5 K-dramas to Watch This Summer
I believe the best way to beat the heat is to stay indoors and watch others enjoy the sweltering sun instead of myself. When it’s just too hot, but I still want to feel my heart pounding and sun on my skin, there’s nothing better than watching heartwarming, mind-engulfing dramas. This is my favorite selection showcasing those fuzzy romance stories along the water with clear skies, where they somehow never sweat and are always smiling. If that sounds like the perfect place for you, these dramas are sure to take you there.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
After quitting her big-time city job as a top dentist, Yoon Hyejin (Shin Min-a) takes a breather on a small town beach, only to be thrown into a frenzy when her shoes are swept away and she begins to have car trouble. With no car, no phone service, and no cash, the town chief, Chief Hong (Kim Seon-ho), puts her to work alongside the quirky townspeople to pay off her debts for what she’s purchased. As she’s away from Seoul and avoiding going back, Hyejin considers her options. The one that's looking best: why not stay here and open a dental clinic in the countryside?
With her new clinic and her only friend by her side, she's ready for healing and a steady income, but every villager she runs into seems to come with their own unique and slightly irritating problems. Though Hyejin's able to put up with almost everyone, the biggest bane of her existence ends up being Chief Hong himself. As her time in the countryside continues, so does the trouble, with an old acquaintance coming to town, three secrets lingering in the minds of everyone, and feelings rising and falling like the waves of the glistening sea.
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Where to watch: Netflix
Summer Strike (2022)
Work, family, and relationships can be too much, but all at once? It’s enough to push someone past their breaking point. Lee Yeo-reum (Seolhyun) is that someone. When she decides she is done letting everyone walk over her, she sells all her belongings, packs a small bag, and buys a single bus ticket out of the city and into the country.
Even though she barely has any money, she strives to find peace and goes on strike from doing any work at all. She moves into an old billiards hall, spends time floating in the sea, and grabs her free library card, ready to spend her summer stress-free. It’s only when the people living there start to give her trouble that she realizes the next couple of months of her life may not be as serene as she hoped. But when she befriends Ahn Dae-beom (Yim Siwan), things start to turn up, since he is on a mission to do nearly nothing as well.
Genre: Slice of Life, Romance, Drama,
Where to watch: Netflix
Good Boy (2025)
What happens when you put five ex-national athletes in one crime-fighting team? The Insung police department is about to find out. When ex-boxer Yoon Dong-ju (Park Bo-gum) is recruited by ex-wrestler Ko Man-sik (Heo Seong-tae) to join the police force to use his talents for good, Man-sik has no idea what he is getting himself into. Overly ready to lock bad guys away, Dong-ju often gets in trouble, but he’s also often right.
When the mission to catch the gang boss, Golden Bunny, unravels into something much larger, three more members are recruited to create their investigative team: ex-fencer Kim Jong-hyun (Lee Sang-yi), ex-sharpshooter Ji Han-na (Kim So-hyun), and ex-discus thrower Shin Jae-hong (Tae Won-seok). Within the team, camaraderie builds and romance blooms while the devastation of the crimes around them bubbles under the surface. It seems like a villain is targeting everyone Dong-ju loves as he gets one hit after another, but he always gets back up, no matter what.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance
Where to watch: Prime Video
Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023)
Life is great for Cho Sam-dal (Shin Hae-sun). She has worked hard and has become one of the top photographers in South Korea. With her biggest exhibit yet about to open, a scandal emerges, engulfing her world as it hits every news channel. When no one will work with her, talk to her, or support her, she turns to her sisters. When she realizes their worlds are just as messy, they make a decision they’ve been putting off for years: it’s time to return home.
Samdal-ri on Jeju Island isn’t a place Sam-dal has been running from; it’s a place she has never planned on returning to. The town knows everything about her, and most of it, she’s not ready to unpack. Though they know her bad sides, they will support her no matter what, her lifelong friend turned ex-boyfriend Cho Yong-pil (Ji Chang-wook) more than anyone, even if she doesn’t want him to.
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Where to watch: Netflix
Lovely Runner (2024)
After a tragic accident, Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) finds herself in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Ready to give up, she receives a phone call from K-pop idol Ryu Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok) telling her not to give up. His words sparked a new flame in her heart and purpose in her life, resulting in her devoting all her love to his happiness, collecting his merch, and even buying a watch he had worn. As the night of his concert approaches, she pushes past her struggles just to hear his voice on the cold winter night. Making her way back home, her wheelchair dies, it begins to snow, and as soon as her tightly held joy starts to fully diminish, a kind hand holding an umbrella changes everything.
Sun-jae stands in front of Sol, turning her night and life around completely. Happiness glimmers in her eyes, and all her time thinking of Sun-jae comes to be worth it. As her friend arrives to drive her home, they part ways with each other on their minds. It isn't until she gets home that she finds out: Sun-jae has died. Heartbroken and in a panic, Sol screams out in pain, holding her prized possession of Sun-jae’s watch. When she opens her eyes, she's stepped back in time: Sun-jae is still alive, she's no longer in a wheelchair, and Im Sol has the power to change everything.
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Thriller
Where to watch: Viki
Want more K-drama recommendations? Check out 5 K-dramas Perfect for Introverts here!
