25 Top-Rated Friends to Lovers Kdramas
While there are many tropes in Korean dramas, friends to lovers is one of the most popular. In these stories, the characters start out as friends, and then, over time, they realize they have deeper feelings for each other.
The build-up to their relationship is often slow and steady, making the payoff all the sweeter. Sometimes the main characters are childhood friends sometimes they’ve just struck up a friendship that turns deeper.
If you’re excited for friends to lovers Kdramas, then read below for our list of them with English subtitles! Be sure to check out this K-drama lover gift guide to get ready for your binge sesh!
Many friends to lovers Kdramas are easily accessible from anywhere in the world. But there may be certain platforms that will only work with a VPN (i.e. US Netflix or Singapore VIU).
Sign up for a VPN, also known as a virtual private network if the drama you’d like to watch is not reachable in your country.
Friends to Lovers Kdramas
Friends to Lovers Kdramas
1. Our Beloved Summer (2021)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Drama, Life, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Netflix
Choi Woong and Kook Yeon Soo were two bickering high school lovers whose documentary went viral. Now years later, their video brings them back together for another film.
Choi Woong and Yeon Soo will have to navigate their old feelings as they work on another project together.
2. Hospital Playlist (2020, 2021)
Quick facts: 12 episodes | Medical, Life, Drama, Romance | Watch on Netflix
In the last 20 years, 5 friends have stuck it out together. They became friends when each of them was pursuing medical school. Now, all 5 friends are co-workers at the same hospital.
Hospital Playlist shows the daily life of being a doctor and how friendship develops over time, especially as life and death is involved.
3. When the Weather is Fine (2020)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Slow Burn Romance, Friends to Lovers, Melodrama | Watch on Viki
Mok Hae Won longs for romance but has closed her heart after several heartbreaks.
Tired of living in the big city of Seoul, Hae Won decides to head back to her hometown, a small rural village far away from the city.
Hae Won finds peace and meets an independent bookstore owner, Im Eun Seop who begins to change her perspective on life and love.
Hae Won and Eun Seops’s life moves at a slow pace as they learn to trust each other and perhaps remember times from their past.
4. My Unfamiliar Family 2020
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Family, Life, Drama | Watch on Netflix
Kim Eun Hee is the middle child of her family. Lately, her family has been drifting apart. Her older sister was an attorney and her younger brother is very sensitive.
Kim Eun Hee’s father is strict and distant from everyone causing her mother to want to find a new life. Kim Eun Hee has one friend that she confides in who feels more like a brother than any of her siblings.
However, when their lives take a turn, will Kim Eun Hee’s family come together?
5. More Than Friends (2020)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Love Triangle | Watch on Viki, Watch on MyAsianTV
At the young age of 18, Kyung Woo Yeon is living a carefree and innocent life as any other teenager. With dreams of falling in love, Woo Yeon starts to develop a crush on her friend Lee Soo.
Lee Soo also returned her feelings, but a small misunderstanding kept them from confessing their love to each other.
Now 10 years later, Woo Yeon and Lee Soo are at the height of their careers and still have feelings for each other.
Through several misunderstandings and missed crushes, will Woo Yeon and Lee Soo finally be able to confess love to each other?
6. Dr. Romantic (2020)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Medical, Melodrama, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Viki, Watch on MyAsianTV
Dr. Kim returns in this Korean drama sequel as one of the top surgeons at a large hospital. Now he is the chief surgeon at Doldam Hospital in the countryside.
As Dr. Kim has students coming and going under his supervision, he meets 2 people who remind him of his former students, Seo Woo Jin and Cha Eun Jae.
Though Woo Jin and Eun Jae don’t have the same level of stamina as his previous students, will Dr. Kim be able to keep his reputation of training excellent doctors?
7. One Spring Night (2019)
Quick facts: 32 episodes | Romance, Melodrama, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Netflix
Lee Jung In stumbles into Yu Ji Ho’s pharmacy drunk after realizing that she doesn’t want to take the next step to marriage in her 4-year relationship.
After her disastrous night out, Jung In realizes that she left her wallet and is unable to pay. Ji Ho steps in for her and soon they start interacting on a daily basis.
When Jung In and Ji Ho decide to become friends, they keep their friendship secret as they also navigate family pressures and societal expectations.
8. Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Business, Comedy | Watch on Netflix
Cha Eun Ho is a talented writer who also happens to be the youngest editor-in-chief at his publishing company. With his calm demeanor, Eun Ho does his work well.
Kang Dan Yi was once a popular copywriter, but life circumstances have changed that for her. Now Dan Yi is a divorced single mother and unemployed.
With no other option, Dan Yi lies about her background, desperate to get a job. She finally is able to work temporarily in Eun Ho’s building, who also happens to be her childhood friend.
9. My ID is Gangnam Beauty (2018)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Netflix
Kang Mi Rae was bullied for the way she looked. Because of this, Mi Rae became insecure and withdrawn. Deciding to get a fresh start in life, Mi Rae gets plastic surgery to transform her face.
When Mi Rae starts university, she runs into Do Kyung Suk who was in middle school with her who always judges people from the inside out.
When Mi Rae starts getting bullied again, Kyung Suk stands up for her. Mi Rae begins learning what it means to be beautiful on the inside.
10. You Drive Me Crazy (2018)
Quick facts: 4 episodes | Romance, Drama, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Viki, Watch on MyAsianTV
Kim Rae Won and Han Eun Seong have been friends for years. As they continue exploring their relationship (and accidentally sleep together one night), they struggle to find the balance in their friendship.
However, love has been growing softly. Will Rae Won and Eun Seong reach out for true love or stick to the comfort of friendship?
11. Something in the Rain (2018)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Life, Drama | Watch on Netflix
A 30-something woman Yoon Jin Ah has known heartbreak too many times to count. Jin Ah was also just recently dumped because her boyfriend thinks she’s bland and not attractive at all.
Because of her past relationships, Jin Ah has never truly known true love and believes she never will.
As she’s contemplating her love life, Seo Joon Hee pops back into her life. Joon Hee happens to be her childhood friend’s younger brother and the little kid next door.
When Jin Ah sees who Joon Hee is as a man now, can she hold on to this man and trust him with her heart?
12. Come and Hug Me (2018)
Quick facts: 32 episodes | Mystery, Romance, Drama, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Viki, Watch on MyAsianTV
Yoon Na Moo and Gil Nak Won are both young and in love with each other. However, they are forced to separate when Na Moo’s serial killer of a father kills Nak Won’s parents.
As time goes on, Na Moo has assumed a new identity as Chae Do Jin who is trying his best to atone for his father’s sins by being a detective. Nak Won has also gotten a new name, Han Jae Yi, and is hoping to follow after her mother and become a famous actress.
Now 12 years later, Do Jin and Jae Yi meet again. As their tragic past reconnects them, will Do Jin and Jae Yi reach out for love or let their past overtake them?
13. Fight for My Way (2017)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Business, Comedy, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Viki
Choi Ae Ra has the desire to become a television anchor but works a lowly job at the information desk in a department store.
Ae Ra’s longtime friend Ko Dong Man dreamed of becoming a famous taekwondo athlete, but he lost his authority and money. Now Dong Man works a mundane job that doesn’t stir his passions.
As Ae Ra and Dong Man along with their 2 friends strive to achieve their dreams despite their lack of education and certificates, will they also find true love in their friendship?
14. Wednesday 3:30 PM (2017)
Quick facts: 15 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Youth, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Viki, Watch on MyAsianTV
Seon Eun Woo was dumped by her boyfriend, but she can’t seem to get over him. Instead of moving on, Eun Woo decides that she’s going to try and win his heart back.
Eun Woo asks her long-time childhood friend Yoon Jae Won to be her fake boyfriend in order to make her ex jealous.
Eun Woo and Jae Won move together and plaster their love story all over social media.
But as time goes on, Eun Woo and Jae Won feel like their pretend feelings aren’t so fake anymore. What if there are others who are trying to break them apart?
15. Weight lifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo (2016)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Sports, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Viki, Watch on MyAsianTV
Kim Bok Joo and Jung Joon Hyung are both students at Hanwool College of Physical Education.
Bok Joo has been weightlifting all her life as her father was a former weightlifter. Even though she has a tough exterior, Bok Joo has a soft spot and longs for recognition.
Joon Hyung is Bok Joo’s best friend. He is a swimmer but was disqualified from his first-ever international event. This caused Joon Hyung to be traumatized and he struggles with starting races.
As Bok Joo and Joon Hyung navigate college life, friendship, and relationships, will they eventually find love with one another?
16. The Time We Were Not In Love (2015)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Viki, Watch on MyAsianTV
Choi Won and Oh Ha Na have been friends for 17 years. Through the years, their relationship has grown strong as they rely on each other in difficult times.
When Choi Won and Ha Na are nearing their 35 birthdays, they are closing in on their pact to be married before then.
However, neither seems happy with the other’s significant other and always has something to say about the current girlfriend or boyfriend.
When will Choi Won and Ha Na realize that they are actually in love with each other?
17. Reply 1988 (2015)
Quick facts: 20 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Life, High School Setting | Watch on Netflix, Watch on Viki, Watch on DramaCool
Although times were different in the late 1980s, life was still just as challenging as for teenagers. Living in the same Ssangmundong neighborhood in Seoul, 5 childhood friends bonded to survive their turbulent teen years.
Each of them has different struggles from being the neglected middle child to ranking last in school. As the 5 friends create mischief and memories, what will they carry with them into the future?
18. She Was Pretty (2015)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Viki, Watch on DramaCool
Kim Hye Jin was beautiful, popular, and kind-hearted during her grade school days. Hye Jin befriended Ji Sung Joon even when he was bullied for being chubby and they grew a special friendship.
However, Sung Joon moved away leaving her only a small puzzle piece to remember him by. Add to the heartbreak, Hye Jin’s family loses their fortune as her father’s printing company collapses.
Years later, Sung Joon emails Hye Jin out of the blue asking to meet up as he’ll be in Korea for a short time.
When Hye Jin meets Sung Joon, she finds that he is now handsome and fit whereas she lost her beauty when she was forced to focus on keeping her family afloat rather than her skincare routine.
Not wanting Sung Joon to see her like that, Hye Jin asks her beautiful best friend to step in for her. Things get a little hairy when Hye Jin finds out that Sung Joon is her new boss and needs to keep her identity a secret.
19. Bubblegum (2015)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Friends to Lovers | Watch on MyAsianTV
Park Ri Hwan is the director of an eastern medical hospital where he selflessly spends his days caring for his patients.
Kim Haeng Ah is a headstrong and feisty radio producer and the complete opposite of Ri Hwan, yet they have remained friends since childhood.
Will Ri Hwan and Haeng Ah still be good for each other through life’s ups and downs?
20. Let’s Eat 2 (2015)
Quick facts: 18 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Friends to Lovers | Watch on MyAsianTV
Goon Dae Yeong moves into a new building and finds that his new neighbor is actually a grade school classmate, Baek Soo Ji.
Soo Ji has been living by herself for many years so Dae Yeong thinks that she’ll have tips and tricks to help him out.
As Dae Yeong and Soo Ji navigate secret crushes, single living, and crazy neighbors, will they also find true love in the most unexpected place?
Wanderful Note: Let’s Eat has season 1 and season 3 available with English subtitles as well.
21. Missing You (2012)
Quick facts: 21 episodes | Romance, Melodrama, Friends to Lovers | Watch on Viki, Watch on MyAsianTV
Back in high school, Lee Soo Yeon was a victim of school bullying because her father was a murderer.
Not caring about her father’s history, Han Jung Woo had always come to her rescue and protected Soo Yeon from her bullies.
Unfortunately, they were separated, which caused deep heartache for Jung Woo.
Years later, Soo Yeon and Jung Woo meet again. Jung Woo is not a detective and Soo Yeon is a new fashion designer who’s trying to move past her history.
Will their love blossom this time or will there be more obstacles blocking their way?
22. Operation Proposal (2012)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Drama, Fantasy, Friends to Lovers | Watch on DramaCool, Watch on MyAsianTV
Kang Baek Ho and Ham Yi Seul met in 1st grade and have been best friends ever since. Growing up together, neither of them was brave enough to confess their feelings for the other.
Now 20 years later, Yi Seul is about to marry another man and Baek Ho is regretting his decision to not tell her how he feels. Upset and heartbroken, Baek Ho meets a time conductor who will give him a second chance to tell Ye Seul how much he loves her.
Baek Ho travels back in time through their past memories hoping to change how their relationship is in the future. However, that may be easier said than done.
23. I Need Romance 2 (2012)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Friends to Lovers | Watch on MyAsianTV, Watch on Youtube
Yoon Seok Hyun and Joo Yeol Mae have been going on and off for the past 10 years of their relationship.
Finally fed up with their relationship and want to find love elsewhere, Yeol Mae finally turns her attention somewhere else, causing Seok Hyun to burn with jealousy.
24. 9 End 2 Outs (2007)
Quick facts: 16 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Life, Friends to Lovers | Watch on MyAsianTV
Hong Nan Hee is always getting her heart broken, falling in and out of love. When she experiences her most recent and hurtful breakup, Nan Hee turns to her long-time childhood friend Byun Hyung Tae.
To stop her mom’s reprimands and nagging, Nan Hee moves in with Hyung Tae. When they live together and spend more time with each other, Nan Hee is starting to realize that she might have deeper feelings for Hyung Tae.
25. 20th Century Boy and Girl (2017)
Quick facts: 32 episodes | Romance, Comedy, Life, Friends to Lovers | Watch on MyAsianTV, Watch on DramaCool
Three friends who were part of the Bongo Clique are still good friends and keep in touch with one another. One is a gorgeous actress, another a flight attendant who has a soft spot for food, and a young lawyer who luckily lands her first job at a private firm.
As the friends deal with stress and love in their thirties, will they actually be able to grasp true love?
Friends to Lovers Kdramas
Final Thoughts: Friends to Lovers Kdramas
After browsing through friends to lovers kdramas, have you found one to put on your “to-watch” list? Or maybe a new favorite?
Check out more K-dramas to watch:
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- 39 Best Enemies to Lovers Korean Drama
- 50+ Top-Rated Medical Korean Dramas
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