10 Cheesy Romantic K-Dramas That Are Total Guilty Pleasures

Let’s be real. There are A LOT of cheesy K-dramas out there. Sometimes we watch a particular scene that we’ve seen countless times before that is off-the-charts cheesy, but we still can’t help but love it. There are various tropes or elements that usually result in a drama giving off a cheesy vibe. Some aspects include an accidental hug or kiss, an over-the-top confession, a background song, and super sweet displays of affection in the form of actions or words. And although these cheesy elements are enough to make us cringe, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that the K-drama is an absolute pleasure to watch. Here’s a look at 10 Romantic K-dramas that are cheesy but a total guilty pleasure.

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead!

1. “Oh My Venus

Even from just the first episode of “Oh My Venus,” there were scenes that screamed, “CHEESE.” But because the drama starred So Ji Sub and Shin Min Ah, I was willing to give it a shot. Despite various parts of the series continuing to be cringy, it was possible to overlook it because of the OTP.

The series has a lot of aegyo, especially with how Kang Joo Eun (Shin Min Ah) interacts with Kim Young Ho (So Ji Sub). She is so open with her affections with him that it could have come off being over-the-top cheesy, but because the main leads ooze with so much sex appeal, it isn’t half as cheesy as it could have been. It’s one that is a total guilty pleasure despite all the scenes that make you want to squeal and cringe.

Start watching “Oh My Venus”:

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2. “The Greatest Love

“The Greatest Love” stars Cha Seung Won as a famous actor who falls in love with a former girl group idol, played by Gong Hyo Jin. The two embark on a whirlwind of a romance that has its ups and downs. Through this love story, they share a lot of K-drama cliche moments that I couldn’t get enough of.

“The Greatest Love” is memorable for several lines and scenes that are epically corny. One that comes to mind is the one with the whole potato. Dokgo Jin (Cha Seung Won) waters a potato that Goo Ae Jung (Gong Hyo Jin) leaves behind one day and it becomes his only real connection to her when they are fighting or apart.

Scenes like this could totally make the series downright cheesy, but because of Cha Seung Won’s acting and delivery, it’s really a fun series to watch and is definitely considered to be on of the best rom-coms! And with Gong Hyo Jin, the corniness can be totally overlooked!

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3. “Lucky Romance

“Lucky Romance” stars Ryu Jun Yeol as Je Soo Ho, a genius CEO of a gaming company and Hwang Jung Eum as Shim Bo Nui, an unlucky girl who has a lot of random part-time jobs. When Soo Ho falls in love with Bo Nui and opens up his heart to her, he can hardly contain himself. He is a fool in love who does and says some uber cheesy things.

Despite all this, the drama is romantic and addictive to watch! Because Soo Ho experiences real love for the first time, seeing him turn from an ice-cold CEO to a ball of mush can be super cheesy, but it’s exactly what we need!

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4. “My Secret Romance

With one look at the trailer, it was obvious how cheesy this K-drama was going to be. It’s got all the tropes that people have come to know and love, which is why many of us end up watching these types of K-dramas. It’s one of those series that you don’t need to think a lot about and it’s definitely one to watch when you want to de-stress.

With scenes like:

and…

These rom-com cliche scenes with the damsel in distress almost falling and the main lead dramatically catching her fall is pretty cheesy, but it’s hard not to watch! Plus, it’s got the added bonus of starring Sung Hoon, which we can’t argue with.

Start watching “My Secret Romance”:

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5. “Her Private Life

“Her Private Life” is a recent series that aired on tvN starring Kim Jae Wook and Park Min Young. The series revolves around an art director by the name of Ryan Gold who falls in love with his art curator, Sung Duk Mi. The two end up in a seriously adorable relationship with each other that many viewers can chalk up to being pretty epic.

There are several cringe-worthy lines in the series said by the main leads that make it pretty cheesy. And the fact that it’s a rom-com alone, you can expect it to have lots of scenes we’ve seen before. But although everything about it is very predictable and very typical, you can’t take away from the fact that it’s irresistible to watch! I mean, there’s a reason why this pair was so talked! Their chemistry is unbelievable and made it easy to overlook the cheese factor.