MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #13)

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the Kdrama-curious. (MsLatte is a Her Private Life reference.) Most of our viewing is drawn from Netflix and Viki, with a sprinkling of Dramabus (non subscription, maybe dodgy) and AmazonPrime. 

The previous thread is here but our ‘Addicts Recommend’ list below is cumulative so includes recommendations and favourites from all previous threads.


Shows marked with an asterisk are more uniformly loved or admired. In categorising series, its important to note most Korean dramas have multiple strands - e.g. supernatural, romance and a thriller; crime series with fantasy elements. Genre-busting mash-ups are normal. Series that are tagged as dark may also have moments of comedy or the absurd, likewise fluff can have heavier moments. View the categories below as best approximate & ask if you need guidance, eg about suitability for younger teens.

Comedy (with a side order of absurd)

I picked up a celebrity on the street (Viki)
My Fellow Citizens (Viki)

Crime/Thriller

Come and Hug Me (Dramafast)
Graceful Family (Viki)
Healer (Netflix)*
Heartless City (Viki)
He is Psychometric (Viki)
I Hear Your Voice (Netflix /Viki)
Life on Mars (classy remake of BBC series, Dramafast)
My Secret Terrius (Netflix)*
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)*
The Lies Within (Netflix)*
Tunnel (Netflix)*

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
Crowned Clown (Viki)*
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (Netflix)
Tale of Nokdu (Viki)*

Romance - lighter & fluffier
Beating Again (Netflix)
Coffee Prince (Netflix)
Don’t Dare to Dream (Netflix, or as Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)*
Gogh, The Starry Night (Viki)

Happy Once Again (Netflix)
Her Private Life (Viki)*

His Master’s Sun (Netflix)

Love from a Star (Netflix)*
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Radio Romance (Netflix)

Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)*

She Was Pretty (Dramabus/Netflix)*
The Beauty Inside (Viki/Netflix)
The Secret Life of My Secretary (Viki/Netflix)
Thirty Not Seventeen (Viki) or as Still 17 (Netflix)
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (Netflix/Viki)
What’s Up With Secretary Kim (Viki)*
You are my Destiny (Netflix)


Romance - heavier weight/more grown up themes

Another Miss Oh (Netflix)*
Because This Is My First Life (Viki/Netflix)
Chicago Typewriter (Viki/Netflix)
Crash Landing on You (Netflix)**
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Fight For My Way (Viki/Drama bus)*
Go Back Couple (Viki)
Just Between Lovers (Viki)*
Melo is my Nature (Viki)/Be Melodramatic (Dramafast)
My Strange Hero (Viki)
One Spring Night (Netflix)
Red Carpet - film (Netflix, very adult content)
Romantic Dr Kim - seasons 1&2 (Viki)
Search: WWW (Viki)*
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
The Package (Viki)



Straighter ‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Live (Netflix)
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*

Stove League (Viki)

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier

Goblin (Viki)*

I am not a Robot (Netflix)
Legend of the Blue Sea (Viki/Netflix)
My Holo Love (Netflix)*
Orange Marmalade (Netflix)

While You Were Sleeping (Viki)*



Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - darker/more grown up themes

Black (Netflix)*
Hotel del Luna (Viki)*
Kingdom (Netflix)*

The Guest (Dramafast)
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)

W (Viki & Netflix)*



Guilty Pleasures (for the joy, not the quality)
Bride of Habaek (Netflix)
Hwarang (Viki/Netflix)
The Last Empress (Viki/Netflix)
Sassy Go Go (Netflix)



Mad as a box of frogs/uncategorisable

Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)

Not Korean but just try it
Regulars occasionally branch out into Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese drama. The Chinese & Taiwanese stuff is much more variable quality-wise, so we’ve noted anything decent here:

Before We Get Married (Viki - Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix - Chinese)

Thread Regulars’ Top 5 Dramas of 2019
(courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, scores range from +10 if very good to -10 for truly awful)

1. Her Private Life - 9.40 (5 votes)
2. Melo is My Nature - 9.00 (5 votes)

3.= Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75 (4 votes)

1. Hotel del Luna - 8.50 (4 votes)

5.= Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW - 8.17 (6 votes)

We are generally fans of all things Korean, so equally happy to talk about Korean cookery, language, film and music when the mood takes us.



We have a few frequently used acronyms:
FL/2FL = female lead/2nd female lead
ML/2ML = male lead/2nd male lead
SLS = Second Lead Syndrome (where the FL/ML is too dense to realise the 2ML/2FL is better)
🥾🍑 (boot, peach) = kick up the arse to go to bed



We also abbreviate titles if they’re long, but usually with an obvious abbreviation. Some favourite actors & actresses have been abbreviated for speed/efficiency, eg Park Min Young (PMY), Kim Jae Wook (KJW). Don’t be afraid to ask for help/clues if we’re not making sense or have descended into acronym soup.



If you want to join us down the kdrama rabbit hole, welcome! Pull up a chair, say goodbye to early nights and get stuck in…

omg I loved it. I actually cried. I cried!

I loved the cctv footage too and how all the NIS agent (who obv had a crush) could find was Ri Jeong Hyeok being adorable 😍 So much going on am going to have to rewatch bits

A faultless +10 from me too. I had to watch the last 30 mins on my phone because the living room was commandeered for Dr Who, but it was still fantastic.

Lojoh it was my second time sobbing at a kdrama today! needed now from all the emotion! Heading in to the last episode of Stove League which hopefully will be tear-free

I loved it so much. Even the ending despite it not being exactly happily ever after...it seemed more likely given their situation. I think I'll be rewatching it.

I think the ending was a reasonable compromise given their individual circumstances though, obviously, I hoped for more.

Not reading any threads today... Sticking fingers in ears... La la la la!....

But just excited for CLOY... Will watch mid week!... 😂😂... Saving it!...

bettys I'm watching Stove League now.
I want Nam Gung Min to be my manager 😍

Me too TheGirl! I still had a tiny tear in my eye, Namgoon Min is superb at subtle emotion

I havnt seen him in anything else but I'd definitely watch something just because he was in it now. I cant believe I have enjoyed something about baseball so much!

He’s good, although pretty spirited and a little bit cray-cray, in My Beautiful Gong Shim but it has its quieter moments and he’s great with the FL.

He's very good in Chief Kim, although it's a bit more comedic and his character is a bit more wacky. I prefer it to Gong Shim. I've also seen a bit of Dr Prisoner and he got great reviews for that

I'll add the to the never ending list 😁

I've had a drama filled day today, which has been lovely but an emotional roller-coaster. There's been tears at CLOY, Stove League and now I'm back on Oh My Venus and I'm welling up at So Ji Sub's rehab and lovely Mr Min looking after him 😭😭😭

Re CLOY, what did Ri Jeong Hyeok mean when he said he got on the wrong train? When she lands after her parapente or whatever its called. Did I miss something?

I just watched an episode of Tempted on Netflix for an amuse bouche. It’s a right potboiler choc full of beautiful people, including the lovely Dr Kim male nurse Eun Tak as a philandering chaebol shit. Fun times!

what did Ri Jeong Hyeok mean when he said he got on the wrong train?

It refers back to an Indian proverb that Se-Ri tells him earlier when they are both in NK, something about sometimes the wrong train gets you to the right place.

I checked my notes folder, as I liked it and made a note of it: Sometimes the wrong train takes you to the right station.

Excellent, thank you boatyard I knew there had to be a reason for it. Love that you have a notes folder, I also keep a list of phrases that I like for future use

It’s really a note file on my phone full of thought-provoking quotes (mostly literary) but occasionally I add proverbs or short snippets of film/TV dialogue if it gets me thinking.

Likewise! One on my list is ‘Morning is a tactless bastard’ ( guess which kdrama that is from)
And one which I have used lots which I heard from you is ‘The very fringes of the day’

I’m going to say Itaewon Class for morning is a tactless bastard, but I’m probably wrong. I’ve noticed there is much more of a night time economy in Seoul/kdrama than I’m used to.

It’s from Her Private Life . PMY says it the morning after breaking up her fake relationship with HH KJW

I stumbled upon Well Intended Love season 2 on YouTube and they've got a different production company. Also season 2 is a complete remake of season 1 without the horrible twist! They end up in a fake relationship because of an awkward paparazzi photo instead.

I might be in a post CLOY crap drama needing mood to watch it. Plus I'm always here for contract relationships, especially ones that aren't based on total lies.

So instead of a continuation, season 2 is a remake with the same actors but removing the wtf-uckery bits? D’you think there was a backlash hello? Maybe they saw our MN reviews!!🤣🤣