MsLatte’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #16): Serving up guaranteed corona-free escapism throughout lockdown to lurkers, passers-by and regulars.

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-curious. (MsLatte is a Her Private Life reference.) Most of our viewing is drawn from Netflix and Viki, with a sprinkling of AmazonPrime. There are also platforms streaming content illegally if you go looking, but we don’t promote them.

We also dip into Japanese, Taiwanese & Chinese drama as & when. 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)
The Fiery Priest (Netflix)

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, no major site yet)
My Secret Terrius (Netflix)*
Signal (Netflix)*
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)*
The Lies Within (Netflix)*
Tunnel (Netflix)*

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)

100 Days My Prince (Viki)
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 (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)*
Where Stars Land (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/Netflix)*
Go Back Couple (Viki)
I’ll Go To You When The Weather is Nice (Viki)

Just Between Lovers (Viki)*
Melo is my Nature (Viki)/Be Melodramatic (other sites)
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

Hospital Playlist (Netflix)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
Live (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix from June)
Prison Playbook (Netflix)

Stove League (Viki)

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

Extraordinary You (Netflix)
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 (no mainstream platform yet)
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)

W: Two Worlds (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 decent quality
Regulars also 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)
Go Go Squid (Viki - Chinese)
Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (Viki - Chinese)
Love O2O (Viki - Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix - Japanese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix - Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)

Thread Regulars’ Top Scoring Dramas of 2019
(courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, which are updated by/for thread regulars)

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. Quite a few of us are learning Korean, Japanese and/or Mandarin (some more diligently than others admittedly), so we swap tips and links to language resources. Basically, anything topical goes.


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…

The missing symbol should be (guilty pleasure)

I'm currently watching Sweet Munchies and enjoying it, and filling in the on-air gaps with Possessed which is better than I thought it would be, and has the director brother from My Mister in

I'm not sure the bubble bath scene is quite what you were imagining fifi

On reflection Bea I think you should give I Wanna Hear Your Song a go

bettys... I want a happy ending! 🤬🤬🤬 For queen!... Might wait for Marriage on viki! You are a font of all knowledge! Bless ya! 👍👍😁🥰

fifi... Re:bubble bath! Not as exciting as you might think! 😂 😂 😂... Forgot to mention on my final thoughts on My Shy Boss!.. As fine knitwear is to Healer!.. I deem the Coat Game (FL and ML!!) in My Shy Boss very very strong! The colours are just gorgeous!! I want a whole wardrobe of them!!

Marriage, Not Dating is on Viki and was pretty good, although if I have to say that the FL annoyed me. Currently in the middle of My Sassy Girl on Netflix and I've Fallen for You on Viki. Both enjoyable silliness and perfect for dipping in and out of.
Quite looking forward to It's OK to Not Be OK coming on Netfilx on the 20th.

haha, just got to the bubble bath scene - so not what I was hoping for. I feel duped .

monkeywench me too the trailers for It's OK to Not Be OK look great!

Bea I've just looked at the end of Queen for & Days again and I would categorise it as bittersweet. Yeon Woo Jin & PMY have great chemistry, and the young leads are very good too, so I still think it's worth watching.

I did enjoy I Wanna Hear Your Song too, the orchestra shenanigans are fun

fifi!!!!🤣🤣😆😆🛁

Betty - the Oh My Baby subs were up by half past midnight in boobsville. Am tearing myself away but dammit its tempting to push on through. 🥾🍑

Fifi! 😂 😂 😂 😂 I told you so! 😂 😂

Might still give Queen a go... Though I'm sooo averse to bittersweet endings!

Yes! It's OK... Looks great! Really looking fwd to it! 😂

SPOILERISH comment on the end of Revolutionary Love
bettys I would a bit pissed off if he'd turned up on the plane to join me on my finding myself trip of a lifetime. I quite liked it up till then 😂

TheGirl yes so true!!!! I was sulking about SLS so hasn’t considered that. You can imagine the thread on the Relationships board can’t you??🤣🤣

boatyard I have created a monster 😱

I watched a bit more in bed this morning before my alarm went off. You haven’t created a monster, you have mellowed Hulk. Oh My Baby really lifts my spirits each week and the slow turnaround on the subs was making me really cross.

I'm really enjoying Oh My Baby, it's funny, sweet, and interesting story line. But hate waiting for next episode. This is why I wait until whole series is dropped. I get too desperate to find out the ending! it's up to 79% subbed for episode 9.... oh the waiting!!
I'm going to start King, by the time last episode airs, I will have caught up.
Has anyone started Where My Love Blooms yet? Not sure I can bear all the angst!

I've been dipping in out of comedian Park Na-Rae', Glamour Show, on Netflix. I get a Sarah Millican, early Jenny Eclair vibe from her. It's interesting to see that the audience is mostly female, as the humour would be considered 'risque'. Good to see what ordinary Korean folks do for entertainment.

Just took a quiz on Soompi - Which actors are you quarantining with - yes I'm a bit bored .
Anyway, got house nos 1 - Your house includes:,Lee Min Ho, Lee Kwang Soo, Lee Seung Gi, Jo Jun Suk,. Quite happy with this - although I wanted Park Seo Jung - never happy me
Link below if you want to try
withwww.soompi.com/article/1401436wpp/quiz-which-k-drama-house-of-actors-are-you-quarantining-with

I got #4 😁 No complaints here 🥰

A lot of chitter chatter will come from this house and you can bet your house of actors will love talking the night away. How lucky are you?!

Your house includes:
Gong Yoo
Jo In Sung
Kang Ha Neul
Song Seung Heon

I did the quiz twice 'cos, well, I wanted to see what my options were!!

First time I got:
Yoo Ah In
Yoo Seung Ho
Lee Dong Wook
Kim Soo Hyun

Second time I got:
Sung Hoon
Park Seo Joon
Nam Joo Hyuk
Park Hae Jin

bettys I want your second list! You got the best one What answers did you give,? Can we do a swapsie .

Ding-dong!!

I had to outright lie and say I did exercise to get this house

That's a step too far .

bettys at least swapsie Sung Hoon over. Well, give me might be the word I meant. Ok, it's what I meant. Just to add to my house dynamics obviously

bettys that's a step too far for me 😂😂

I thought Hyun Bin would be an exercise bore, but I’m disappointed about Jung Hae In. Well, at least we know which house to call if we need a piggyback home from the pub.

Nah, Sung Hoon is staying right there!! Was thinking of a swap but then remembered his cute dog 🐶

Ugh. I got house 1. Lee Seung Gi and 3 duds. 😞