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!

I've just watched ep 4 of Happiness
It's so good!! Love the FL and PHS, they are both v cool in this 😍
Loved the man complaining about house prices being affected getting his comeuppance 😱
I am worried about the young girl, as someone said up thread its 50:50 for kids in things like this 😢

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

I've just googled to check where exactly the Squid Game doll is in the Trafford Centre and apparently it was only there as a one day thing 😭😭😭

Oh no! How about taking him to ManU/Man City’s (mumble mumble dunno anything about footy) grounds? Is the Boddingtons’ brewery near enough? That’s an iconic Manchester brand.

The ending of episode 2 of Breaking Up dropped the classic kdrama 180 degree plot twist which makes you reappraise everything and hungry for more. Damn those sneaky writer bastards!

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

I've just googled to check where exactly the Squid Game doll is in the Trafford Centre and apparently it was only there as a one day thing 😭😭😭

What a shame Thegirl, I wanted to see it in Birmingham but it was gone before I knew about it 😔

I need to stay awake tonight to watch ep 4 of Happiness. I keep wasting my daytime drama watching time, as I have to catch up on the previous nights programme that I've fallen asleep to 🙄

I will find some other local landmarks to take him to. DH has a season ticket for City, he'd be mortified if me and Mr Bin came with him for the photo op 😂

I've got an ep of Jirisan then I'm all caught up so might try out Breaking Up

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

I will find some other local landmarks to take him to. DH has a season ticket for City, he'd be mortified if me and Mr Bin came with him for the photo op 😂

I've got an ep of Jirisan then I'm all caught up so might try out Breaking Up

Waving another City season holder -DH is, I didn’t renew mine this season

Wouldn’t recommend match day outing for our fragile Mr Bin.

Perhaps Bin can help with chores around the house & wrapping Christmas presents.

Elf on the shelf kinda stuff, which I don’t like but prospect of Bin on the shelf is very entertaining 😆

Jin I'm more a long suffering observer of football than a fan 😂 do you live nearby? < planning a NW based soju night 🥛>

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap

Jin I'm more a long suffering observer of football than a fan 😂 do you live nearby? < planning a NW based soju night 🥛>

I am observer too but I do enjoy live game as ambiance is amazing. Son is in my FPL team just becz of Kdrama link 😆 which my family thinks is a bonkers reason.

We live closer to London (don’t know why we follow Manchester team).

I catchup with my uninterrupted kdrama viewing while rest of the family is busy with football.

I'm pretty sure I just spotted the apartment complex used in Happiness in the opening scenes of ep 5 of Would you like a cup of coffee 🧐

They are a couple of actors that appear in both shows too 🤔 Are they by the same production company?

OMG!!!! Young Lady and Gentleman...😫😣

I've endured 16eps of hammy acting, ill behaviour, wooden sets, coincidences that even in a kdrama I am raising my eyebrows at, histrionics and hair pulling and screeching because I have been pulled in by cheesy romance and marginally nicer secondary characters.... 😁 only for it to delve into a twist (though honestly... i shouldn't be surprised!) that has made me howl in frustration!!!! 😲😲😲😲🤬🤬🤬🤬 arrrrrrrgggghhhh!...

and then I've just looked up how many more eps i have to sit through... this nightmare is going to last for FIFTY!!!!! FIFTY episodes!!! What the Flip!!!!!!????? .... exasperated?????? me??????? Too damn right! argggghhh!!!!!!! 😱😫😱😫😣🤬

Sending emergency helicopter airlift rescue Bea

You know you've joined a very niche subset when you find yourself googling 'brussels sprout kimchi recipe'

I think i need a slap... falling for this nonsense of a kdrama!!!! But it's sooooo bad but compelling!!!!

You know you've joined a very niche subset when you find yourself googling 'brussels sprout kimchi recipe'

Would it make you feel any better if I said I metaphorically pricked up my ears on reading this? I am curious.

Also curious about Brussel sprout Kimchi recipes! I've just had a bit of Kimchi pancake fail! I'm not sure what I did differently to last time, but I just couldn't get it to firm up in the middle 🤔 oh well it still tasted nice.

Finished Dali & Cocky Prince over the weekend… awww such a lovely story & ML is just awesome 👏 his dialogues with everyone were amazing.

Fifty episodes would finish me off @bea! Brussel sprout kimchi sounds intriguing although the thought of the poor people having to prep all those sprouts would make each mouthful feel a bit guilty.

@TheGirlWithTheArabStrap The travels of Mr Bin are very funny. I would very much like to see Frank Sidebottom (RIP) appear in a kdrama. I'm thinking perhaps Korean Odyssey as a minor deity, or as a North Korean spy in Crash Landing On You. He could even contribute to the soundtrack.

I've spotted a minor trope whilst watching korean Suits, namely the act of chucking stuff in the Han River. I recall a wedding album, a piece of jewellery and in Suits Park Hyung Sik just threw a briefcase in. Has anyone spotted any other examples?

I started Would You Like A Cup of Coffee and it is lovely. Gentle and educational, I feel like a barista now.

Watching Happiness ep 4 later...

Ep 6... Coffee with the coffee reviewer! Is just lovely! 😍😍... It's such a lovely little gem of a drama!! 😍

Happiness ep 4 was amazing. So many horrible awful people, it's hard to decide who should come down with the madness disease first. The awful lawyer, the livestreamer, snobby apartment rep, her annoying religious husband, the murderer, the mistress who is just out for money...

I am also intrigued as to the identity of the penthouse guy who likes teeshirts and the cleaning man.

The FL is so great, I'm very impressed with her ability to switch between action, comedy and vulnerability.

@MusiqueAutomatique

Happiness ep 4 was amazing. So many horrible awful people, it's hard to decide who should come down with the madness disease first. The awful lawyer, the livestreamer, snobby apartment rep, her annoying religious husband, the murderer, the mistress who is just out for money...

I am also intrigued as to the identity of the penthouse guy who likes teeshirts and the cleaning man.

The FL is so great, I'm very impressed with her ability to switch between action, comedy and vulnerability.

FL was in W Two Worlds and she was great in that... Drama to comedy quick as a flash... Though I didn't twig it was her until ep 2! 😂😂😂

Ohhhh I love Would you like a cup of coffee?

Totally charming.

I have started Melo is my nature
I want to live with my besties in a house like that.
Who is the man living with them? Owner’s brother? And is he in love with song director guy? Or those two are different people?

@JinBhoot

I have started Melo is my nature I want to live with my besties in a house like that. Who is the man living with them? Owner’s brother? And is he in love with song director guy? Or those two are different people?

He is brother of Eun-Jung, and yes gay.

The PPL scene in Melo when the TV brand placement exec has a meltdown with all the disagreeable and sexist men on set is one of the funniest things I have ever seen on TV. I howled with laughter and then rewound it for a second pass.

@boatyardblues

The PPL scene in Melo when the TV brand placement exec has a meltdown with all the disagreeable and sexist men on set is one of the funniest things I have ever seen on TV. I howled with laughter and then rewound it for a second pass.

Love it. Love the "oppa" scene. Love the dialogue. Love the relationships. Love Ahn Jae-hong. Love it all.

Oppaaaaa!!!! Nooooooooo!!!!!! Bad!!!!