to massstar for making this webcomic; it is an extremely emotionally compelling story with fantastic characters. We encounter Sia, a vampire who, rather than consuming human blood, collects energy from people by touching them. Since the day Jiho moved in next door, she has been yearning to touch him, but he has an extreme fear of germs and an obsession with cleanliness. Given the situation, will Sia be able to get past his mysophobia and touch Jiho?

Webtoon link: Here

Cheese in the Trap

Photo: Courtesy of Webtoon

With Park Hae-jin, Kim Go-eun, Seo Kang-joon and Lee Sung-kyung in the lead roles, this well-known webtoon by Soonkki was adapted into a K-drama of the same name. In the webcomic, Yoo Jung, a senior who goes by the moniker “Mr. Perfect,” crosses paths with Hong Seol, a model student. As a part-time worker to support herself, Seol is diligent and focused. Jung, who is apparently kind and polite, is also highly manipulative, and when he enters Seol’s life, she feels as though her life is going downhill.

Webtoon link: Here

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