Stories don’t just exist to entertain us when we’re bored, some of them are made to either teach us a lesson or to empathize with us when we feel like no one else is listening. Healing K-dramas are especially good at leading their audiences to a cathartic cry, with moving yet realistic plot lines and almost true-to-life characters fraught with worries that somehow mirror our own. The road to recovery may be steep, but their journey to better days is hopeful and always leaves us viewers to believe that, fiction or not, things will be okay at the end.
Need more of this kind of pastime in your life?
Ahead are 10 Healing K-dramas you can watch online now.
1. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
Watch on: Netflix
The series centers on Yoon Hye-jin, a picture-perfect woman who works as a well-respected dentist. However, when her seemingly ideal life falls into shambles, she somehow finds herself moving to the seaside village of Gongjin. In the midst of attempting to restart her career, she crosses paths with, and eventually develops a fondness for, Hong Doo-shik, who’s popularly known in the area as Mr. Hong. Although unemployed, Mr. Hong is a jack of all trades and can take on any odd job if it means helping out the locals of Gongjin.
Apart from the personal woes of the two leads, the series also zeroes in on the townspeople of Gongjin. Every character has their own story to tell, each unique and relatable in their own way.
Starring: Kim Seon Ho, Shin Min Ah, Lee Sang Yi
2. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)
Watch on: Netflix
It's Okay to Not Be Okay follows Moon Gang-tae, an introverted community health worker at a psychiatric ward, weighed down by a heavy burden. He eventually gets mixed up with Ko Mun-yeong, a successful children's story book writer who knows nothing about love, and is dealing with antisocial personality disorder. Throughout the course of the series, they help each other recover from their respective emotional wounds.
Starring: Kim Soo Hyun, Seo Ye Ji, Oh Jung Se
3. Be Melodramatic (2019)
Watch on: Netflix
If you’re lucky, you have a group of friends who’ll always get you through the tough times, much like in Be Melodramatic. Alternatively titled Melo Is My Nature, this romantic comedy follows three best friends in their 30s, who all work in the entertainment industry. There’s Hwang Han-joo, a struggling single mother; Im Jin-joo, a down-on-her-luck drama writer; and Lee Eun-jung, a documentary director unable to let go of her late boyfriend. When the three end up living with each other to take care of Eun-jung, they soon realize it’s not just her who's in need of companionship.
Starring: Jeon Yeo Bin, Chun Woo Hee, Han Ju Eun
4. Run On (2020)
Watch on: Netflix
Oh Mi-joo, a foreign film translator, gets into a scuffle with her university professor one night. In order to make up for her actions, she’s forced to take her former teacher’s offer and becomes the official translator to Ki Seon-gyeom, an off-beat yet righteous track and field star and South Korean national athlete. The series itself is a lesson in communication and empathy as the characters aid each other in navigating their problems.
Starring: Im Si Wan, Shin Se Kyung, Choi Soo Young, Kang Tae Oh
5. Moment at 18 (2019)
Watch on: Netflix
Moment at 18 is an underrated K-drama to consider for a more slice-of-life watch that’s just as heartwarming. In this coming-of-age series, 18-year-old Jun-woo is forced to transfer schools after being sanctioned for a violation he didn’t commit. His plans to live a quiet, recluse life in his new school, however, is ruined when he's blamed for yet another crime. Taking an interest in Jun-woo, model-student Soo-bin somehow breaks down his walls and brings him out of his shell.
Starring: Ong Seong Wu, Kim Hyang Gi, Shin Seung Ho
6. Hospital Playlist (2020-2021)
Watch on: Netflix
A medical Korean drama, Hospital Playlist follows a tight-knit group of five medical students who've been friends for 20 years. The story kicks off as they all start their residency in the same hospital, all the while forming a band together. As they go about their eventful schedules and meet patients from all walks of life, love, death and everything in between begin to culminate within the halls of Yulje Medical Center.
Starring: Jo Jung Suk, Yoo Yeon Seok, Kim Dae Myung, Jeon Mi Do, Jung Kyung Ho
7. 18 Again (2020)
Watch on: Netflix, Viu, iQiyi
18 Again is all about family, regrets, and learning to live your one life to the fullest. Despite getting pregnant early, Hong Dae-young and Jung Da-jung live a happy life amidst the struggles of being young parents to twins. 18 years later, Da-jung files for a divorce after being unable to put up with her husband’s growing unpleasant behavior any longer. Now dealing with unemployment and his wife leaving him, Dae-young begins to look back at his past in regret, wishing to relive his glory days in high school. Soon after, he mysteriously wakes up in his 18-year-old body in the present day, as he gets his second chance to live out his life.
Starring: Lee Do Hyun, Yoon Sang Hyun, Kim Ha Neul, Hwang In Youp
8. Angel’s Last Mission: Love (2019)
Watch on: Netflix, Viu
In order to return to heaven, an optimistic angel with the knack for getting into trouble must find true love for the talented yet arrogant prima ballerina Lee Yeon-seo. His mission proves to be difficult when he finds out that Yeon-seo's tragic past has led her to become distrustful, rendering her unable to fall in love.
Starring: Kim Myung Soo, Shin Hye Sun, Lee Don Gun
9. Move to Heaven (2021)
Watch on: Netflix
After his father dies, Geu-ru, a man with Asperger’s syndrome, takes over his family’s trauma cleaning business named “Move to Heaven.” Accompanying him is his uncle and new guardian Sang-gu, a former martial artist and released convict. Together the unlikely duo embarks on a heartwarming journey as they unearth the secrets and stories left behind by the deceased.
Starring: Lee Je Hoon, Tang Jun Sang, Jin Ji Hee, Lee Jae Wook
10. Good Doctor (2013)
Watch on: Viu
When Park Si-on, a doctor with autism and savant syndrome, starts his residency at a hospital, he must prove himself worthy and capable of the job, despite all the biases stacked against him. Although he struggles to empathize with his patients and communicate with his superiors, he luckily meets fellow doctors along the way who are more than willing to lend him a helping hand.
Starring: Joo Won, Moon Chae Won, Joo Sang Wook
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