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!

@Rowdythree

Boaty my least favourite is Jin too 😬 sorry BTS fans

Least: JK. Most: Suga.

Congratulations Pol on your great leap forward in BTS identification. It's a bit like bird spotting

I'm getting there with the identifying BTS members. I do still get V and Jungkook mixed up when they are moving though if they both have black hair.

I think the hair is the problem actually with all of them, so many different colours that it is hard to keep up.

I like all of them (one more than the others tho!) and one of the sad things about them having separate instagram accounts now is that it is very obvious who the most and least popular are.

Thank you. I should add that I need them still, preferably all together and I "definitely need their faces TheGirl*! But it's a start.
I have no favourites or non-favourites except I like RM because he's the easiest to spot. They all appear to be sweet poppets.

@sakura06 I absolutely have a massive crush on the ML in You are Beautiful I love his hair, his moodiness but sweetness and his clothes, especially his scoop necked tops that show off his collar bones 😍

I like all of them (one more than the others tho!) and one of the sad things about them having separate instagram accounts now is that it is very obvious who the most and least popular are.

I didn't think about that, it's got to be a blow if there's a big discrepancy in the number of followers they all have 😔 I suppose it will be the same as other bands that have gone their separate ways, some will be more popular and successful than others.

OMG @Rowdythree me too! I have taken many screenshots 🙈 If it had aired recently, I think I would've turned into some sort of super fan. The episode where he nurses her when she's sick was 🥰 Bless him, he hasn't aged that well, but I guess a sort of emo superstar is hard to pull off as you age...

I think he had a look that only slender twenty somethings can pull off 😬 , at least he can be happy that he was once a hot emo Prince 🔥

Talking about You're Beautiful, reminded me that new variety show on Netflix with Rain in it.

Might watch that after the Cyclone episode of Celeb 😁

I have switched to Beauty Inside light watch.
I have always seen ML in serious (similar expressions) roles.

@FedUpWithBriiiiick

Talking about You're Beautiful, reminded me that new variety show on Netflix with Rain in it.

Might watch that after the Cyclone episode of Celeb 😁

I started it this afternoon! It's great fun! And it's got the funny blokey who bts have been imitating in the dynamite video! 😂😂... And then the lovely couple from Hyrois Bed and breakfast have popped up too! 👍👍👍😂

Just realised, he's the lift pelvic thrust guy from PSY's Gangnam Style!!!!

Pol - I’m now caught up on Jirisan and also suspect misdirection.

I watched the first 19% of Happiness ep 12 until the subs ran out. It entirely strengthens my pet theory whereby I think there will be an act of immense bravery/noble idiocy.*

• Delete as applicable depending on the outcome of the act.

Oppa advent day twelve

Aging like a fine wine it's Lee Byung Hun

Would drink that wine.

Pol - I’m now caught up on Jirisan and also suspect misdirection

Sorry, I’m being stupid, do you mean misdirection by the director?
We watched episode 11 last night and we are none the wiser.
Do those remote mountain villages really exist, I wonder? They seemed wonderfully romantic.

Sorry, I’m being stupid, do you mean misdirection by the director?

That we are being heavily pointed towards one suspect, but there are two people who fit the bill & it might not be the obvious one.

I have finished Happiness. I’ll say no more until everyone has caught up but I will be scoring favourably.

I have finished Happiness. I’ll say no more until everyone has caught up but I will be scoring favourably

I also watched last night as far as the 19% subs would take me…. Then realising I am out this morning I took a sneaky peak at the end (well that’s my feeble excuse anyway)

Will watch the whole thing later but am now not too worried about noble idiocy. Suffice it to say I was pleased with the way Andrew was dealt with at end of ep 11

I've finished Happiness too.

My kdrama chingu (not the owner of this Twitter account) sent me this link

Do we think Simon needs a link to this thread? 😂

twitter.com/dalbitbangtan/status/1469599856234799106?s=21

I’ve sent that to DH. He judges me HARD for my addiction, but he respects Simon Pegg’s work. 😂

His reply: “I must accept the inevitable if the mighty Pegg has been turned..” 🤣 Thanks Betty!

I'm sure I heard that Simon Pegg may also have had a hand in the Coldplay x BTS collaboration. I think I've seen somewhere that he also (or his daughter) may have a cardboard oppa...

I'm hoping that DH and I might finish Happiness tonight, we've still got the final two episodes to watch. I can't seem to stay awake after 10pm though so we'll have to see 😬

It's Jin! He's a Jin fan!

Speaking of cardboard oppas, what’s Mr Bin up to at the mo? Is he visiting another part of the UK in the run up to Christmas?

Mr Bin is helping me decorate the Christmas tree today but then he's free to visit. Message me your address if you want him to come and see you 😊