There is a claim that there are no new ideas in the world because for every idea, there has been a prior implementation. While I am not trying to argue the authenticity or inaccuracy of this claim, what I am trying to say here might just serve as evidence that this claim might be true.

Apparently, we all have tons of K-dramas with different themes and genres on our watch-list, but have you ever come across a drama and you are like, "I have seen something like this before"?

If yes, we are going to talk about K-Dramas that might have made you feel like that. Here are K-dramas with similar storylines, or if you’ve only watched one and loved it, then you should watch the other.

Perfect Marriage Revenge and Marry My Husband

Perfect Marriage Revenge aired in 2023, while Marry My Husband aired in 2024. The two stories use time travel/second chance at life narration. They are both interesting series with similar storylines but unique in their own ways. The latter airs for 16 episodes, while the former airs for 12 episodes. Whichever one you watched first, the second one deserves your time too.

Hotel Del Luna and Mystic Pop-Up Bar

Hotel Del Luna and Mystic Pop Up Bar are both supernatural series that deal with ghosts and the afterlife. Both series tell the story of people who have to work at a ghost lodging hotel and a mysterious outdoor drinking establishment, respectively, to atone for the sins of their past lives (mainly). Hotel Del Luna was released in 2019 for 16 episodes, while Mystic Pop-up Bar was released in the year 2020 for 12 episodes. If you’ve not watched either or watched just one, you should see the second.

Twinkling Watermelon and Lovely Runner

Twinkling Watermelon and Lovely Runner are both a worthy watch (If you’ve seen either, you can relate, right?). The two dramas are time-slip dramas where each time traveler in the series hopes to change the events of the past. One unique thing pertaining to both series is that there is no getting confused with the time slip. The former aired in 2023, and the latter aired in 2024 for 16 episodes each.

What's Wrong With Secretary Kim and King the Land

The first thing these series have in common is that they are both office romances (my favorite of all romance K-Drama themes, I must say), and none of the series disappointed us to the end. What's Wrong With Secretary Kim is a 16-episode series that tells the story of a secretary who turns in her resignation letter and ends up being romantically engulfed with her boss, and it premiered in 2018 while King the Land aired in 2023 for 16 episodes and told the story of an ever smiling employee who accidentally ran into her boss. It’s impossible not to love either of these series.

Guardian the Lonely and Great god and Doom at Your Service

Goblin and Doom at your service are two series that use supernatural beings and romantic love stories simultaneously. Also, I will say the storyline (Both ML needing the FL to actualize a long-term goal) and the ending (Both ML disappearing to appear again) are just too similar. Goblin, a 2016 and 16-episode series, narrates the story of a decorated military general from the Goryeo Dynasty who is framed as a traitor and killed by the young king. Years after his death, he is cursed by the Almighty to stay immortal forever, enduring the pain of seeing his loved ones die as a punishment for the soldiers he killed to protect his country, and he needs his bride to put an end to his eternal life of torment. Doom at Your Service, a 2021 and 16-episode series, is the story of an editor for a web novel company. Myul-Mang (Seo In-Guk) suddenly appears in her ordinary life. She makes a 100-day contract with Myul-Mang, risking her life and her love. Myul-Mang is the existence of a middle manager between God and humans.

Hometown Chachacha and Welcome to Samdal-ri

Last on this list are these two series with their settings in the countryside and a moderate romance story different from the whole ‘Seoul,’ ‘Chaebol,’ and other commonly used K-Drama tropes. Hometown Chachacha aired in 2021 for 16 episodes. It is the story of a big-city dentist who opens up a practice in a close-knit seaside village, home to a charming man who is a jack-of-all-trades and is her polar opposite in every way. They keep coming across each other, and things spark off between them. However, Welcome to Samdalri aired in 2023 for 16 episodes as well. It's set on Jeju Island. The story revolves around two childhood friends. A man who, after losing his mother to a mistaken weather report, becomes a weather forecaster to protect the elders of his hometown and a female photographer who returns to her hometown after her life falls apart in the city.  

These series are all amazing in their own ways; I mean, there’s no way you will love one and you will not love the other, no matter the order in which you watch them. I bet you’re going to fall in love with the second one.

Which of these series is not yet on your watch list? Let me know in the comments so I can convince you further and tell you more about what you are missing.