My K-drama Recommendations for the Holiday Season

You're probably thinking of K-pop now. Am I right? I get this three out of four times whenever I tell someone I watch Korean dramas (K-dramas for short). The remaining one time is getting slammed for watching because of the "fine" boys.

No, K-dramas is not all about flower boys in tight-fitting, well-tailored suit pants and donning a properly gelled hair. Anyways,...

This list is by far inexhaustible, and I'm 100% sure that I'll be omitting a gazillion of shows that should have made the list. Either ways, pardon my memory and make do with these few ones that come to mind at the time of writing.

Ladies and Gents, shall we?

Let me begin with the light-hearted RomComs:

1. Strong Woman Bong Soon: This is not your average popcorn drama. You shall be overdosed on cuteness and might need to be admitted into the "aegyo" (Korean slang for cuteness) ward. Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Shik make for an absolute perfect match in this cuteness-overload drama that is sprinkled with a bit of mystery so much that the couple is being shipped in real life. If after watching one from the "Melodrama" list and you need a bit of sweetness to up your sugar level, SWDBS should be your go-to.

2. My Love from Another Star: I don't think anything that has Jun Ji Hyun in it has ever gone wrong with me. She sucks you into her characters so much that you don't want to believe that she is not that character in the real life. Yes, she is that good. I chose this particularly drama because here and there I still go back to watch some episodes if I need me some Ji Hyun dose of perfection.

3. Kill me Heal me: Until I saw this drama, I didn't know such thing as a Dissociative Personality Disorder existed. Then you have Ji Sung playing seven, yes seven different characters with varying mannerisms is the icing on top of the icing on the cake! You're sure to almost laugh your ribcage into an ectopic site by the time you're done. And don't forget to get some tissues by the side also.

Honorable mentions:
• What's wrong with Secretary Kim
• It's Okay That's Love
• Goblin
• Jealousy Incarnate a.k.a Don't dare to dream
• Fight My Way


Fight-the-system dramas

1. Healer/The K2: Love me a shirtless Ji Chang Wook fighting the bad guys...IN THE SHOWER!!! Argjagriebqkqndkfbr (I promise you I'm not this thirsty in real life). Park Min Young more or less fits like a puzzle with any of her costars, so it isn't a surprise the burning chemistry between both lead actors in this drama (Healer). I rewatch 'The K2' whenever I wish to bask in the emotions of an unusual chemistry.

2. Witch's court: If you love to see bad guys being punished for committing sex-related crimes, then this is for you! More so these crimes being fought against by a ruthless female prosecutor. You love to see it! And also because Jung Ryeo Won portrayed the complicated lead character effortlessly (which you would expect), I think you should give it a watch at a time when you need some heaviness on your chest.

Honorable mentions:
• A man called god
• Sky Castle: Add this to your list no matter what!



Mystery/Thriller

1. I remember you a.k.a Hello Monster: One serial killer. Three geniuses. A subtle love story. What else do you need in a thriller? Now add a topping of the performances by Seo In Guk, Jang Nara, Park Bo Gum and Choi Won Young and you have no reason not to see this masterpiece. It may have been open-ended (if I remember well), but this has just prompted me to even go see it one more time!

2. Bad guys: Bad guys catching bad guys. Ohhh, what a thrill! Count me in and again because it is show time! I'm no psychopath, but the sound of bones crushing, blood splattering, bullets penetrating (ON A TV SCREEN, guys. I don't want the cops sending me an invite lol) sends me on a frenzy epinephrine rush.

Honorable mentions:
• Watcher.
• Actually all dramas aired by OCN (a broadcasting station in S/Korea that mostly airs Thrillers).



Medical dramas

You must be wondering how I manage to still 'feel' like a medical student despite how much I bury myself in the world of fiction. Hmm, I kind of balance it out (a ratio of 10:1) by watching medical dramas also. There are lapses here and there, but you gotta give it to the production team of some of these dramas for portraying it as real as it can be. I mean, c'mon, not even all students of Medicine in their 2nd year can confidently distinguish vessels from nerves on a cadaver. So to take on the task of performing a CPR (for instance) on a character, while still portraying emotions in front of a camera is a feat not non-actors could off.

Even though I respect the efforts of all the K-drama world of medical dramas, there are a few that I most attach to. Some of these are:

1. Romantic doctor Teacher Kim: You're sure to forget all the unnecessary political drama woven into this drama to appreciate the swiftness of the surgeons and the coordination in the operating room.

2. Doctor John: This is actually a very recent drama. The last episode may have been sloppy, but the heavy ethical debate on Euthanasia that is the premise of the drama will make you quickly forget that. And what did I almost forget? It has Ji Sung in it as the lead character!

3. Heart Surgeons: All I can say is that I polished my Cardiology a bit after watching this drama.

Honorable mention:
• Doctor Stranger
• Yong Pal
• Faith
• Good Doctor



And finally, the Melodramas:

1. Mr Sunshine: I had a severe withdrawal syndrome after the run of this show. The reason? Make a cocktail of a beautiful writing by Kim Eun Sook, lead roles played by the ever-talented Lee Byung Hun, the screen graciousness of Kim Tae Ri, and the heart wriggling performances of Yoo Yeon Seok, Kim Min Jung, Byun Yo Han, and you're set for a rollercoaster ride of emotions. And don't get me started on the OSTs (my heart can't whenever they pop on my playlist shuffle😭😭😭).

2. Room No 9: This drama can also pass as a thriller, but its intense provocation of sensation outweighs the need to categorize it as a thriller. The scenario: a maybe 70-year old woman on death row, a remorseless lawyer in her mid 30s, and a young (male) doctor. All you need is to imagine these three characters in a room, and your will to see this drama will be unlocked.

Honorable mentions:
• Mother of Mine
• My Golden Life

This list is not inclusive of the dramas I stopped watching because I couldn't handle the pain of the ending. Not because they were left open-ended or had some bad ending, they literally ended on a too sad note for me to bear. Such of these are:
• The smile has left your eyes
• On the way to the airport


A medical student shall not live by big textbooks alone.

When I'm not studying, trying to study, or hitting my head to think of what to write on the blog, I am:
1. Messing up the kitchen with the tons of recipes I learned from 'Tasty' videos
2. Watching Hindi movies
3. Drowning myself in the world of Korean dramas.



Which of these genres of drama do you think The Shy Medic loves most? Which of these dramas will you be watching? Let me know in the comment section below.
Parting words: VIKI is a great website to binge on all these shows, legitimately. If not, you can find some of them on Netflix.

This will most probably be the last post of the year, so it's good to serve my readers a list of shows to binge on during the holidays.Till when I write a New Year post, stay safe and spread lots of love this season!💌

 All pictures belong to their rightful owner.