5 healing K-dramas on Netflix that will make you hope for better 2023

Healing K-dramas: If you have come across a K-weeb, you would know how they refer to binge-watching K-dramas as therapy. While it has long been considered a catchphrase, K-dramas actually have heeling prowess. Van Ta Park PhD, MPH, who was involved in two studies related to K-dramas, reasoned that dramas definitely have “potential to be therapeutic.” As someone who has watched over 50 k-dramas during one year in lockdown, I can second Mr Park’s statement.

Winter Blues are real. It’s normal to feel little down during these cold months. The lack of sunshine also turns the atmosphere mundane during winters, thus, leaving you and you heart a cold mess. With winter holidays kicking in and nowhere to go, you can take refuge in K-dramas that will definitely warm your heart and make you hope for a better 2023.

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Something in the Rain

Joon-hee is an animator in his early 30s who has returned to Korea after completing his studies abroad. After his homecoming, he reconnects with a pretty noona Jin-ah, who also happens to be his sister’s best friend. Joon-hee for long has bee smitten by Jin-ah, while she has a childlike affection for him. After ignoring his initial advances, Jin-ah finally submits in and what follows is a heartwarming love story that defies all the boundaries despite constant disapprovals of society.

Star cast: Jung Hae-in, Son Ye-jin

When the Camellia blooms

Dongbaek is a single mother who is infamous for running a pub named Camellia in the fictional town of Ongsan. She if often looked down upon as many believe she runs her household entertaining advances from various men who come to her pub. Years after setting in Ongsan, Dong-baek comes across a happy-go-lucky police officer Yong-sik who declares his love for her in the first go. Resentful to the idea first, Dongbaek manages her life as a single mother with a little help from Yong-sik. 

Star cast: Gong Hyo-jin, Kang Ha-neul 

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

Yoon Hye-jin visits the small town of Gongjin on her mother’s birthday and impulsively decides to open a clinic there. While the village is welcoming of her, she lands on the wrong foot of the villagers. Ordealing with the major shift in her life as she moves from Seoul to Gongjin, Hye-jin comes across Du-sik aka Chief Hong who is also the SOS button of all the villagers. Initially finding Du-sik cunning, Hye-jin develops a liking for him.

Star cast: Shin Min-ah, Kim Seon-ho

Reply 1988

One of the best parts of the Reply series, Reply 1988  revolved around five friends who lean on each other to survive their challenging teen years while also living up to their parents’ expectations.

Sung Deok-sun is a below average student who is often neglected by the family as the middle child. Sung Sun-woo is at the top of his class but he has to learn adulting early for his age to support his single mother. Choi Taek is a genius baduk player but finds daily communication hard. Kim Jung-hwan is a stud but goes blank when it comes to confessing his feelings. With both his parents working, Ryu Dong-ryong struggled with the attention at home. 

Star cast: Hyeri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Park Bo-gum, Go Kyung-pyo and Lee Dong-hwi 

Hospital Playlist

Throughout its two seasons, Hospital Playlist tells the stories of people at a hospital who appear to be having ordinary days in their lives.

Five doctors in their forties, Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung-suk), Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon-seok), Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho), Yang Seok-hyeong (Kim Dae-myung), and Chae Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do), work at the Yulje Medical Centre after becoming friends during medical school in 1999.

Star cast: Jo Jung-suk, Jeon Mi-do,  Jung Kyung-ho, Shin Hyun-been, and Kim Dae-myung 

Also read: From My Liberation Notes to Twenty-Five Twenty-One, 8 K-dramas that made 2022 a better year