I love K-dramas. There’s nothing better than opening the “Korean Drama” category on Netflix, or as we usually call it, K-drama. I have watched nearly seventy K-dramas – good and bad, comforting and depressing, fantastical and true to life. If anyone else claims to be an expert in K-drams, I will immediately challenge them to defend my title as Taiwan’s premier K-drama aficionado. So, if you’re looking for a good K-drama to watch, listen to these recommendations.

Flower of Evil

Every time someone asks me what my favorite K-drama is, I tell them Flower of Evil.

The story follows Baek Hee-sung, son of a serial murderer, who hides his true identity and marries a cop, Cha Ji-won. With Baek Hee-sung playing the attentive, understanding, and caring husband, they appear to be a perfect family. However, this only lasts until Cha Ji-won and her colleagues start to investigate a case tied to Hee-sung’s father’s serial murder case. As more evidence surfaces, Baek Hee-sung’s true identity is on the brink of being exposed.

This show dives deep into the complexity of humanity. The couple experiences deceit, betrayal, mental breakdowns, and letting go. Despite lacking the feelings that normal people have, Baek Hee-sung develops a strong love for his wife, and is crushed when he realizes how deeply his lies hurt her. Cha Ji-won loves her husband unconditionally, despite having her trust shattered by his years of lying. Each character has many layers of emotion that build onto one another as the story progresses, so much so that the audience is sure to cry, including myself, during many scenes. The audience can’t help but feel compassion, pity, love, and pain for the characters.

Because of how complex the characters are, you need to watch the story from multiple perspectives to fully understand why each character felt and acted the way they did. I’ve watched this drama at least five times. Every single time, I understand a little bit more about each character and the message of the story.

Descendants of the Sun

Descendants of the Sun tells a romance story between Captain Yoo Shi-jin and doctor Kang Mo-yeon. The two fall in love at first sight, but soon separate because they felt they weren’t right for each other. They reunite unexpectedly when You Shi-jin is serving on a tour of duty in the fictional country Uruk (apparently named after the ancient city located in present-day Iraq), while Kang Mo-yeon is volunteering at a medical center there.

The main actor and actress share chemistry both on and off-screen. They even married in real life (though they’re divorced now). The romance in this drama is one of a kind. It never takes itself too seriously, but it’s portrayed in a way that makes the viewers ache when the couple separates, and puts smiles on the faces of viewers when the couple kisses and reunites.

The concept of the drama is new. Descendants of the Sun is a love story between a soldier and a doctor. This combination, which piqued people’s curiosity, was relatively new at the time when the drama came out. Although there are a few fighting and shooting scenes, the show is light-hearted and sweet. It is the perfect watch if you want something relaxing and romantic.

Dr. Romantic (all 3 seasons)

Dr. Romantic is about the people around Kim SaBu, a triple-board certified surgeon in South Korea who once worked at a famous hospital before he was wrongfully disgraced, causing him to reject wealth and status. He is a quirky, stubborn, and ill-tempered middle-aged man. He seems distant to people, yet cares deeply about them.

The story is set in a small, remote hospital called Doldam Hospital. There, Kim SaBu meets struggling but talented young surgeons, and teaches them the real value of being a doctor and saving lives. He sets out to find “real romance” — not the romance you find in a loving relationship, but the romanticism of life and the romance in the appreciation and devotion of one’s work.

With intense surgical scenes and complex character development, the audience witnesses the depth and growth of all characters, both main and secondary. Each character has a well thought-out and well-delivered backstory. After much struggling, they learn to overcome their fears and weaknesses. While as the characters develop, they form a close-knit community in the hospital. When you’re watching it, you also become part of the Doldam community.

The Glory

One day, a young woman, Moon Dong-eun, decides to drop out of high school and sets on a path to get revenge. She is a victim of bullying and violence at school, constantly getting dragged into the school gym by a group of five bullies. They stole from her, kicked her, sexually harassed her, and burned her with an iron hair curler, leaving permanent scars all over her body.

The show depicts all the bullying scenes vividly, which may be disturbing for some viewers. However, these scenes authentically reflect how horrifying bullying can be. They also help the audience understand why Dong-eun devotes her entire life to “glorious” revenge, pitting these bullies against each other and leaving their lives in ruins.

The actors on this show are the best. In fact, both the main actress and supporting actress won Korea’s Baek Sang Art Awards for their respective roles. Actress Song Hye-kyo brilliantly portrays a person dealing with a traumatic past, showing vulnerability, determination, and strength.

Not only are the actors amazing, but the screenwriter, Kim Eun-sook, wrote many beautiful scenes. Some of her dialogue has become legendary, leaving the audience in awe while watching. For example, when Joo Yeo-jeong (the male lead) expresses his interest in Dong-eun, Dong-eun replies: “I’m not looking for a prince. What I need is not a prince, but a headsman who will join me in the sword dance.”

It’s Okay to Not be Okay

Opening each episode with a fairytale, It’s Okay to Not be Okay tells the story of Ko Moon-young, a children’s author with antisocial disorder and Moon Gang-tae, a caretaker at a psychiatric ward. Moon Gang-tae’s autistic brother, Moon Sang-tae, lives with him and is constantly haunted by childhood trauma. As romance develops between Ko Moon-young and Moon Gang-tae, the two bond, slowly show their vulnerable sides to each other, and help each other to heal.

This show delicately addresses mental health in a way that viewers empathize with the struggles of the characters. Many of us appear fine on the surface but are silently fighting mental health problems, much like the characters in this show. The audience can relate to the fears, struggles, and desires of the characters. It’s Okay to Not be Okay tells you that you don’t have to act like everything is fine when it’s not; sometimes, admitting you aren’t fine is the first step toward healing.

The show has some cringe moments, laugh-out-loud moments, painful moments, heartbreaking moments, and heartwarming moments. While mental health can be a heavy topic, the show incorporates humor and focuses on healing, making it less heavy. After witnessing how much each character has grown and the endearing interactions among the three main characters, It’s Okay to Not be Okay has become one of my favorite, most-watched K-dramas.

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These five K-dramas are top-tier. They have outcompeted all the other K-dramas I’ve watched and imprinted themselves on my heart. I love all of them so much that I can’t rank them. If you’re struggling to pick one to watch, simply hop on Netflix and binge watch all five of them. You won’t be disappointed.