There is something about finding the right K-drama at the right time. Sometimes you want a romance that is so cute you can practically predict every swoony moment, sometimes you need a mystery that keeps throwing new questions at you, and sometimes you just want complete chaos with a ridiculously entertaining group of characters. Thankfully, the K-drama world has no shortage of options, and this week’s watchlist comes with a little bit of everything.
From an apartment complex full of schemes and corruption to a fake blind date that turns into a workplace romance, and an amnesiac prosecutor who wakes up to a very suspicious boyfriend, The Apartment Job, Business Proposal and Our Sticky Love each bring a very different flavour to the table. They may not have much in common on paper, but all three have the most important quality of a binge-worthy K-drama: the ability to make you say, “Okay, just one more episode.”
The Apartment Job
Starring: Ji Sung, Ha Yoon-kyung, Park Byung-eun, Moon So-ri, Kim Won-hae
Episodes: 12
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Romance
The Apartment Job is for anyone who likes their crime stories with a healthy dose of comedy and absolute chaos. The drama follows Park Hae-gang (Ji Sung), the CEO of an investment company that is actually hiding an illegal gambling operation. When a corrupt police chief demands a staggering amount of money, Park and his team find themselves looking towards a massive apartment construction fund as a way out. What follows is a complicated scheme involving corruption, money, apartment residents and a lot of morally questionable decisions. The story has plenty of moving parts, but that is also what makes it entertaining, with the apartment complex slowly becoming more than just the setting as its residents develop their own relationships and sense of community.
The cast is a major reason the whole thing works. Ji Sung brings his usual charisma while getting plenty of opportunities to show off his comedic side, while Ha Yoon-kyung gives Kang Ha-ri plenty of personality and energy. The supporting cast, including Park Byung-eun, Moon So-ri and Kim Won-hae, adds even more to the wonderfully messy ensemble. The drama manages to move between crime, mystery, comedy and romance without becoming too heavy, although the middle episodes can feel slower compared to the stronger beginning and ending. Still, if chaotic characters, ridiculous schemes and an unlikely found-family dynamic sound like your kind of K-drama, The Apartment Job is definitely worth adding to the list.
Business Proposal
Starring: Kim Se-jeong, Ahn Hyo-seop, Seol In-ah, Kim Min-kyu
Episodes: 12
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Workplace, Romance
Sometimes a K-drama doesn’t need a complicated mystery or an emotionally devastating storyline to be entertaining, and Business Proposal is the perfect example. Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong) agrees to go on a blind date in place of her best friend, Jin Young-seo, with the very specific goal of making the man reject her. Unfortunately, her plan goes completely wrong when she discovers that her date is Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop), the CEO of the company where she works. What begins as a fake identity and an awkward blind date quickly turns into an increasingly complicated relationship involving secrets, misunderstandings and genuine feelings.
The biggest strength of Business Proposal is how effortlessly it balances comedy and romance while still giving its characters room to grow. Ha-ri becomes more confident and comfortable with herself throughout the series, while Young-seo’s storyline brings another layer to the drama as she pushes back against her controlling family and works towards independence. The chemistry between Kim Se-jeong and Ahn Hyo-seop is obviously a huge part of the fun, but the second couple, played by Seol In-ah and Kim Min-kyu, is just as entertaining. Add the ridiculous situations, workplace chaos, wholesome romances and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and you have the kind of drama that can easily turn into a “just one more episode” situation.
Our Sticky Love
Starring: Jung Hae-in, Ha Young
Genre: Romance, Mystery, Comedy, Crime
Our Sticky Love takes the usual K-drama romance formula and makes things considerably more complicated. Go Eun-sae (Ha Young) is a prosecutor investigating a criminal organisation when she gets caught in a dangerous situation and wakes up in a rural village with no memory of what happened. Enter Jang Tae-ha (Jung Hae-in), a former boxer who now works as a boxing coach and immediately claims that he is her boyfriend. Obviously, Eun-sae isn’t exactly convinced, and neither is the audience. The more she tries to piece together her past, the more questions start surrounding Tae-ha, his intentions and the events that led her to the village.
What makes the drama particularly fun is the relationship between its two leads. Eun-sae may have lost her memories, but she has definitely not lost her instincts as a prosecutor, meaning Tae-ha has to work much harder to maintain his story than he probably expected. Meanwhile, Jung Hae-in gets to play a slightly different kind of romantic lead: still quiet, charming and protective, but with a criminal past and enough secrets to make him impossible to fully trust. The drama occasionally tries to juggle a little too much between romance, mystery, crime, comedy and the countryside setting, but the chemistry between Jung Hae-in and Ha Young keeps it engaging. Our Sticky Love is a good pick for anyone looking for a romance that comes with a little suspense, a questionable boyfriend and plenty of reasons to keep watching.
The Final Watchlist
Whether the mood calls for something hilarious, romantic, mysterious or completely chaotic, this lineup has a drama for it. The Apartment Job is the pick for crime, comedy and an ensemble cast that somehow makes an apartment complex feel like the centre of the universe; Business Proposal is the easy choice for anyone craving a fluffy, feel-good romance packed with chemistry and comedy; and Our Sticky Love brings something a little more unpredictable with its mix of romance, amnesia, crime and mystery.
None of these dramas needs to reinvent the K-drama formula to be worth watching. Sometimes the best shows are simply the ones that know how to keep things moving, give you characters worth getting attached to and leave you reaching for the remote before the credits have even finished. So, clear some space on that watchlist, pick your mood and get ready to lose a few hours — because “just one episode” rarely stays just one episode.
Sources: My Drama List, Decider, Pure Wow, Dojeon Media, Tatler Asia
