I don’t know about anyone else, but I have never been happier for the arrival of fall. There’s nothing I love better than putting on a sweater, grabbing a cup of coffee, and finding a new K-drama that I can obsess over. So if you’re trying to ease into the chilly weather and want to start a new K-drama, the below nine will undoubtedly put you in the mood.
1. Goblin
Goblin is perhaps one of the most beloved K-dramas out there, and you’re going to hear people talk about it all the time, so if you haven’t watched this yet, you might want to start here. It follows Kim Shin, who was once an unbeatable general in Goryeo’s military who died a tragic death and now must suffer immortality while he waits for his bride, a mortal who can pull out his sword and end his life. After wandering the earth for 900 years and witnessing everyone around him die, he finally encounters Ji Eun Tak, a cheerful high school student who claims to be the Goblin bride. The simple task of pulling out the sword and ending Shin’s life gets more and more complicated when outside forces try to take his power for themselves. While this is a classic drama, I found the age difference (a 900-year-old and a high school student) slightly uncomfortable but there are seriously SO many fantastic fall scenes there’s no way this drama couldn’t be included on a fall list.
2. Doom at Your Service
What would you do if someone, neither human nor god, says they can grant your every wish before you die? That’s exactly what happens to Tak Dong Kyung when she meets Doom after discovering her terminal brain tumor. Her only wish is to live her last 100 days exactly as she wants, free and painless. But what happens when Doom, the very person who causes terrible things to happen to people, starts to fall in love with Dong Kyung? Doom at Your Service is extremely popular for a reason. The acting is incredible, the romance is so bittersweet, and this show causes you to question your mortality and wonder if you’re living the life you really want because as cheesy as it sounds, you only live once, and life is too short to live on anyone else’s terms.
3. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo
Weighlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo is perfect for anyone starting college who is struggling to find something their passionate about. Bok Joo is a weightlifter at college who is pursuing her dream of winning gold in a competition. But while she might seem like a sporty tom-boy on the outside, on the inside, she is a delicate, feminine girl who just wants to be in love. She soon falls in love with Jung Joong Hyung, a swim team member who has passions and ambitions of his own. This coming-of-age story portrays one woman’s struggle to succeed in what society considers a “masculine” sport while figuring out who she is outside of the sport that she’s so passionate about. I really enjoyed this K-drama and can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone looking for a show that breaks down the gender norms we find in sports and relationships.
4. Start-Up
Something about fall always reminds me of a fresh start. If you’re looking for a show to get inspired about new beginnings, then Start-Up is for you since it’s all about following your dreams and believing in yourself. Seo Dal Mi wants to follow in her father’s entrepreneurial footsteps by starting her own company. After joining the fictional Silicon Valley of Seoul, Dal Mi joins a company with Nam Do San, the man she believes is her first love who brought her comfort when her father died as a child. But, as feelings begin to deepen between Do San and Dal Mi, a shocking secret comes to light that threatens to tear them apart. Start-Up is so good. It’s funny, romantic, and so uplifting you just can’t help but smile as you watch.
5. Come and Hug Me
Nothing says fall more than a thriller, and let me tell you, this one is INTENSE. Come and Hug Me is the tragic love story of Yoo Na Moo and Gil Nak Won, who first fell in love as children but were brutally forced apart by Na Moo’s father, a psychopathic serial killer who murders Nak Won’s parents. Twelve years later, Na Moo is a detective trying to fight crime to atone for his father’s sins, whereas Nak Won is an actress who has a severe trauma from the day her parent’s died. The darkness of the past begins to haunt them again though only this time, they’re determined to believe they’re stronger together than they can ever be apart. This drama is perfect for any thrill-seekers who want to see a creepy serial killer, and a swoon-worthy romance, on their screen to get their heart racing.
6. Tomorrow, With You
I haven’t heard too many people talk about Tomorrow, With You, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend this to anyone looking for something to binge on a chilly weekend. This drama is about Yoo So Joon, a successful CEO of a real estate company who can travel to the future. On one of these visits, he stumbles on the day he dies, only a short two years in the future. Things are even more mysterious, though, when he finds out that he dies with a woman he’s never met—an old child actress named Song Ma Rin. When he returns to the present, he sets out searching for Ma Rin to change his past, only to end up falling deeply in love with her. This K-drama has everything you need. There’s romance, mystery, danger, and it is a perfect drama to watch whenever you want something with a slight bit of fantasy for fall.
7. Do You Like Brahms?
Deciding to follow her passion instead of her family’s wishes, Song Ah switches her major from business to music. However, as she’s seven years older than her classmates, she has difficulty fitting in, having only her joy for music to push her forward. She ends up hearing the soothing music of Joon Young’s piano, and the two find comfort and love in each other as they both go through hard times. This show really teaches you to follow your dreams no matter what people say and the school setting and fall-vibes once again, make it perfect for a binge watch this season.
8. Something in the Rain
For me, Something in the Rain, is the quintessential fall drama. Something about this K-drama’s filming and video production, as well as its soundtrack, makes it the perfect drama to watch on a rainy fall day (it also helps that there’s rain in the title). This drama follows Yoon Jin Ah, a woman in her thirties, who unexpectedly falls in love with her little brother’s best friend, Joon Hee. Knowing her strict family would disapprove, they must keep their relationship a secret even as their love continues to grow. And is there anything better than a forbidden romance? This K-drama offers a great perspective on the cultural pressures young Koreans face and how, oftentimes, a society’s social norms and traditions can suffocate those who are simply trying to be themselves. This melodrama is moody and has the absolute perfect fall aesthetic.
9. Born Again
Have any interest in a tragic love triangle that takes place in the 80s and then again in the current day when the trio is reincarnated? In the 1980s, Detective Cha Hyung Bin was devoted to solving crimes and caring for the love of his life, Ha Eun, as she battles her terminal heart disease. But Cha Hyung Bin isn’t the only one to fall in love with the genuinely kind and compassionate Ha Eun as she catches the eye of serial killer Gong Ji Chul. Fate brings them together once more as they are reincarnated thirty years after their tragic death, but will they be able to outrun the crimes times gone by? And what happens when it appears that not everything is left buried in the past? Born Again is a tragic story about life, death, and second chances. This drama is really going to pull at your heartstrings as it explores the misunderstandings of mental health and the lengths people go to in order to protect the ones they love.
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