7 [Of the so many] Underrated Kdrama rom-com

I just finished watching, “Because This Is My First Life.” I’ve seen this drama popping on my Netflix list many times, but I didn’t even give it a second look. Then a friend prodded me to watch it.

Once I started it, I couldn’t stop. I then wondered why didn’t I hear or read much about this drama. 

There are so many Kdrama romantic comedies that are underrated. Here are some dramas that did not get much attention, but I think they are worth watching. 

There’s even more out there, but I had to stop at 7 because of the time (harhar).

Here they are in no particular order. 

Because This Is My First Life (2017)

This romantic comedy is about two people Nam Se-Hee (Lee Min-Ki) and Yoon Ji-Ho (Jung So-Min), who had to marry out of convenience. For some reason, I find this drama very fresh. There’s this sense of balance; no noisy character with extreme personalities. The issues addressed make sense, too, like why do you marry? 

I especially like how this story does not focus too much on the romance. It’s more into the healing of the characters, the friendships, the reaching of their dreams. How would I call this show? Hmmm…somehow relatable still.

The Beauty Inside (2018)

This drama centers on the life of an actress, Han Se-Kye (Seo Hyun-Jin), who changes appearance, as in, she could be a boy today, and tomorrow a big fat man. She meets Seo Do-Jae (Lee Min-Ki), who cannot recognize faces. Convenient indeed. While this drama is filled with romance, the execution of the story is superb.

I think this is the first (if not only) drama where I see Seo Hyun Jin an elegant or glamorous lady. I usually see her playing the plain, girl next door characters. It was quite refreshing. Also, it just so happened that Lee Min-Ki is here again. I have no particular preference for him; it just so happen that he’s into some of the underrated dramas I like.  

Personal Taste (2010)

While this is a Lee Min-Ho drama, I am honestly surprised that it is not as popular as his other dramas. I’ve talked to some so-called ‘Kdrama addicts’ who haven’t seen it. This drama is about an architect, Jeon Jin-Ho (Lee Min-Ho), who had to pretend to be gay only to be able to keep a room in the house of Park Gae-In (Son Ye-Jin), daughter of the famous designer Park Chul-Han (Kang Shin-Il), whose work, Jin-Ho is trying to adopt.

In the year that this drama was released, I’d say it was truly refreshing to see something different from the usual chaebol-ordinary girl relationship. I especially like moments that the two lead characters spend together in the “home” just bonding. 

Thirty but Seventeen or Still 17 (2018)

This drama is the story of Woo Seo-Ri (Shin Hye-Sun), a girl who wakes up from a 13-year coma at the age of 30. She had to beg her way to live in her old home, which is now owned by Gong Woo-Jin (Yang Se-Jong). This show threaded lightly into an otherwise heavy-to-the-heart story (imaging waking up with not knowing what happened for over a decade). 

The drama is cute, sweet, and heartfelt. It does not have the usual noisy or manic actions and reactions (i.e., the usual shouting upon waking up together in one bet). There’s also no annoying villain here. Well, there’s the antagonist in the character of Kim Tae-Rin (Wang Ji-Won). I love every character here, especially Yoo Chan (Ahn Hyo-Seop) and Jennifer (Ye Ji-Won). 

Strongest Deliveryman (2017)

I love Go Kyung Pyo, and I so sad that his first leading role did not get that much attention. However, this drama is really, really, really, good, and I am so mad at myself for not watching it sooner (I was so afraid that I’d be disappointed with Go Kyung Pyo). 

This drama is about the struggle of four young people to survive in the city despite poverty. I how issues like taking responsibility, owning up to one’s mistake, becoming independent, were presented in this drama. For me, the story became even more beautiful because of the relationship between these four characters: Choi Gang-Soo (Ko Gyung-Pyo), Lee Dan-A (Chae Soo-Bin), Oh Jin-Gyu (Kim Sun-Ho), and Lee Ji-Yoon (Go Won-Hee). I’m glad I eventually found the courage to play this because it did not disappoint. 

Devilish Joy (2018) 

I love Choi Jin Hyuk in his action dramas, and I love him even more in his romance comedies (like the Emergency Couple). 

Devilish Joy is the story of a fallen star, Joo Gi-Bbeum (Song Ha-Yoon), and Gong Ma-Sung (Choi Jin-Hyuk), a guy who suffers short-term memory loss. This drama covers nearly all the cliche of romantic comedies, but it is not annoying at all. Quite the contrary, all these cliches were tied together neatly into an exciting and entertaining story. it was still worth watching. Of course, there’s the extra funny second lead Sung Ki-Joon (Hoya), 

Familiar Wife (2018)

It’s a Ji Sung drama, but it’s not the talk of the town when it was released, and I found that odd. Still, this is an excellent drama. 

This story revolves around a husband, Cha Joo-Hyuk (Ji Sung), who goes back in time to change his present life with wife Seo Woo-Jin (Han Ji-Min). Things happen as he wished, or so he thought. 

Yes, it’s just another do-over story, but it’s still worth watching. Apart from having a superb cast, the drama deals with the heavy domestic life issue more lightly and entertainingly that it becomes heartwarming rather than heart-wrenching. It has a balanced mix of funny and serious. The story also makes you wonder what happens next every time an episode end. I wished I waited for the whole drama to be entirely aired because the wait seemed so long. 

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