With the Workers/Labour/May Day long weekend almost upon us, it’s the perfect time to binge books, games and TV shows. Today, joining my article series on Kdrama Recommendations, I’ve got 5 compact Kdrama options for you, ranging in subject matter from revenge to light and fluffy love. The dramas are listed in order of the least number of episodes to the most, so you can work out what best suits your schedule. All of these series can be conveniently found on Netflix.
D.P.
First up we have D.P., one of the most nominated series at the 2021 Baeksang Arts Awards. This 6-episode drama stars Jung Hae In (who you might remember from one of our recommended noona romances) as Ahn Joon Ho, who has just started his mandatory military enlistment. Our guy is just trying to get through his service with the least amount of trouble possible, but then he finds himself switched to the deserter pursuit (D.P.) unit.
This drama is not a light watch, as it handles the very real problem of bullying and the affects thereof. That said, it still provides a strikingly memorable look at how people handle hardships. Relieving the heaviness are some cute cameos, and fans will be pleased to know a second season has been confirmed.
My Name
The next drama, My Name, is also not in the light and fluffy camp…. It’s an 8-episode long, visceral, and very action-packed tale of revenge. Yoon Ji Woo (played by Han So Hee) witnesses her father’s death. She vows revenge and starts a long journey to making it happen. While doing so, she becomes entangled with one of the biggest drug gangs and its boss Choi Moo Jin; his underlings Jung Tae Joo and Do Gang Jae; and police officers Cha Gi Ho and Jeon Pil Do (Ahn Bo Hyun, who you may recognise from Itaewon Class).
To say that things get messy during Yoon Ji Woo’s quest is an understatement. Our heroine takes many beatings, while dishing out her own. You’ll watch My Name trying to solve the crime, figuring out who can be trusted, and also hiding behind the blankets because some scenes are intense.
Mystic Pop-up Bar
If revenge and other heavy themes aren’t working for you, Mystic Pop-up Bar – with its mix of comedy, drama, romance and the supernatural – could be the way to go for a long weekend binge. This 12-episode series centres on an outdoor drinking tent, and the staff who work there. There’s the bar’s temperamental owner, Wol Joo; its chef Gwi; and new part-timer Han Kang Bae. Instead of just listening to patrons vent about their problems, our team is tasked with solving those very problems through people’s dreams.
Every episode features different folk with different problems, and there is an overarching story related to Wol Joo (played by Hwang Jun Eum, in a departure for the actress), Chef Gwi and just how they came to have this mysterious pop-up bar that not everyone can see. A familiar face in this drama is Yook Sung Jae as the part-timer, as he appeared in Kdrama classic Goblin.
A Business Proposal
The fourth Kdrama pick provides all the “light and fluffy” missing from the other mentions. The recently completed A Business Proposal consists of 12 episodes, and centres on Shin Ha Ri (Kim Seo Jeong) a food scientist who helps her friend Jin Young Seo (played by Seol In Ah) by pretending to be her on a blind date. The catch is that the blind date turns out to be the president of Ha Ri’s company, Kang Tae Moo (Ahyn Hyo Seop).
Ha Ri does everything to sabotage the date, but it backfires because Tae Moo sees a proposal as the perfect way to get his “You need to get married, now!” grandfather off his back. A Business Proposal has all the sweetness, drama, laughs and, ultimately, feel-good fluffiness you could want.
Kingdom
The final pick, Kingdom, consists of two seasons and a movie. Sure, that sounds like a lot to get through, but in reality that’s two seasons of 6 episodes each, and a special 90-minute movie-length episode.
Mixing history and horror, Kingdom deals with a zombie outbreak during the Joseon time period. When the king dies, crown prince Lee Chang (Joo Ji Hoon) is declared a traitor by the power-hungry pregnant queen and chief state councillor. In order to find out what happened, Lee Chang and his bodyguard start looking for the physician who treated the king. That brings them to a village afflicted by a horrifying disease where the dead rise.
The ending of Kingdom Season one is top tier TV; while the second season gives us both zombie survival and political shenanigans. The film-length Kingdom: Ashin of the North, meanwhile, is a tale of revenge that we can assume serves the purpose of answering fan questions and indicating what will come in the next season (we hope!) of Kingdom.
