The 10 Best Rom-Com K-Dramas of 2022

K-dramas have been the focus of my writing for a while. It’s been a wonderful experience thus far, exactly one year after I dove deeply into the subject. By having the chance to discuss my thoughts with you on something that makes me incredibly happy, I’ve got the opportunity to learn more and become even more enriched. Since I’ve had a tonne of opportunity to sample Korean content – far more than I could have ever imagined – I’ve found 2022 to be quite fascinating. This is because I was always seeking out first-hand information to share and write about.

Now, as we prepare to enter a new season, a new year, I feel like looking back and going over the stories that have had a lasting impact on me; on us. Let me start by recapping the 10 best Korean romantic comedies of 2022.

10. Crazy Love

Kim Jae-wook and Krystal Jung from f(x) are the headliners of Crazy Love, a hilarious sitcom packed with slapstick and absurd comedy! It centers on a man who fakes amnesia to fend off a murderous threat, and a dying woman who agrees to pose as his fiancé. Kim plays No Go-jin, the man, alongside Jung who plays Lee Shin-a, the woman.

Crazy Love is most appealing in terms of its erratic plot. You just cannot afford to skip ahead to the next episode because the narrative’s development and that of the main characters are revealed gradually. Did you miss the action? Watch it now for hours of fun. Take my word for it.

9. Once Upon a Small Town

The story of Han Ji-yul (Choo Young-woo), a veterinarian from Seoul abandoned in a small town, is recounted in this drama version of the web novel Accidental Country Diary. There, he meets the mysterious Ahn Ja-young (Joy from Red Velvet), a local police officer. Han intends to flee the town as quickly as possible, but instead finds himself drawn to country life and begins dating Ahn.

Despite the negative aspects of small-town life, the therapeutic value of Once Upon a Small Town makes it alluring.

8. Forecasting Love and Weather

As Jin Ha-kyung, Park Min-young represents a highly qualified weather forecaster who works for the meteorological service. She is regarded as a reserved, no-nonsense employee who strictly segregates her personal and professional lives. However, when cheery and jolly Lee Si-woo (Song Kang) joins the office, her entire life is turned upside down. Lee, who oversees a special reporting department, has an IQ of 150. Despite Jin’s best efforts to keep him at a distance, he is successful in breaking the ice with her, and soon love blossoms between the two.

Although the focus of Forecasting Love and Weather is the Korean Meteorological Administration and its staff, the story and its ingenuity are what actually matter, apart from the excellent chemistry between Song Kang and Park Min-young. The rom-com clearly illustrates the challenges of office romance and age differences. It’s incredibly realistic, and unlike many Korean dramas, this one has an agreeable and gratifying ending.

7. Thirty-Nine

Three women who became friends in high school are now approaching their 40th birthdays. Among them are Jang Joo-hee (Kim Ji-hyun), a cosmetics saleswoman, Cha Mi-jo (Son Ye-jin), an affluent dermatologist with a practice in Gangnam, and Jung Chan-young (Jeon Mi-do), a drama coach. The three share a strong bond and a desire to explore love, life, dreams, family issues and everything in between, despite coming from different backgrounds and possessing distinct personalities.

Thirty-Nine discusses life’s hardships, failed relationships, unfulfilled goals and the sentiments of sadness brought about by unanticipated events. It also celebrates the closeness between three best friends who stand by each other in good times and bad.

6. Soundtrack #1

This one’s a slow-burn romance between two people (played by Park Hyung-sik and Han So-hee) who have been best friends for more than 20 years. Even so, when they live together and start collaborating on music, their kinship begins to obscure the lines between friendship and love.

To be honest, one of my favorite encounters this year has been Soundtrack #1. It’s a beautiful musical miniseries with just four episodes that perfectly wrap up the plot. Need I mention the scintillating rapport between Park and Han?

5. Shooting Stars

This romantic comedy chronicles people who sacrifice things to let celebrities shine, giving us an insight into the joys and hardships experienced by those who work in the Korean show business. Gong Tae-seong (Kim Young-dae) is a star with an impeccable image, but he also has a fiery disposition and a tremendous drive to succeed. On the other hand, Oh Han-byeol (Lee Seong-kyung) makes a fantastic PR team manager.

While Oh and Gong constantly disagree with each other, their relationship blossoms despite their heated arguments. Without a doubt, the charm of this drama is enhanced by their intense relationship. This time, again, the tired trope about haters becoming lovers works spectacularly.

4. Semantic Error

Cho Sang-woo (Park Jae-chan), a computer science major, is the epitome of a rigid rule-follower. Cho decides to leave their names off a capstone project after working on a liberal arts group project with slackers. However, he had no idea how close he would grow to the individual whose ambitions to study abroad had been derailed as a result of that project. The person in question is Jang Jae-young (Park Seo-ham), a well-known campus star from the Department of Design.

What happens when an engineer and an artist with contrasting personalities have to partner up? In Sang-woo’s universe, Jae-young is akin to a semantic error. Can Sang-woo troubleshoot it?

The companionship, connotations, theatrics, storyline and romance are all brilliant, making Semantic Error one of the best boys love series of the year.

3. Our Blues

Individuals in this omnibus story are depicted as having a range of emotions when their lives reach a conclusion, a turning point, or a new beginning. Our Blues is expertly staged and illuminates the distinctive collective social consciousness that some civilizations have compared to others. The charm of the narrative is maintained throughout the entire season thanks to a strong ensemble cast.

That aside, the other important reason why Our Blues resonates with viewers is because of how relatable it is to the audience, especially given the range of personalities and themes it covers.

2. Business Proposal

While Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong) is a vibrant and expert professional, Kang Tae-mu (Ahn Hyo-seop) is a rigid workaholic. One day, Shin agrees to a blind date while posing as Jin Young-seo (Seol In-a), a friend and heiress to a chaebol. When Shin meets her date, she is astounded to see Kang, the CEO of her company. She has no idea of the story’s upcoming twist. Shin believes she will be rejected, but fate has other plans: the next day, she receives a marriage proposal (in fact, a business proposal) from the CEO.

Despite being riddled with K-drama clichés, this series nailed it with impeccable casting and incredible chemistry between the actors. Has a business proposal ever appeared so enticing?

1. Twenty-Five Twenty-One

The drama, whose title is drawn from Jaurim’s song “Twenty-Five Twenty-One,” is about young people’s crushed dreams in the wake of South Korea’s acute economic crisis. At the ages of 25 and 21, the protagonists meet again years later. It takes place between 1998 and 2021 and is a coming-of-age rom-com about love and friendship. In their respective roles as Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee-do, Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Tae-ri shine like no other. You must check out the actors’ emotions in this show. Nam and Kim’s characters seem to be made for each other, and every time they split, it hurts.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One is excellent in light of its plot, aesthetics, and interpersonal dynamics; everything seems to come together flawlessly. The pearls of wisdom here constitute the crowning glory. The drama’s sentiments are heartening: you’ll fall in love with the characters, feel one with their emotions, and crave for more at the end of each episode.

I feel this drama is the best of 2022 and I may keep it around the top of my list of favorites for a while.