MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #42): Where we weigh up two smokin’ hawt chaebol hotelliers, one tortured by loss and the other crippled by abandonment issues

[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, AppleTV and Disney+. 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, but we can point you in the right direction. We also dip into Japanese, Taiwanese & Chinese drama as & when.

The previous thread is here
but our list is cumulative so includes recommendations and favourites from all previous threads. Shows marked with a star 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. Writer/actor Simon Pegg referred to it fondly as “tonal chaos” - it’s part of kdrama’s charm. View the categories below as best approximate & ask if you need guidance about suitability for younger viewers.

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
Bloodhounds (Netflix)
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)
Little Women (Netflix)
My Name (Netflix)
My Secret Terrius (Netflix)🌟
Signal (Netflix)🌟
Somebody (Netflix, content warning: sexual & violence)
Snowdrop (Disney+)
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)
Our Blooming Youth (Viki)
Pachinko (AppleTV)
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (Netflix)
Tale of Nokdu (Viki/Netflix)🌟
The Forbidden Marriage (Viki)
The King’s Affection (Netflix)
The Red Sleeve (Viki)🌟

Romance - lighter & fluffier
Beating Again (Netflix)
Business Proposal (Netflix)
Coffee Prince (Netflix)
Dali & the Cocky Prince (Viki)
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/Netflix)
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)
Race (Disney+)
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)
Twenty-five Twenty-one (Netflix)🌟
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)
Yumi’s Cells (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 Course in Romance (Netflix)
Crash Landing on You (Netflix)🌟
Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Doom At Your Service (Viki)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix)
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)/Rain or Shine (Netflix)🌟
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
Gaus Electronics (Viki)🌟
Hospital Playlist (Netflix)🌟
Hospital Playlist 2 (Netflix)🌟
Into The Ring (Viki)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
Live (Netflix)
Misaeng (Netflix)🌟
My Liberation Notes🌟
Move to Heaven (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix)🌟
My Unfamiliar Family (Viki)🌟
Navillera (Netflix)🌟
Prison Playbook (Netflix)🌟
On The Verge of Insanity (Viki)
Once Again (Viki)
Our Blues (Netflix)🌟
Stove League (Viki)/Hot Stove League (Netflix)
Racket Boys (Netflix)
The Good Bad Mother (Netflix)
Would You Like a Cup of Coffee (Viki🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier
Alchemy of Souls (Netflix) 🌟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)
Black (Netflix)🌟
Delivery Man (Viki)
Happiness (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Hotel del Luna (Viki/Netflix)🌟
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)🌟
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (Netflix)
Mystic Pop-up Bar (Netflix)
Peninsula - film, Train to Busan sequel (Amazon Prime, iMovies)
Sisyphus (Netflix)
Sell Your Haunted House (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)
F4 Thailand (Viki)
Find Yourself (Netflix - Chinese)
First Love (Netflix - Japanese)🌟
Go Go Squid (Viki - Chinese)
In House Marriage Honey (Viki, Japanese)
In Time With You (Viki - Japanese)
Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (Viki, Chinese)
Lost Romance (Viki, Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki, Chinese)
Meet Yourself (Viki, Chinese)
Million Yen Women (Netflix, Japanese)
Morning Call (Netflix, Japanese)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Rinko Wants To Try (Viki)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
Sweat and Soap (Viki, Japanese)
The Makanai (Netflix, Japanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
To Fly with Me (Viki, Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)
You Are My Hero (Viki, Chinese)*

AVOID aka “the shit list” 💩
Melting Me Softly
The Birth of a Beauty
Well-Intentioned Love season 1 (S2 is fine & stands alone)

Top Scoring 2022 Dramas
Courtesy of much-missed Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by thread regulars. Marks out of 10.

#1 My Liberation Notes 9.45
#2 Alchemy of Souls 9.10
#3 First Love 8.88 (Jdrama)
#4 Our Blues 8.83
#5 Gaus Electronics 8.75

Top Scoring 2021 Dramas
#1 The Red Sleeve - 10
#2 Happiness - 9
#3 Devil Judge - 8.75
#4 Squid Game - 8.6
#5 Navillera - 8.57

Top Scoring 2020 dramas
#1 Mr Queen - 9.4
#2 Parasite (film) - 9.05
#3 It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88
#4 The Uncanny Counter - 8.50
#5 Once Again - 8.42

Top Scoring 2019 dramas
#1 Her Private Life - 9.40
#2 Melo is My Nature - 9.00
#3 tied: Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75
#4 Hotel del Luna - 8.50
#5 tied: Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW - 8.17

We are fans of all things Korean, so equally happy to talk about Korean cookery, language, current affairs, film and music when the mood takes us. A few of us are learning Korean, Japanese and/or Mandarin (some more diligently than others), so we swap tips and links to language resources. Basically, anything topical goes.

We often resort to acronyms and/or abbreviations of show titles or actors’ names. 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!

Well done to everyone’s DSs & DDs!! Hope you all have a lovely day celebrating 🥳

I am on a train journey bingeing Hour of Romance and am obsessed with them making it into a drama now and I want Rowoon for ML <stamps foot>

Congratulations to the exam results crew!

I am also enjoying an hour of romance - I'm sure someone already said Kang Tae-oh for ML - I feel like he can do sporty and corporate - wasn't he a retired swimmer or something in DAYS.

Finally.... WTAF Heartbeat. That is not why I watch rom coms. Also... Many questions about everything else that was left hanging like with real estate sunbei.

I felt like we didn't get much time to enjoy the romance, as soon as they got together we got into the glooms.

@polkettle I'm watching the final episode of WOL and I just hate the mother and also the hotel Wok Chief with a passion. 🤬🤬 why are they both so awful and they're not even the villains of the show!!

Congrats to all chingu DCs! 🥳🥳🥳 😃

My DD too! Yay good news all round, well done chingu dc and Chingus 🎉 definitely one of my most stressful moments waiting for those results to arrive 🍾

Congrats to all the exam DC 👏sugohaesseoyo👏

I've not had much time for K drama in my life lately so I've only just got round to watching the final episode of SYIMNL, which I absolutely loved. I thought Ahn Bo Hyun was gorgeous, lego hair and all 😍

I'm not sure what to watch next, there's Behind your Touch, or is anyone watching Maskgirl? I've no idea what it's about but I do like Choi Daniel 🤔

Congratulations to all the chingu's kids that got their exam results yesterday! 🎉

Seconded. It was some years ago that my children left school but I can remember the tension of that day.

Well done to all the exam takers. Impressive that so many got their first choices, as its been a roller-coaster few years!

They were a Bit Much AmVa but that's just standard KD parenting isn't it?

Most frustrating An Hour of Romance episode ever today. Thank goodness the BTL commenters were able to make sense of the mystery man.

I've started Behind your Touch which is a bit bonkers but enjoyable so far. I liked the reference to One Spring Night in episode 1, when the friend said one day she will move to France. Love Lee Min Lee too.

After reading about the ending to Heartbeat, I'm not sure if I'll continue to watch it or not

Re K Drama parenting, there have been so many occasions where I have been wanting to shout at firmly tell drama parents to just butt out fgs. I would definitely be cast out and shamed as a shameless and unfilial daughter and - hopefully - get given envelopes of cash by prospective horrified mother-in-law's 🤣

I'm sure there could be a business opportunity for an enterprising young lady - act like a horrifying prospect as a potential DIL,get paid off and then whoever the young man in question actually wants to marry looks great in comparison..... As I'm typing this I'm thinking "is this basically the plot of Business Proposal?" Well, anyway.....

I'm sure we could use this as a opportunity, there's no Korean potential MIL that wants a middle aged (plus teenaged kids) fiance. We could rake it in!

Haha I was definitely thinking more of my youth in this scenario TheGirl 🤣 I think I'm 100% past the stage where I'd be of concern to any chaebol eommas 😉

Although, I suppose being not only foreign and non-chaebol but also a middle aged mother of three could add a few extra quid to the envelope 🤣

Loving the entrepreneurial spirit ladies 🙌🏻There's definitely a gap in the market. I'm just chuckling at the thought of a Chaebol eomma's face if her precious son brought home a divorced mother of 3 as a future bride 😂

After a drought of K dramas for me lately, today has been a glut of them! I started Touch your Behind and Bride of Habaek and I've found another new drama I want to start tomorrow called My Dearest which is on Viki. Also DH and I have finally finished TGBM at long last. Another excellent drama, I need to add some scores to the spreadsheet now!

Han River Police my police drama cup runneth over! This is coming on Sept 13 (Lee Sang-yi is in it too)

My Dearest is good Rowdy , I binged the first 4 episodes - it's a bit Joseon "Gone With The Wind" so far, I'm interested to see where it goes.

I'm now pondering now which fictional chaebol is my favourite - who might I turn down the envelope of cash for? Maybe (100% yes actually) walking red flag Choi Young-do in The Heirs (🤭) or nightmare boss Do Min-ik in The Secret Life of My Secretary .... The reformable bad-boy trope is obviously aimed squarely at me < hangs head in shame >

Congratulations chingus on DC’s result 👏👏👏 wishing them all the best.

I am not watching anything these days. Nothing is grabbing my attention.

Currently down the rabithole of trashy novels (Alpha/Luna/wolf and Billionaire CEO). All stories are sooooo similar & such a cookie cutter formula.

I feel you Jin. I’ve been down a manhwa rabbit hole over the summer and not watched as much drama.

Ooh Jin I have also been sucked into those ( although am mostly mainlining manhwa) I got really into one about a CEO called Brendan & his wife Adeline, she divorces him because of some side bitch who was married to the dead brother and Brendan feels honour bound to ‘look after her’ thus neglecting FL who gets pregnant after one last bout of sex with ex who then wants her back but she hides the pregnancy with the help of her boss who is suffering from unrequited lerv for her…….you get the picture. I was engrossed for a whole day but then the free chapters ran out & I couldn’t source any on dodgy sites. It’d make a great makjang drama …oh hang on….it’s basically TRHC 😂😂

Lads! Ep 5 of My Beloved is so good, some really gripping battle scenes and realistically grimy. I'm really enjoying the character development of the two leads and how it also shows the stories of ordinary people against the backdrop of war and invasion 👍

🤚 raises shameful hand

@bettys I have read it (or something similar). These novels start really well and then they kill the story with OTT headstrong (bordering ridiculously annoying territory) FL.
In few,FL gets knocked up by mistake (drugged), goes abroad & then returns with a genius 4yr old who is a hacker or good at business 😂
I think with every story my IQ drops but these stories are soooooo addictive.

Novel ebook is free (Olga version of novels). Some translations are very bad but in general they are good.