There are no two people who have the exact same high school experience. Some have posters of their favorite boy band stuck in their locker, some are working in a convenience store to save up for college, some spend too much time studying to get perfect grades but forget to go out with their friends, while others hang out with their friends so much that their grades… well, let’s change the subject!
However, despite all these differences, one thing almost everyone experiences in high school is falling in love for the first time or at least having a crush on a super attractive person from their school. So, whether you are still in high school or have graduated already, here are eight K-drama romcoms set in high school to watch. You’ll get a toothache from the sweet, sweet teenage romance.
“Boys Over Flowers”
Based on a Japanese manga of the same name, “Boys Over Flowers” is a K-drama that needs no introduction for OG drama enthusiasts and is a great addition to the watchlist of those who have just started enjoying Korean shows.
The story of “Boys Over Flowers” revolves around an ordinary girl named Jan Di (Ku Hye Sun). She comes from a middle-class background, and her family owns a small dry-cleaning business. One day, while visiting the prestigious Shinhwa High School, she saves a student’s life when he tries to die by suicide due to constant bullying. As a token of appreciation for Jan Di’s heroic act, the school awards her with a swimming scholarship.
While she is grateful for this opportunity, things take a turn for the worse when she crosses paths with the notorious F4 boys of Shinhwa High School: Gu Jun Pyo (Lee Min Ho), the leader of F4 and heir to the Shinhwa Group; Yoon Ji Hoo (Kim Hyun Joong), the grandson of a former South Korean president; So Yi Jung (Kim Bum), whose family owns the largest art museum in South Korea; and Song Woo Bin (Kim Joon), whose family runs the country’s largest construction company. She soon discovers the true nature behind their bad-boy facades and begins to fall in love with one of the F4 boys. However, at the same time, Jun Pyo struggles to resist falling in love with her.
When looking at “Boys Over Flowers” through the lens of 2024 K-dramas, this story might seem cliché and overdone. The production value of the show also doesn’t compare to recent K-drama hits. Yet, once you start watching, you can’t help but binge-watch all 25 episodes in just a few days. It’s funny and it’s romantic but most importantly, it is extremely addictive.
Watch “Boys Over Flowers”:
“Reply 1997”
“Reply 1997” is the first installment of Shin Won Ho’s legendary, nostalgia-evoking anthology series where each season tells the story of a different group of friends set in a different time period. The first season, “Reply 1997,” revolves around Sung Shi Won (Jung Eun Ji) and her five friends: Yoon Yoon Jae (Seo In Guk), Mo Yoo Jung (Shin So Yul), Kang Joon Hee (Hoya), Do Hak Chan (Eun Ji Won), and Bang Sung Jae (Lee Si Eon), who were high school friends in 1997. 15 years later, at the age of 33, the friend group reunites and reminisces about their teenage years.
Though the drama does show the friend group in their 30s, most of the story is centered around their teenage years in ’97 when K-pop idols were gaining nationwide popularity. The 18-year-old female lead, Shi Won, was a huge fan of Tony Ahn of H.O.T. and dreamed of marrying him when she grew up. Meanwhile, her best friend, Yoo Jung, would fall in love with a new idol every other day.
“Reply 1997” is more than just a high school romcom; it’s a husband-mystery, similar to the U.S. sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” During this reunion, two of the friends announce their wedding, so it’s up to the viewer to figure out which one of the friends the female lead falls in love with. So, if you decide to watch this K-drama, avoid googling anything about it to keep the ending a surprise!
Watch “Reply 1997”:
“Be My Boyfriend”
A spin-off of the 2019 hit K-drama “Best Mistake,” “Be My Boyfriend” is a fake-dating high school romance centered around Oh Ji Na (Lee Shi Woo) and Lee Seung Min (Shin Hyun Seung). Ji Na is the most popular girl at her school — she’s talented, fashionable, and even a K-pop trainee set to debut in a “girl crush”-themed group. But to advance her career, she needs Seung Min’s help, a junior at her school who is charming and sweet but rather forgettable. His task is simple: pretend to be her boyfriend.
“Be My Boyfriend” is the perfect K-drama for fans of classic rom-com tropes who don’t mind indulging in an extremely sugary plot. This drama doesn’t pretend to address larger issues; instead, it allows the audience to enjoy what they came for — a lighthearted high school romance.
Watch “Be My Boyfriend”:
“Heirs”
From the outside, Kim Tan’s (Lee Min Ho) life looks exactly like what everyone dreams of. He is the heir to the Empire Group, a family conglomerate. However, in reality, he constantly lives in the shadow of his older brother, who even sends him off to the States to secure the business for himself. But Kim Tan’s move to the U.S. isn’t all that bad — there, he meets Cha Eun Sang (Park Shin Hye), who has come to the States in search of her sister. Their initial bickering soon turns into skipped heartbeats, and Kim Tan realizes he’s falling in love, without even knowing that she is the daughter of his family’s housekeeper in South Korea. But when Kim Tan’s fiancée finally arrives from Korea to bring him back, he is torn between pursuing his love or returning to the life he knows.
Is “Heirs” a perfect K-drama with a tight-knit plot and Oscar-worthy acting? No, it’s not. But just like “Boys Over Flowers,” every episode is laced with the same highly addictive substance, making it impossible to drop midway.
Start watching “Heirs”:
“Extraordinary You”
Eun Dan Oh (Kim Hye Yoon) is a 17-year-old high school student from a wealthy family, but she suffers from a congenital heart disease. Her life seems as normal as it can be until one day, she begins to notice gaps in her memory. While this would typically indicate memory loss, the truth is far more shocking — Dan Oh is nothing but a character in a webtoon!
After this realization hits her, she loses interest in her pre-determined life and love interest, played by Lee Jae Wook. Instead, she focuses on learning more about the world she lives in. She starts spending more time with a background character who doesn’t even have a name and is only referred to as Student Number 13 (Rowoon). Together, they go on a mission to create a life that they want, not what the writer intended, but along the way they fall in love.
“Extraordinary You” features a unique setting, using common tropes for Dan Oh and her webtoon love interest to highlight the absurdity of these clichés. However, what truly makes this K-drama remarkable is the exceptional acting of not only the main leads but also the supporting characters, as they all strive to live life on their own terms.
Start watching “Extraordinary You”:
“Pop Out Boy!”
Adapted from the comic “Comic Book Boy Girl,” “Pop Out Boy!” is an easy, breezy, and cheesy romcom with just 10 episodes that are 15-minutes long that can be binge-watched in one evening.
The story follows Han Sun Nyeo (Kim Do Yeon), a typical teenage girl whose daily routine includes going to school, hanging out with friends, and reading comics. The only thing that sets her apart from other girls is her striking resemblance to the female protagonist of an old comic. She never paid much attention to this coincidence until the male protagonist of that exact comic, Chun Nam Wook (Kim Min Kyu), suddenly pops out of the comic book pages right in front of her eyes!
While Sun Nyeo tries to figure out how he escaped from the comic and how to send him back to his world, Nam Wook has only one goal —making Sun Nyeo fall in love with him.
Watch “Pop Out Boy!”:
“True Beauty”
Based on the viral 2018 webtoon of the same name, “True Beauty” is one of those K-dramas that almost everyone has heard of.
The story revolves around Lim Ju Gyeong (Moon Ga Young), a high school student who has been bullied for years for being conventionally unattractive. When she transfers to a new school, she sees an opportunity to turn her life around and end the constant bullying. Her plan? Apply makeup to conceal her blemished skin and chapped lips. Her makeup becomes a shield that not only protects her from bullying but also boosts her confidence, leading to friendships and even romantic attention from Lee Su Ho (Cha Eun Woo), the most popular boy at school, and his close-friend-turned-rival, Han Seo Jun (Hwang In Youp). But as everything seems to be going great, the question remains: Will her secret be exposed and turn her life into a living hell?
Despite being a colorful romcom, “True Beauty” isn’t afraid to show the darker side of bullying. While it may not be an intellectual piece of media, it serves as a window into the harsh reality of being bullied for things one cannot change – their face. The only downside of “True Beauty” is that it will give you the worst case of second lead syndrome.
Start watching “True Beauty”:
“Twinkling Watermelon”
The year is 2023, and Eun Gyeol (Ryeoun) is a model student working hard to become a doctor by day and play his electric guitar in the streets, aka busking, at night. An interesting fact about him? He is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). Although Eun Gyeol believes he can keep both sides of his life separate, things change when his father discovers his nighttime routine, leading to a huge argument.
Seeking some space, Eun Gyeol goes for a walk and ends up in front of a strange music store that transports him back to 1995. There, he meets his teenage father (Choi Hyun Wook), who is in high school and has a huge crush on a beautiful cellist… but it’s not Eun Gyeol’s mother, Cheong Ah (Shin Eun Soo). Eun Gyeol’s father is trying his best to make the cellist fall in love with him, and it kind of works. But that means he will never marry Eun Gyeol’s mother, and Eun Gyeol will stop existing. So, to prevent himself from never being born, Eun Gyeol takes on the mission of making his parents fall in love and somehow ends up starting a popular high school music band with his father!
Calling “Twinkling Watermelon” just a romantic comedy is an understatement because it’s so much more than that. It feels like the last summer of your youth – hopeful and twinkling. While the story focuses primarily on love and family, this K-drama also makes a sincere effort to highlight the challenges non-hearing individuals face and the prejudices they encounter.
Start watching “Twinkling Watermelon”:
Hello Soompiers! Are there any high school K-drama romcoms that you would like to add to this list? Post it in the comments section below!
Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of cliches are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres but believes no one can top the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.
Currently watching: “I Hear the Sunspot,” “Our Beloved Summer,” and “Love Next Door”
Looking forward to: “Squid Game Season 2,” “Good Boy,” and “Dear Haeri.”