Those first love butterflies, first love kisses, and first love dates. Korean dramas place big emphasis on “first loves.” It’s because there’s something so endearing and romantic about seeing people fall in love for the first time. If you love the first love storyline in K-dramas, make sure you check out thispast feature on first love K-dramashere. And if you want some more to check out, here are10 more to add to your list!
Warning: spoilers for the dramas below.
1. “When My Love Blooms”
It’s love at first sight when Yoon Ji Soo (Lee Bo Young) first meets Han Jae Hyun (Yoo Ji Tae). He rescues her when she gets caught in the middle of an intense protest. From this point on, Ji Soo makes it a point to try and win Jae Hyun’s heart. She’s persistent in her love for him and he eventually starts to have feelings for her too. After an unfortunate situation, Ji Soo is forced to break up with Jae Hyun, but the two reunite many years later. As adults, they realize that their feelings for each other never really disappeared.
Get yourself a first love like Yoon Ji Soo and Han Jae Hyun. Their romance is all that first loves are made of.Everything about their romantic rendezvous and first confessions are total butterflies. The way that Ji Soo and Jae Hyun look at each other with such devotion and love is beautiful to see. And the fact that this love stands the test of time makes it all the more romantic!
Start watching “When My Love Blooms”:
2. “Moments of18”
Choi Joon Woo (Ong Seong Wu) gets kicked out of school, which brings him to a new school.It’s at this new school where he meets Yoo Soo Bin (Kim Hyang Gi) who becomes intrigued by the new student with a mysterious past. Despite her instincts, she finds ways to spend time with Joon Woo and realizes that there is more to him than meets the eye. The two start to develop some strong feelings for each other.
The relationship between Joon Woo and Soo Bin is so innocent and pure. They are each other’s first love and the doubts and insecurities that they have while having feelings for each other is so relatable. Because they are each other’s first loves, every little and subtle thing they do for each other is from the heart. Soo Bin’s willingness to sacrifice so much in order to convey her feelings for Joon Woo is heartwarming to see. She is exactly what he needs in his life of uncertainty, and it gives all the feels!
Start watching “Moments of 18”:
3. “Extraordinary You”
Eun Dan Oh (Kim Hye Yoon) thinks she’s a normal high school girl with a large group of friends. Everything seems to be going smoothly for her, until she realizes that she’s living in a comic book and is nothing but a minor character. What makes this situation worse is that she ends up falling in love with Ha Roo (Rowoon), who is an extra in the comic book. Because he’s an extra, he’s barely in the comic book, which makes it difficult for Dan Oh to ever see him. The two agonize over how they should be with each other despite the odds being against them.
Eun Dan Oh and Ha Roo have a love that transcends that of time and space. Even when they become different characters in a different comic book world, their love overcomes and they find each other. Their feelings for each other are so selfless and they constantly try to figure out what it will take to make life easier for the other person. It’s such an endearing fairytale love story!
Start watching “Extraordinary You”:
4. “Love in the Moonlight”
Hong Ra On (Kim Yoo Jung) is a eunuch for Crown Prince Lee Young (Park Bo Gum). Lee Young is completely unaware of the fact that one of his eunuchs, who are all supposed to be male, is a female. He starts to notice Ra On andis drawn to her, which leads him to take a lot of risks and make a lot of sacrifices in order to be with her.
There’s something about a love story that involves a prince and a regular girl that makes it so romantic. Watching Ra On and Young experience love for the first time will fill you with all the butterflies. The small smiles and grand romantic gestures from the prince are so swoon-worthy! With all the subtle physical contact and gazes, you’ll wish you had a first love like theirs.
Start watching “Love in the Moonlight”:
5. “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”
Kim Mi So (Park Min Young) decides that it’s time for her to quit her job of being a secretary to Lee Young Joon (Park Seo Joon) in hopes of pursuing her dreams of finding a husband and starting a family. After being pretty dependent on her for a while, Young Joon can’t accept that she will be leaving and ends up proposing that they get married.
The chemistry between Mi So and her boss Young Joon is sizzling. Seriously, when they start to uncover their genuine feelings for each other, you can see that they’re definitely attracted to each other. Their chemistry is so intense that the actors even had to deny real-life dating rumors – twice! The crazy part about this romance is that they discover that their feelings for each other go backas far as to when they were children, so it’s complete destiny that they are together.
Start watching “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”:
6. “I’ll Go To You When The Weather Is Nice”
Im Eun Seop (Seo Kang Joon) has been in love with Mok Hae Won (Park Min Young) for as long as he can remember. Even as an adult, Eun Seop continues to long afterHae Wonas she often visits her aunt in the countryside, who also happens to be his next door neighbor. The two have a steady friendship, but Eun Seop admires her from a distance, which he is completely content with. But when Hae Won starts to fall in love with him, Eun Seop must face his fears and open his heart to her.
If you want to know what a real first love romance should look like, take a page out of Mok Hae Won and Im Eun Seop’s book. Their love is truly that of a fairytale. If Im Eun Seop’s ability to love with all his heart regardless of whetherHae Won reciprocates his feelings isn’t true love, then I don’t know what is. When Hae Won doubts his feelings for her, hedoeswhatever he can to make sure that she knows how much she means to him.
Start watching “I’ll Go to You When the Weather Is Nice”:
7. “Flower Boy Next Door”
Go Dok Mi (Park Shin Hye) is an introverted girl who spends most of her days avoiding people at any cost. She hardly leaves her small apartment and finds outgoing people a bit burdensome. But whenEnrique Geum (Yoon Shi Yoon) catches her stalking her next door neighbor, things get pretty awkward. She can’t seem to avoid the outgoing and outspoken Enrique. The two form an unlikely bond and start to develop some serious feelings for each other.
Enrique Geumdoes everything hecan to try and bring Dok Mi out of her shell. He never gives up on her, especially when she wants togive up on herself. It’dbe easy for Enrique to just leave Dok Mi alone, especially after all the times she wants him out of her life, but his feelings overcome and he is able to bring Dok Mi to a place where she feels confident in herself to face the world.
Start watching “Flower Boy Next Door”:
8. “30 But 17”
Gong Woo Jin (Yang Se Jong) hasn’t been the same since a tragic accident that happened when he was younger. He finds it difficult to connect with people as an adult, and self-improvement is definitely not something he really cares about. Then he meets Woo Seo Ri (Shin Hye Sun), a girl who has been in a coma13 years before. The two discover that their fate with each other goes far back. During this destined discovery, they lean on each other for emotional support.
Woo Jin and Seo Rihad been through a tragic incident together when they were younger, which is why it’s destiny that they find each other as adults. The twofind solace in each other to help them get through the trauma that they both experienced. They are able to understand each other’s pain and are able to deal with it together. There’s nothing more beautiful than having a first love that heals!
Start watching “30 But 17”:
9. “Reply 1988”
Sung Duk Sun (Hyeri) and Choi Taek (Park Bo Gum) have been best friends since they were kids. They hang out together all the time and are super comfortable around each other, which is why it’s only natural that Choi Taek ends up falling for Duk Sun. The difficult part about this situation is that their mutual friend, Jung Pal (Ryu Jun Yeol), also has feelings for Duk Sun.
Duk Sun and Choi Taek have everything that anyone would want in a first love. Their friendship blossoms into a passionate and heart-warming romance. They not only know everything about each other, but theygo through so many of life’s obstacles together. They have nothing to hide when it comes to their feelings and can totally be themselves around each other! The goals!
Start watching “Reply 1988”:
10. “My ID Is Gangnam Beauty”
Kang Mi Rae (Im Soo Hyang) has always been self-conscious about her physical appearance. Itaffects her so much that she decidesthat getting plastic surgery is the only way that she can live her life.On the first day of University, Mi Rae becomes excited to start her new life, but she runs into Do Kyung Suk (Cha Eun Woo), a very handsome and popular boy that she used to go toelementary school with. Kyung Suk recognizes Mi Rae pretty quickly and he starts to realize that his feelings for her are more than just surface level.
Despite Mi Rae’s insecurities and not understanding why Kyung Suk would like her, Kyung Suk lays everything on the line to always show Mi Rae how he feels. Kyung Suk is the typical popular guy who girls are constantly going after, but this doesn’t even phase him. He doesn’t care at all what people think and only wants to win Mi Rae’s heart. His persistence and open-hearted confessions are just so romantic!
Start watching “My ID Is Gangnam Beauty”:
Hey Soompiers, which of these K-dramas is your first love goals? Let me know in the comments below!
binaheartsis a Soompi writer whose ultimate biases areSong Joong Kiand BIGBANG. She is also the author of “K-POP A To Z: The Definitive K-Pop Encyclopedia.” Make sure you followbinaheartson Instagram as she journeys through her latest Korean crazes!
Currently watching:“The King: Eternal Monarch” and “Heart Signal 3”
All-time favorite dramas:“Secret Garden,” “Goblin,” “Because This Is My First Life,”“Star In My Heart”
Looking forward to:Won Bin‘s return to the small screen
