MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #28): The Lord gives and He takes away. Lee Jong Suk & Park Hyung Sik return from the army; Seo Kang Joon departs.

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-curious. 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. We don’t promote them as they are peppered with pop-ups of “Olga” and friends offering a good time, which gets in the way of the drama. 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/Netflix)
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 Name (Netflix)
My Secret Terrius (Netflix)*
Signal (Netflix)*
Stranger - 2 seasons (Netflix)
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)*
The Lies Within (Netflix)*
Tunnel (Netflix)*

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
100 Days My Prince (Viki/Netflix)
Crowned Clown (Viki/Netflix)*
Mr Queen (Viki)*
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (Netflix)
Tale of Nokdu (Viki/Netflix)*
The King’s Affection (Netflix)

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)
Hometown Cha Cha Cha (Viki)*
Love from a Star (Netflix)*
Lovestruck in the City (Netflix)
Monthly Magazine Home (Viki)
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Radio Romance (Netflix)

Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)*
Run On (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)
To My Star [BL] (Viki)
True Beauty (Viki)
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (Netflix/Viki)

What’s Up With Secretary Kim (Viki)*
Where Stars Land (Viki)*
You are my Destiny (Netflix)
You Make Me Dance [BL] (Viki)


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)
Doom At Your Service (Viki)
Fight For My Way (Viki/Netflix)*
Go Back Couple (Viki)/Couple on the Backtrack (Netflix)
I’ll Go To You When The Weather is Nice (Viki)
It’s OK Not To Be OK (Netflix)

Just Between Lovers (Viki)*
Mad For Each Other (Netflix)
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, Netflix)*

Something in the Rain (Netflix)
The Handmaid (film, Netflix - content warning: explicit sexual content)
The Package (Viki)

Straighter ‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Hospital Playlist (Netflix)*
Hospital Playlist 2 (Netflix)*
Into The Ring (Viki)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
Live (Netflix)
Misaeng (Netflix)*
Move to Heaven (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix)*
My Unfamiliar Family (Viki)*
Navillera (Netflix)*
Prison Playbook (Netflix)*

Once Again (Viki)
Stove League (Viki)/Hot Stove League (Netflix)
Racket Boys (Netflix)

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)
Kiss Goblin (Viki, webdrama)
My Holo Love (Netflix)*
Orange Marmalade (Netflix)
While You Were Sleeping (Viki)*



Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - darker/more grown up themes
#Alive (Netflix)
Ashin of the North (Netflix)
Black (Netflix)*
Hotel del Luna (Viki/Netflix)*
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)*

Mystic Pop-up Bar (Netflix)
Peninsula - film, Train to Busan sequel (Amazon Prime, iMovies)
Sisyphus (Netflix)
The Guest (Netflix)
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)

W: Two Worlds (Viki & Netflix)*
Zombie Detective (Viki/Netflix)


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



Mad as a box of frogs/uncategorisable

Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)
School Nurse Files (Netflix)

Not Korean ‘You May Also Like’
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)
Find Yourself (Netflix - Chinese)
Go Go Squid (Viki - Chinese)
Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (Viki, Chinese)
Lost Romance (Viki, Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki, Chinese)
Morning Call (Netflix, Japanese)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)
You Are My Hero (Viki, Chinese)*

AVOID, AVOID, AVOID aka “the shit list” 💩

Melting Me Softly
The Birth of a Beauty
Well-Intentioned Love season 1 (S2 is fine)

Thread Regulars’ Top Scoring Dramas of 2020
Courtesy of Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by/for thread regulars. Marks out of 10.

1 - Mr Queen - 9.4 (5 votes)
2 - Parasite - 9.05 (10 Votes)
3 - It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88 (9 Votes)
4 - The Uncanny Counter - 8.50 (4 Votes)
5 - Once Again - 8.42 (6 Votes)

2019’s top scoring dramas:

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. 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
🥾🍑 (boot, peach) = kick up the bum to go to bed


We also abbreviate titles if they’re long, but explained or with an obvious abbreviation. Some favourite actors & actresses have been abbreviated for speed/efficiency, eg Park Min Young (PMY). 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!

Come on ice skating C drama subtitlers!!! Get a move on... 😟

Hydrogensonata, I'm not very experimental with my Kimchi, just fried rice, pancakes and cheese toasties. I do want to make a Kimchi stew though 😋

I'm drumming my fingers too Rowdy! Been stuck at 53% all day.
Kimchi is good addition to shepherd's pie.

@Rowdythree what do you put in your fried rice? I can imagine it would be nice in that and - shepherd's pie could be interesting? I don't eat meat and I find a lot of the veggie replacements a bit bland so that would spice it up!
My central heating is broken (still got hot water luckily!) Relocated TV and Roku upstairs and snuggling under duvet woth hot drink catching up on happiness

I love the hi-jinx of the ice skating kids. Much fun.

[quote Hydrogensonata]@Rowdythree what do you put in your fried rice? I can imagine it would be nice in that and - shepherd's pie could be interesting? I don't eat meat and I find a lot of the veggie replacements a bit bland so that would spice it up!
My central heating is broken (still got hot water luckily!) Relocated TV and Roku upstairs and snuggling under duvet woth hot drink catching up on happiness[/quote]
Just whatever veggies we have that need using up, cook in sesame oil and throw in some soy sauce. Chicken substitutes would work well as well, or you could mix in an egg if you eat those. 😋

Stay toasty warm in bed!

Aaaaaargh first I became addicted to kdrama...then BTS vids & streams & fun fab content....then cdrama, jdrama, tdrama and even the occasional thai drama, then webtoons......I've now fallen into the world of novels....HELP!!!!!

Currently reading 'Men of the Harem' in novel form there's just NOT ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY!!!

Ooh! Where from Bettys? On actual paper or is this a Kindle thing?
Finally watched ep 8 of Happiness last night and impressed by how well groomed and laundered they are after a week of no water and also that the supermarket woman is still wearing her uniform tabard.

Haha bettys is the novel different from the webtoon?
I've not really got into many webtoons because I'm still deep in my BTS fanfic spiral 😬
Pol I had those exact thoughts about ep 8 of Happiness

It's impressive loyalty to represents her brand TheGirl. Her employer would be proud.

Does BTS fanfic get filthy quickly or is it all very wholesome?

There's a pretty wide range pol
Super wholesome to very out there filth.
It's been an educational experience 😳

There's just so much of it though! And new stuff is written constantly so it's impossible to run out of things to read 😂

I won't ask which you choose to read 😉

I’m reading the Men of the Harem novel here: m.webnovel.com/book/men-of-the-harem-(alphatart)_20049761705856505

Also reading The Remarried Empress but both are still ongoing. They are strangely addictive.

A bit late, but Oppa advent day three, it's Park Morgan himself - Jang Ki Yong!

Talking of Novels, my daughter has requested these for Christmas. They're the books based on the CDrama The untamed, if anyone wants a bit of Chinese fantasy in their Christmas stocking.

www.waterstones.com/book/grandmaster-of-demonic-cultivation-mo-dao-zu-shi-novel-vol-1/mo-xiang-tong-xiu/9781648279195

@sakura06 I started watching You are Beautiful last night. I love it, it's just brilliantly bonkers! That will keep me going until the ice skating subs are up 😂

@Rowdythree

A bit late, but Oppa advent day three, it's Park Morgan himself - Jang Ki Yong!

Your early picks are all very youthful and wholesome. Are you working towards the weather-beaten veterans as approach Christmas Eve? If so, Sung Dong Il for the win! 🤣

Scrub that! Lee Dong Wook is in ahjussi territory if we go on birthdate.

You know, I do like Sung Dong Il 😂 but he won't be behind day 24 at least 😂 I'm not picking for any particular reason, other than they seem universally popular. I'm sure there will be a few curve balls thrown in

@Rowdythree Glad you like it! I really did love it. Been listening to the soundtrack on a loop! Hope you're feeling ok.

Have you seen Heartstrings which also has Park Shin Hye and the 2ml lead in? It's another musical one, You are Beautiful has a similar feel to it, as they were probably filmed around the same time.

Biggest mystery on mount Jirisan yet is why those rangers left the table of EggDrop sandwiches and coffee untouched.

@polkettle

Biggest mystery on mount Jirisan yet is why those rangers left the table of EggDrop sandwiches and coffee untouched.

For me it’s why anyone finding an unexplained yoghurt drink in the forest thinks it’s a good idea to drink it it. Forget about the deliberate poisoning. You have no idea how long it has been out of the fridge. 🤢 It could be weeks!

😁 I still want to know about whether Yakult have paid for PPL or not