Park Eun-bin and Yang Se-jong team up in a chaotic occult romance as a “chaebol heiress who can see ghosts” and a “prosecutor who is afraid of ghosts.”
The upcoming tvN weekend drama Spooky In Love (premiering in South Korea on July 18) has released its main poster featuring Jung Yo-ri (Park Eun-bin) and Ma Gang-wook (Yang Se-jong).
Amid dating rumors involving former Park Ji-hoon and Jeong So-yeon, as well as Lee Sang-yi and Han Dong-hee, the director of TVING's original drama The Legend of Kitchen Soldier has personally denied the claims.
On June 18, a social media user shared screenshots of an alleged DM conversation claiming that director Cho Nam Hyung had indirectly confirmed that the two pairs were dating. In the messages, the supposed director responded that he could not discuss specifics but suggested that the chemistry between the actors was genuine and asked fans to support them warmly.
Actor Kim Mu-yeol has surpassed 1 million followers on Instagram, fueled by the popularity of Netflix's Teach You A Lesson.
On June 17, Kim Mu Yeol's official Instagram account crossed the 1 million follower mark. Prior to the drama's June 5 premiere, he had around 200,000 followers. In just two weeks, that number grew more than fivefold as interest in both the series and the actor skyrocketed.
Teach You A Lesson follows the fictional ERPB, a government agency created to protect schools facing challenges from problematic students, teachers, and parents. The series has become a global hit, topping Netflix's Global TV Shows rankings for two consecutive weeks.
There’s been a lot of speculation in the K-drama world right now about who the real killer is in the ongoing series The Scarecrow, starring Park Hae Soo and Lee Hee Jun. Because of that, I tried researching the Hwaseong case, which is believed to be the real-life inspiration for the drama’s Kangseong case.
In the Hwaseong case, it took investigators 33 years (three decades) to identify the real killer. The police initially accused several suspects and eventually imprisoned the wrong person, someone who has disability. The wrongly accused man’s last name was Yoon, but his full name was withheld to protect his privacy. The real killer, Lee Chun Jae, later confessed while serving a life sentence after raping and murdering his sister-in-law. One major mistake in the investigation was the belief that the killer had blood type B, when in fact, he had blood type O, one of the key reasons the case remained unsolved for so long.
Episode 8 of Perfect Crown had so many scenes that made my heart flutter. The early part genuinely made me emotional, Byeon Woo-seok’s acting was so good, especially when Prince I-an showed how terrified he was of losing another loved one, and the pure relief he felt when Hui-ju finally woke up.
But after that, the mood shifted, and the scenes of Hui-ju and Prince I-an getting closer completely sent me. Their chemistry is getting stronger every episode, and that lighthearted kiss? Ahhhh!
I swear, the butterflies they’re giving me are unreal. Hahaha!
Byeon Eun-A turns out to be the daughter of a famous actress, O Jeung-hui, the actress who brought Mr. Choi’s film to life and earned him millions in ticket sales. However, while waiting to achieve the 10 million ticket sales milestone, a comment on the actress’s social media about her abandoned daughter shook their world.
Mr. Choi, the producer of the film and CEO of Choi Films, ordered the actress’s agency to find the daughter she had abandoned long ago in order to make a statement supporting the actress. Yes, they planned to make her lie. Little did Mr. Choi know, the daughter they were looking for is already within his reach.
From the writer behind the masterpiece dramas My Mister and My Liberation Notes, Park Hae Young returns with We Are All Trying Here, starring Go Youn Jung, Koo Kyo Hwan, Oh Jung Se, Park Hae Joon, and more.
The drama follows people whose lives are weighed down by envy and jealousy as they search for peace and healing.
It centers on The Eight Club, a group of friends who formed their bond as students and promised to rely on one another. As adults, they all became respected directors and producers in their fields...except for one member, Hwang Dong Man, who was left behind.
Hwang Dong Man is seen as a pathetic loser by his friends. In their circle, he is the only one who still hasn’t debuted as a director. At 40 years old, he works as a teacher, but he’s losing students every day because they don’t believe in what he’s teaching. He’s overly passionate, yet his own life doesn’t reflect his words. To make ends meet, he also takes on part-time jobs, but it’s still clearly not enough.
His brother wants him to quit chasing his dream and work in construction instead, so he can have a stable income. After all, it’s been 20 years and nothing has happened. But Dong Man is stubborn and refuses to give up, continuing to work on his screenplay day and night.
"If I can't prove myself by succeeding, I'll prove myself by falling apart."
This was the phrase he was screaming at the top of his lungs when he went home frustrated.
Here are my 10 favorite K-dramas I watched in 2025.
Please note that this list is purely based on my personal taste, and it’s in no particular order.
1. Buried Hearts
This drama made me fall in love with Park Hyung Sik. The story is incredibly intriguing, and the ending is haunting. Up until now, I can still feel the heaviness it left behind. It was a great show overall.
2. Study Group
I rarely enjoy high school dramas these days, but this one kept me hooked until the very end. I genuinely loved it.
Since it's the first day of year 2026, I am here making a comeback writing on this blog. Hurray! Anyway, I won't say anymore excuses as to why I haven't been posting here last year, I'll just try to become more committed in posting here like I used to back in the days I was very active.
Okay, so for the first blog entry of the year, let me talk about the year end awards show winners. Here's the full list of winners of the 2025 SBS Drama Awards:
Grand Prize (Daesang):
Lee Je Hoon - Taxi Driver 3
One of my confirmed favorite dramas this year is Ms. Incognito starring Jeon Yeo Been.
When it first came out, I didn’t watch it right away, in fact, I even doubted if it was worth watching. But when four episodes were already available, I decided to start, and wow… what an experience! From the very first episode, you’ll already be hooked and want to finish everything in one go. That’s how good it is. It's thrilling, exciting, and refreshingly unique.
In most recent K-dramas, the bodyguards are usually male, like in Red Swan or Tempest. But Ms. Incognito breaks that pattern because this time, the bodyguard is a woman named Yeong Ran, played brilliantly by Jeon Yeo Been.
Tempest marks the highly anticipated collaboration between Jun Ji Hyun and Kang Dong Won, a pairing that alone is enough to draw attention. And true to expectations, both leads, along with the rest of the cast, deliver strong performances that elevate the series. There’s no weak link in the acting department; everyone brings depth and intensity to their roles.
However, when it comes to the story, Tempest treads on familiar ground. Viewers who have seen Red Swan (starring Rain and Kim Ha Neul) will likely notice the similarities, a bodyguard protecting a woman trapped in a broken marriage, with romance eventually blossoming between them. The themes of love, betrayal, and protection echo almost beat for beat.
That said, Tempest still manages to distinguish itself by weaving in elements of political drama, espionage, and power struggles. These added layers give the series a broader scope and keep it engaging despite its predictable foundation.
In short, Tempest doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it delivers solid performances, striking visuals, and enough intrigue to keep viewers invested. It’s a must-watch for fans of the lead actors and anyone who enjoys a well-acted melodrama with touches of suspense.
Beyond the Bar is over and I'm feeling empty again. Have you ever felt so attached to the characters and story that you can't focus on other new on-going series? You just can't help but think of what might happen if the drama has more episodes? It's this one for me. The last kdrama that made me feel this way was Park Hyung Sik's "Buried Hearts", which I am yet to make a review about here on the blog, that one was absolutely amazing. It's been months since that drama ended but I still think about it up to this time. When a drama really captures my attention from start to finish, I build that kind of connection towards the characters and the story of that series, so when the conclusion arrives and everything ending after 10, 12 or 16 episodes, I am completely left empty. And it's really hard to find nowadays a great Kdrama that captures my attention fully. Really. That's why letting go of a well written Kdrama is not that easy.
Anyway, let's stop with the drama and get on with this review. Okay, so, Beyond the Bar is a legal drama that aired from August 2 to September 7 of 2025. It showcases the story of rookie lawyer Kang Hyo Min (Jung Chae Yeon) as she represents Yullim Law Firm through the cases that she works on through the help of her mentor and head of litigation department, Yoon Seok Hoon (Lee Jin Uk). As they work on new cases together, their relationship becomes closer and their backstory gets unveiled one by one. I honestly love that way of story telling when it comes to legal dramas. The cases and the story between characters flowed really in synched unlike some of the legal dramas that make these two flow differently. Both are effective, of course, but this kind of story telling from Beyond the Bar was a personal preference of mine.
Another Kdrama has ended and it's The Witch starring Got 7's Jin Young as Lee Dong Jin and Roh Jeong Eui as Park Mi Jung. Basically, the story revolves around Dong Jin finding the truth behind Mi Jung's real identity and curse. It's entitled The Witch because it refers to the existence of those who happen to have a curse with them. When someone confesses that they like Mi Jung, they all ended up severely hurt if not dead. The Witch thing only started as a mere mockery from a jealous person towards Mi Jung but it got bigger as more deaths and accidents happen around Mi Jung's close vicinity. During their high school, Dong Jin witnessed how Mi Jung isolated herself from the other students. But he tried his best to serve comfort for her in her solitude even from afar. And as he continues to observe Mi Jung, Dong Jin fell in love with her to which became his driving force to unveil the truth behind Mi Jung's mysterious curse.
Dong Jin's chosen path was to take analytics to prove that the existence of a Witch is not true. He wanted to prove that the deaths and accidents surrounding Mi Jung were just mere coincidences with facts and data. However, he failed doing so. Eventually, Dong Jin's research turn from dismissing the idea of Mi Jung as a witch towards finding out the rules of her curse as a witch. And there, he found out the rules of death as he tried and tested each hypothesis he came up with through observation and data gathering.
1. Being with a 10m radius of her for over 10 minutes is dangerous.
2. Holding a conversation with her is dangerous.
3. If she knows your name it's dangerous.
4. Confessing your feelings to her is dangerous.
5. Breaking all these rules will result in death.
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When the Phone Rings ended with 12th episode airing last night. The nationwide viewership rating failed to achieve double digits with only 8.6% but this still marked to be their all time high personal record throughout its run.
It was a happy ending. It turned out the secret that got revealed by 406 to Saeon was about Paik Jang Ho being the mastermind of the car accident that the Hong siblings were involved in during their childhood. It took the life of Heejoo and Ina's little brother so Saeon felt responsible and shameful to them that leads him to going far from Heejoo. Saeon ended up in Argan where rebels exists but Heejoo went after him. There, Heejoo and Saeon reunited and later marry each other as Heejoo and Yu Yeon.
406 died in the hands of the police and his mother got life imprisonment. Ui-yong ended up losing in the presidential race showing how his public service career got ruined. Min Do Ki confessed to his sins and got imprisoned for 5 years. Heejoo's mom had a change of heart and is now a kind parent to Heejoo and same goes with her husband. Hong Ina apologized to Heejoo for how she was to her during their childhood and is now working on getting closer with her as a big sister. Park Do Jae came back to Saeon's side, Yuri and Sang Woo ended up together and everyone else was happy. THE END.
Hmmmm.... It's a happy ending but if I'm gonna be honest, I was really disappointed with the ending. I know that it's only after the webtoon but still, the ending turned out to be too much of a stretch. I was laughing my ass off when Heejoo stubbornly went after Saeon in Argan where rebels exist and ended up getting caught in the end. And obviously, Saeon came to the rescue. lol I was like, WTF was that?! Hahaha I know the writer wanted to exaggerate how much Heejoo loves Saeon that she's willing to risk her life and same goes with Saeon but still... like wtf was that! Can't they think of a better and a little 'realistic' for an ending? Suddenly they're invincible from an on-going war in Argan because love conquers all. 🤣 I find that very ridiculous. 
When the Phone Rings, I thought it was overly hyped. I admit that it started really veeeeery interesting but I dont know...when Saeon and Heejoo came together, the excitement faltered for me. Everything became overly sweet and at most, scenes were a little too cringey. But overall, it's still a decent and fun to watch drama. Kudos to the cast especially Yeon Yun Seok.
Park Eun-bin and Yang Se-jong team up in a chaotic occult romance as a “chaebol heiress who can see ghosts” and a “prosecutor who is afraid ...
