5 KDramas to Watch If ‘Dear Hongrang’ Caught Your Fancy
It won’t be long before Lee Jae-Wook, the star of “Dear Hongrang”, will be required to enlist in the military for mandatory service. (He’s 27 and South Korean men must enlist by the age 28.) No doubt, his fans are very pleased that he was able to complete the 2025 Netflix Limited Series. Netflix dropped all of the episodes all at once, so you don’t have to wait! You can binge-watch. It is most definitely binge-worthy.
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This K-drama is sooooooo good! Once you finish, you probably won’t be satisfied, and you’ll start searching for similar Korean dramas, so you can eat more popcorn! You don’t have to search long because here’s a list. (No need to thank me, fellow K-drama addicts. I’m here for you. LOL.) The series listed below either have fantasy or supernatural elements, OR they have mean and nasty characters who take advantage of people’s superstitious beliefs to frighten them or make them doubt their sanity. Either way, they are extremely entertaining!
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(1) Alchemy of Souls (2022)
“Alchemy of Souls” is set in a fictional country called Daeho. Soul shifting is black magic, and it is not allowed. Not allowed? That means if you can do it and get away with it, then do it! So everybody does! The king, the queen, a ruthless assassin … WHOA! Wait! Did you just say a ruthless assassin? Yeah. But I meant to say Naksu (played by Jung So-min), a ruthless, skilled assassin with a special sword that makes her even more formidable. She was being chased by mages (people with powerful superpowers) who decided she needed to be eliminated for the sake of the land.
The mages almost caught her. However, she soul shifted just in time, and they didn’t know whose body she chose. Naksu went into the body of a weak, blind girl and lost her sword during the chase. The bad thing is that she could hardly do any fighting or anything at all, being inside such a weak body. But at least she wasn’t blind. The girl was blind, but Naksu could see.
On the plus side, she figured out who had her sword. All she needed to do a figure out how to get it back and … maybe do some exercises to regain her strength. Geez! This girl’s body is so weak! Naksu crossed paths with Jang Uk (played by Lee Jae-Wook), who recognized immediately that she had soul-shifted. He looked into her eyes and saw “blue”. When he figured out who she really was, they made a deal. Naksu had skills that he needed to learn. He agreed to help her get her sword back IF she would be his teacher.
That was how their relationship started. But as it developed they became entangled with other people in the kingdom – the mages, the blind girl’s mom, a rotten king and queen, a vain crown prince, some other rotten people in the kingdom who were looking for the blind girl who apparently had special powers and now Naksu has those powers, etc. etc. etc. Oh! And Jang Uk and Naksu fell in love with each other.
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(2) Arthdal Chronicles (2019; Season 2 – 2023)
Arthdal Chronicles is set in the fictional land of Arthdal during the Bronze Age. This series is inspired by the legend of Dangun, the mythical founder of Korea’s first kingdom. Before the land was a kingdom, the inhabitants were a loose alliance of tribes. Eunseom (first played by Song Joong-Ki, and then by Lee Joon-Gi in Season 2) is a member of the Wahan Tribe. His life was difficult right from the start but he eventually discovers his true identity and destiny. Eunseom is a hybrid – a human crossed with a member of a mystical race – and he is the child of an old Arthdal prophecy. He plays a key role in the power struggle for rule over Arthdal.
Tanya (first played by Kim Ji-Won, and then by Shin Se-Kyung in Season 2) is a high priestess and a successor of the Wahan Tribe. She has a noble character, and hardships just make her stronger and more determined to succeed and serve the people. Along with Eunseom, Tanya plays a critical role in the battle for power.
Eunseom and Tanya fight against Tagon (played by Jang Dong-Gun), the ruler of Arthdal, who will one day become king. At least, that’s his dream. Tagon has earned a reputation for being a mighty man of war, who rose to power through military victories and by being cunning and shrewd. Aramun Haesulla is the founder of Arthdal and is revered as the god of harmony and unification. Tagon claims to be the reincarnation of Aramun. But he’s just like Eunseom, a half-breed, descended from a mystical race. But he does not want the people to know his real identity, because … it would ruin his dream to become king. Humans are terrified of the mystical race that he descended from, and they’re likely to execute him if they find out.
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(3) Lovers of the Red Sky (2021)
“Lovers of the Red Sky” is based on the novel of the same name. The setting is the fictional Dan Dynasty. Hong Cheong-Gi (played by Kim Joo Jung) and Ha Ram (played by Ahn Hyo Seop) meet as young children, get separated, but become lovers when they grow up and meet again. As an adult, Hong Cheong-Gi is the “divine painter,” and she is chosen to restore the royal portrait of the former king. It was damaged during a fire. The portrait had a mystical power and was used to seal a demon, the god of death. But the fire allowed the demon to escape.
Ha Ram was born with the power of water, and a shaman intended to sacrifice him to appease the gods. Before going to the ritual, his father took him to the home of a friend, and that is where he met Hong Cheong-Gi. When they met as children, Hong Cheong-Gi was blind. Ha Ram had to leave, but told her that he would visit her again. However, that never happened. His father took him to perform the rain ritual, not knowing that his son would be sacrificed. It so happened that the demon escaped from the painting on the day the rain ritual was being performed.
It rained that day, but additionally, something dreadful occurred. The boy did not die. Instead, the god of death took possession of him, although he could not control Ha Ram completely. Also, on that same day, Ha Ram lost his eyesight, and Hong Cheong-Gi, who had been born blind, was suddenly able to see. What happened? There were protective good spirits who helped humans fight the demon, and the “switch” was all part of their plan to recapture the demon and imprison him again. They knew Hong Cheong-Gi’s father was a divine painter, and she, too, had been gifted. Ha Ram, even though he a now blind, was an astrologer who could read the stars and predict the future. A blind man who reads the stars that he can’t even see? With protective good spirits, anything is possible.
The red sky symbolizes supernatural forces at play, and the sky turns red when dark energy is unleashed. Hong Cheong-Gi and Ha Ram are caught up in two vicious webs: the human politics and power games, AND the eternal power struggle of good versus evil within the supernatural spirit world. What will be their fate?
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(4) Our Blooming Youth (2023)
“Our Blooming Youth” is set during the Joseon dynasty. Crown Prince Lee Hwan (played by Park Hyung Sik) believes that he is cursed. Rumors are circulating that he killed his brother to take the throne. He knows he didn’t, but that doesn’t stop the rumors, and now some supernatural force is going to punish him anyway? The “ghost letter” he received said he was cursed. He will never become king and will die all alone. Frightening events that took place led him to believe the curses are real.
Min Jae Yi (played by Jeon So Nee) is a noblewoman, and a frightening thing happened to her too. She was framed for murder, and she knows she didn’t do it. There aren’t just rumors circulating. Min Jae Yi is being hunted down like a fugitive. She needs to find out who framed her and prove her innocence. Her father told her that Crown Prince Lee Hwan could be trusted. His dying words to her were “protect the crown prince”. But how does a wanted woman get close to a crown prince to plead her case and protect him as well? Easy. Min Jae Yi disguised herself as a eunuch; Eunuch Go Soon Dol.
The crown prince doesn’t have anyone to confide in. Min Jae Yi says she can prove that she is trustworthy, plus she can also prove that the “ghost letter” and all the scary events that have occurred are just “tricks”. She understands science, which is useful for solving crimes and mysteries. If she can prove the curse isn’t real, will he help her prove her innocence? He agrees.
It turns out that Crown Prince Lee Hwan being cursed and Lady Min Jae Yi being framed as a murderer is just the tip of the iceberg. There was a horrific incident that happened a decade ago that started it all.
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(5) The Forbidden Marriage (2022)
“The Forbidden Marriage” is set during the Joseon Era, based on a web novel and webtoon of the same name. King Lee Heon (played by Kim Young-dae) is extremely grief-stricken because his queen has died. They said that she committed suicide. He loved her so much and doesn’t understand. Was she unhappy? Did she really kill herself? The king is so depressed that he refuses to remarry. That means nobody in the kingdom can marry.
ALL marriages are forbidden until the king can get over the trauma. But so far the trauma has lasted seven (7) years. WHY? Because every year, on the anniversary of his beloved consort’s death, a young woman is found hanging in her quarters. The king relives the trauma over and over. His mental health is deteriorating. Is there anyone who can help him?
Ye So-rang (played by Park Ju-hyun) is a con artist who ended up in prison because of her scamming. She overheard people talking about the king’s distress. Being a quick thinker, Ye So-rang comes up with a way to get herself out of jail. She scams the king. You got to give her A++ for being ballsy. If she gets caught, she’ll likely die a thousand horrible deaths. But she doesn’t plan to get caught. Actually, Ye So-rang has already died once. She was/is the daughter of a nobleman, but her wicked stepmother tried to have her killed.
The murder plot failed, but the stepmother thinks her stepdaughter is dead. Someone saved Ye So-rang ‘s life, and she began living a new life. She had no money and no nobility, but she did have survival instincts. That’s why she immediately devised a plan to get her freedom. Ye So-rang claimed to be possessed and convinced the king that she could channel the spirit of the late crown princess.
Of course, it was a lie. But she is a compelling actress. The king believed that his beloved was visiting him from the other world. But for how long will Ye So-rang be able to deceive him? She’s hoping she can fool him long enough to escape the palace. Her goal was not to become one of the king’s women. She just wanted to get out of prison! Pretending to be a spirit medium seemed like a quick and easy way.
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