Burst into tears with these Korean Dramas to watch and rewatch this 2022

Martha Bernadette Briol

PUBMAT | Anthony Beronque

Have you ever been in a situation where you were watching a drama and you suddenly notice that you are already crying because you have been carried away by the emotions that the actors are expressing that you can even imagine yourself being in that scene with them? Today, we listed down a few Korean dramas that will surely touch your heart as you start watching them. 

First on the list is “Vincenzo”; the comeback drama of “Descendants of the Sun” and “Space Sweepers” star Song Joong-ki, alongside “Night in Paradise” lead actress Jeon Yeo-been, "2PM"’s Ok Taec-yeon, and “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” actor Kwak Dong-yeon. It talks about the story of Vincenzo Cassano, an adviser to the mafia or mafia consigliere, who goes to South Korea to find the gold that has been given to him by a Chinese tycoon he once worked with. He experienced some difficulties while he was staying in the country that let him see anomalies that made him go to the situation where he met Hong Cha-young, who was played by Jeon Yeo-been, a feisty lawyer working for Wusang Law Firm. 

Jang Jun-woo and Jang Han-seo, who are played by Ok Taec-yeon and Kwak Dong-yeon, will add more spice to the drama as their characters unveil more about the story. Although it is a dark comedy kind of drama, this will make you cry as it shows the love for the family because of the story of the parents of Vincenzo Cassano and Hong Cha-young, together with the bond that they have shared with the Geumga Plaza tenants, who became Vincenzo’s neighbors as he stayed in South Korea to find the gold. The drama premiered on February 20, 2021 and ended on May 2, 2021 with 20 episodes. 

Second in the list; “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”, a romantic drama starring “My Love From The Star'' actor Kim Soo-hyun, “Lawless Lawyer” star, Seo Yea-ji, and Oh Jung-se from “When The Camellia Blooms”. The story is about Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun) who is working as a community worker in the OK Psychiatric Hospital and his older brother Moon Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se) who met Ko Mun-yeong (Seo Yea-ji), an antisocial popular children’s book author. 

The brothers lost their mother when they were young, as she was killed by a woman who had a butterfly brooch on her clothes, who turned out to be Ko Moon-yeong’s mother. Because of this, Moon Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se) became anxious as he was growing up for the reason that he was the only person who witnessed the death of their mother. This drama will surely capture your hearts as it talks about mental health. Many will absolutely relate to the story as it discusses the idea of loving the people around you and always reminding yourself that your feelings are valid. "It’s Okay to Not Be Okay" ran from June 20, 2020 up until August 9, 2020 with 16 episodes in total. 

The remaining months of 2021 were indeed the most memorable time of the year as they premiered "Happiness", a thriller television series that starred Park Hyung-sik from “Strong Girl, Bong Soon”, and Han Hyo-joo from “W: Two Worlds”. It had 12 episodes and was broadcast from November 5, 2021 until December 11, 2021.

"Happiness" talks about Yoon Sae-bom (Han Hyo-joo), who came from a special police squad, and Jung Yi-hyun (Park Hyung-sik) who works as a detective. They have encountered an infectious disease that has caused sickness for the people who are living in the apartment. As they face and resolve the virus outbreak, their characters come up against countless problems in order to help cure the people. This drama has lots to offer as it also tackles the romantic relationship that has formed between Yoon Sae-bom (Han Hyo-joo) and Jung Yi-hyun (Park Hyung-sik). It will also express what camaraderie is, as people will help each other in the sickness that they are facing. 

Another drama that was released in the month of November for the year 2021 was "Now We Are Breaking Up." Starring "Descendants of the Sun" and "Encounter" star Song Hye-kyo, together with "Sweet and Sour" and "My Roommate Is a Gumiho" actor Jang Ki-yong. It also starred Kim Joo-hun from "It’s Okay to Not Be Okay" and Choi Hee-seo from "Anarchist." The drama also introduced actor, model, and songwriter, EXO’s Oh Sehun. The series had 16 episodes that started running from November 12, 2021, until January 8, 2022. 

Ha Young-eun (Song Hye-kyo) is a fashion designer who leads a clothing line. She had terrible romantic wounds in the past and chooses to be a woman in the present who always takes her career first before anything else. On the other hand, Yoon Jae-kook (Jang Ki-yong) plays as a distant but good-looking photographer. Even though the drama focuses on the love story of Young-eun and Jae-kook, it also has wonderful supporting characters that portray various kinds of romantic relationships that will no doubt be loved by the viewers. "Now We Are Breaking Up" discusses how significant being loyal to your partner is for the reason that the two main characters will always choose to stay and compromise with each other, as it will always be a part of a relationship. 

Fifth on the list is "Our Beloved Summer," starring Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi. The first episode took place on December 6, 2021, and it will have its final two episodes on January 24 and 25, 2022. "Our Beloved Summer" revolves around the stories of Choi Ung (Choi Woo-shik) and Kook Yeon-su (Kim Da-mi), who were once a couple who met again five years after they broke up. The documentary they filmed back when they were in high school became a trend in the present, making their viewers ask for more information on what happened to their lives years after the said documentary ended. Because of this, they met again after quite some time, which resulted in their unraveling the topic of their break-up. It revealed Choi Ung’s difficulty in sleeping and the challenges that Yeon-su faced that she never told Choi Ung about while they were in a relationship years ago. 

One of the things that viewers also love about “Our Beloved Summer” was their supporting characters namely, Kim Ji-Ung played by Kim Sung-cheol from "Vincenzo", and NJ, played by Roh Jeong-eui from "18 Again". Ji-ung is Choi-ung’s childhood friend, a producer who also likes Yeon-su. Meanwhile, NJ is a famous singer and also Choi-ung’s friend. 

Second to the last on the list is "Snowdrop," the most-awaited drama of 2021, which was released and featured the acting debut of Kpop star from Blackpink, JiSoo alongside famous actor Jung Hae-in. The drama’s broadcast has been delayed countless times as it has faced various controversies. However, the long wait is over as the drama is now on its 12th episode. 

The story revolves around Eun Young-ro (JiSoo) and Im Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in). They first met in the women's dorm where Young-ro was staying. All of a sudden, Sooho comes out of the dormitory while he has blood on his body. That was the time that Young-ro treated him. JiSoo’s character is a freshman taking up English Language at HoSoo Women's University, while Jung Hae-in’s character graduated from one of the most distinguished universities in Germany. His character has a lot of secrets and they are slowly unraveling them as the drama progresses. 

"Snowdrop" is a sad romance story. It has more to unveil as it focuses not only on Young-ro and Sooho’s stories. The drama also has Yoo In-Na, who plays as Kang Cheong-ya, Jang Seung-jo as Lee Kang-moo, Yoon Se-ah, who plays the role of Miss Pi Seung-hee, Kim Hye-yoon, who plays as Kye Boon-ok, Jeong Yoo-jin as Jang Han-na, and many more. The story was set in the year 1987. 

Lastly, if you are looking for a drama that will definitely make you burst into tears, watch "Reply 1988," a drama that talks about family, friendship, love, and, most importantly, your youth. The drama was set in 1988, when five friends named Sung Duk-seon (played by Lee Hye-ri), Choi Taek (Park Bo-gum), Sung Sun-woo (Go Kyung-pyo), Kim Jung-hwan (Ryu Jun-yeol), and Ryu Dong-ryong (Lee Dong-hwi) lived in the same neighborhood and faced life's challenges together.

This drama is definitely worth every bit of your tears as it speaks for all of us who are going through the same circumstances that every character portrays. Every episode will mark a realization in our hearts and minds that all of our silent battles will always pay off. It will remind you that when there are times you feel like you want to give up, just look around in your community, at your family, at your friends, and at yourself. From then on, you will see that there are still so many beautiful things in the world and you must treasure them as long as they are there, because you will never know when it will end. Enjoy your youth; it will give you the best memories that no tangible thing could replace. 

References: 

https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-review-its-okay-to-not-be-okay-kim-soo-hyun-seo-ye-ji/

https://kdramaworld.org/drama/happiness-2021-drama/

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3157199/k-drama-now-we-are-breaking-song-hye-kyo-returns-tawdry

https://themovieculture.com/reply-1988-series-review-and-summary/#:~:text=The%20drama%20showcases%20their%20teenage,memories%20that%20they%20with%20them.