I’m a self-certified K-drama junkie & here are some shows you need to watch now

PSA: Although this is a sponsored article commissioned by Viu, opinions and reviews of the shows are 100 per cent my own - and I’ve watched countless K-dramas, which makes me a self-certified K-drama junkie.

Why rent an oppa when you can own an oppa???

Feeling lonely when you’re watching your favourite Korean dramas? Now you don’t have to watch it alone.

When you purchase a 180 Days Viu Premium Subscription from Viu Singapore’s official store on Shopee, you can bring home a 60cm giant plushie of your favourite oppa or noona!

There are five different plushies available: Seo In-guk and Park Bo-young from Doom at Your Service, Cha Eun-woo and Hwang In-yeop from True Beauty, and IU from Hotel Del Luna.

My review of the plushies: soft enough, perfectly sized so that you can hug their body and your head can rest on their face.

The 180 Days subscription is going for S$33.51, which works out to about S$5.50 a month.

Objectively speaking, this is not a bad deal at all (to me at least), considering you get to lug home a limited-edition plushie as well, in addition to enjoying Viu Premium benefits, such as no video ads, unlimited downloads and more.

Okay, now that we’ve gotten the sponsor’s message out of the way, let’s get this list going.

Potential spoilers ahead but I will tryyyyyyyyy my best to keep it as spoiler-free as possible.

The keyword here is try.

1) True Beauty

The visuals in this drama are next level. By visuals, I mean Cha Eun-woo (who plays Lee Su-ho) and Hwang In-youp (Han Seo-jun).

I was surprised that Cha Eun-woo took up this role, because it was similar to the role in his previous drama, Gangnam Beauty (which is also available on Viu). Is he getting typecasted??? Not complaining though.

The show centers arounds Lim Ju-kyung (played by Moon Ga-young) and how she uses make-up to cover up her flaws and imperfections (read: raging teenage acne problems).

It’s like Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries but in a K-drama version. Case in point:

While the makeover (aka ultimate catfishing) seems a little too flawless to be true, there are two things that make this drama binge-worthy.

First, watching Su-ho and Seo-jun try to win over Ju-kyung. Don’t pretend, you guys like to imagine yourself as the female lead in this situation.

You can purchase the Cha Eun-woo and Hwang In-yeop plushies to recreate this scene at home:

Second, watching Ju-kyung hiding her real self and waiting for that moment where people find out what she really looks like and their reaction to that. (Spoiler: Honey, get your popcorn READY.)

This one is a straight up, easy-to-watch drama. If you enjoy K-dramas in high school settings or even Gangnam Beauty, there’s a high chance that you will likely vibe with this.

2) Hotel Del Luna

To be honest, I actually did not watch this show. Why? Because there are supernatural elements. That means I’m a… yes, scaredy cat.

So you must be wondering, “If you never watch then why did you put this on the list???? How can you give an objective review of this????”

Because this is a sponsored article by Viu and I need to do my job to remind you that IU is one of the five plushies available for purchase. And also because it is one of the highest-rated dramas in Korea’s cable television history.

I’ve got to say that the shape of her plushie is probably the most satisfying to hug.

But on a more serious note, I asked five female colleagues in my office (let’s call them F5) - all of whom finished watching the show - to share with me their review.

And what was the common consensus amongst the five of them? IU’s fashion in this drama.

Besides IU serving us with looks, the F5 also shared that what makes this show binge-worthy is the unique and refreshing concept and storyline as it blends fantasy and supernatural into a genre of its own.

I guess it’s worth a watch if you’re tired of the same old high school/historical/modern day/office setting drama with predictable plot. No shade.

3) Who Are You - School 2015

I remember bingeing this show in under 24 hours. There are 16 episodes, and each episode runs for about an hour. You do the math.

I tried to go to sleep after watching episode 11, but I could not stop thinking of the plot and ended up waking up again to finish the remaining episodes.

That’s just testament to how addictive this series is - or just how impatient I am. I think it’s the former.

If I were to try to summarise the plot: I can’t???

The gist of the story is that Eun-bi is being bullied in school and Eun-byul is the cool girl in school.

Eun-byul disappears one day during a school trip, and at the same time Eun-bi loses her memories and is mistaken as Eun-byul. Due to the mix up, Eun-bi starts living her life as Eun-byul.

There’s simply so many layers to this plot that constantly keeps you on your toes and makes you think what would happen next.

Kim So-hyun (who plays both the identical twins, Eun-bi and Eun-byul) is 10/10 in this drama. And if you need more reasons to watch, Nam Joo-hyuk (the oppa from Start Up, who plays Han Yi-an here) is also in this show.

This is one K-drama that I feel no synopsis can do justice - so you just have to give it a go and judge for yourself. (FYI, I think I rewatched this three to four times already)

4) Thirty but Seventeen / Still 17

This is probably the most underrated K-drama I’ve watched.

While the start might feel a little slow, as the show goes along, you feel a sense of attachment to each of the characters and will somehow feel invested in their journey.

A quick TLDR of the show’s plot: Seo-ri (played by Shin Hye-sun) got into an accident when she was 17 and only woke up 13 years later. Woo-jin (Yang Se-jong) experienced a traumatic experience 13 years ago, and since then has distanced himself away from people.

They eventually crossed paths, and if you put the pieces together, I am pretty sure you can already draw out the plot.

Putting the predictable plot aside, this is my favourite character in the show:

Ahn Hyo-seop (who plays Yoo Chan) is an absolute scene stealer in this show. There’s something so naive yet charismatic about his character that it makes you want to watch more.

Oh, prepare some tissues as well, you’ll be crying quite a bit. Or maybe a lot.

5) Birth of a Beauty

In-lieu of recent events, if you got cheated on by your spouse, don’t worry - I got you covered. This is the show for you.

After getting dumped by her cheating husband and being mistreated by his family, Sa Guem-ran (played by Han Ye-seul) seeks help from a plastic surgeon, Han Tae-hee (Joo Sang-wook) to get the ultimate revenge body.

The results? Astonishing.

This show shares some resemblance to the 2006 Korean movie, 200 Pounds Beauty.

But what makes this truly a must-watch is seeing how she takes on another persona (Sara) and slips back into her husband’s life and tries to wreck havoc between him and his mistress. Go get it, girl.

This is 10/10 binge-worthy content and it’s one of those shows I finished bingeing in one weekend. Or was it one sitting? Hmmm.

More shows to recommend

If you’re a professional binge-watcher like me, then these shows would only last you for about two weeks. Maybe three if you have some sort of social life.

Some other shows I would recommend: Extraordinary You, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Find Me In Your Memory, Her Private Life and You Make Me Dance.

There are hundreds of other Korean titles available on Viu, so don’t worry - I am sure there’s something for you.

My colleague also recently wrote a review on Doom at Your Service. You can check out his review below.

https://mothership.sg/2021/06/viu-doom-at-your-service

My colleague (disclaimer: not the writer of the above article, but another female colleague) screamed when she saw the Seo In-guk plushie and asked if she could have it after I was done writing this article.

I guess it’s not only my colleague who likes him, as his plushie is already sold out.

But don’t worry, you can still purchase the four other plushies here. But I can't guarantee it for long.

This sponsored article by Viu made the writer realise the number of K-dramas he watched: countless.