It started with a lie.... but it ended with the truth? Listed below are my top ten dramas that start with Korean lead roles in some sort of fake/ contract dating/ marriage situation. I personally fall in love with these types of kdramas and find them very addicting.
(Note: The dramas below are arranged in any particular order and are not listed based on my personal rankings)
1. Full House
https://www.hancinema.net/korean_drama_Full_House.php
This classic show definitely deserves the number one spot on this list! No matter how old this show is, it will forever be evergreen! This show tells the story of Han Ji-eun, an aspiring writer who lives in a house called 'Full House,' which was build by her father. In order to gain money for their future baby, her two best friends con her into going on a vacation. During her absence, they sell her house. On vacation, Ji-eun has several meeting with the egotistical famous actor Young Jae. When she arrives back in Korea she comes to the realization that her house has been sold to Young Jae. Although she starts off to be Toung Jae's housemaid, the two end up in a contract marriage to make Young Jae's crush jealous. Things get even more complicated when the two start falling for each other.
Despite how old this show is, it still gives me the feels. The acting is really good and it has very swoon-worthy scenes of Rain. The relationship in this show is very cute and adorable. The jealous scenes are amazing! However, be warned that this show is old and predictable. The fashion items in this show are cringe-worthy. All in all, this show is a must watch contract marriage show!
2. My Lovely Sam Soon
Honestly, I am disappointed in my self for not finding out about this show sooner. Like Full House, this show is also quite old but a great watch! Sam Soon, a pastry chef, finds herself being the fake contract girlfriend of her boss, Hyun Jin-heon. The drama shows their love-hate relationship and how they slowly fall in love. However, just when they start to get close, Jin-heon's ex-girlfriend returns to Korea causing more drama. Will Sam Soon and Jin-heon get a happy ending? Or will others come in the way?
I absolutely loved this show! The female lead was a bit different than the usual. Sam Soon was shown as a 29-year old bold woman who is loud and speaks her mind. But at the same time, she is always self-conscious about her weight and old-fashioned name. Just like Full House, the show is a little old and predictable, but definitely entertaining!
3. Sweet 18
https://www.dramafever.com/drama/607/sweet-18/
I was a little skeptical about this show when I first heard about it, but it turned out to be one of the best shows yet! The storyline was simple and it was a cute love story that reminded me of Playful Kiss. The show is about bubbly and lively 18 teen year who ends up in an arranged marriage with a prosecutor ten years older than her. Will the couple get a happily ever after or will their differences come between them?
I highly recommend anyone to watch this show. Surprisingly, this show sometimes goes under the radar but trust me, it's a great watch! This does sort of remind me of Playful Kiss because the female lead is shown to be a little dumb and naive. But nevertheless, this is a great watch!
4. Fated to Love You
https://www.hancinema.net/korean_drama_Fated_to_Lo...
This Korean drama is a remake of a Taiwanese drama with the same name. Personally, I find the Taiwanese drama better. The show follows the life of a wealthy heir, Lee Gun, accidentally impregnates an ordinary working girl, Kim Mi Young. What will happen? Will they keep the baby? Will Lee Gun and Mi Young end up together or will others interfere?
I really enjoyed this show and the plot almost reminded me of a Wattpad book. This show is definitely worth a watch! I will say however, I found that the acting was better in the original Taiwanese drama.
5. Lie to Me
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/366410119665636994/
Lie to me will forever be one of my favourites! Lie to me follows the life of Gong Ah-jung, who is a government officer and Hyun Ki-joon, a rich owner of a hotel brand. In order to spite her ex-friend (who married the man Ah-jung was in love with), Ah-jung says a tiny lie that she is married. Due to many misunderstandings, people now start thinking that Ah-jung is the secret wife of the wealthy businessman Ki-Joon! What will Ah-jung do now?
I absolutely adore this drama and have probably seen it about 10 times! Not only does it have a good storyline, it also has great acting. Plus this was the drama that introduced me to Sung Joon (the actor who plays the second main lead role). You cannot not love this drama! If you have not seen this drama, I highly recommend adding it to your watchlist!
6. Something About 1%
http://dramax.ihq.co.kr/1percent/
Also known as 1% of Anything, this drama follows the life of Lee Jae-in, the son of a wealthy family who must be engaged to Kim Da-hyun, an elementary teacher, for six months in order to gain the assists of his grandfather's will. Will Jae-in and Da-Hyun be able to last six months of their fake engagement? Will they fall in love?
Something about 1% is one of the first dramas I saw when I was introduced to kdramas. I loved the cute and sweet romance in this drama. This show is definitely worth a watch at least once.
7. Goong
https://www.viki.com/tv/72c-goong
One key thing to take note of is that this drama is Gong not Gong S. Many people get mistaken amongst the two. Gong takes place in Korea where it is shown that monarchy still exists (in the drama). The show follows the life of an ordinary schoolgirl Chae-gyeong who has to marry the Crown Prince Lee Shin in order to follow her grandfather's will and to help her family's debt. Will Chae-gyeong be able to handle her arranged marriage? Will she be able to pierce through the cold-hearted Lee Shin? Or will she fall for his cousin?
This drama is good. However, I will say it does take a few episodes to get committed to the show. Definitely give it a try.
8. Marriage Not Dating
https://www.viki.com/tv/23905c-marriage-not-dating
This drama is a perfect mixture of comedy and romance. It follows the life of Joo Jang-mi, a girl who dreams of getting married and has been through many bad relationships and Gong Gi-tae, a wealthy doctor who is not at all interested in marriage. After many incidents occur Gi-take decides to bring Jang-mi to his house as his fake girlfriend to get his overbearing family members off his back about marriage. What will happen between these two? Will the man who never wants to get married fall for the girl who dreams of marriage?
This drama is just amazing! Not only are the main leads really good, but the supporting cast is great too. Plus I really loved each character in the plot line and acting is good too. Trust me the first episode is enough to have you hooked!
9. The Prime Minister and I
http://program.kbs.co.kr/2tv/drama/primeminister/pc/
I will admit I was a bit reluctant to watch this show, mainly because of its name. I had thought that this show would be deeply politics related and this made me hold back from watching this show for a while. But let me say that is totally not the case! The Prime Minister and I is actually a great romance drama about Kwon Yul, South Korea's prime minister and a single father of three and Nam Da-jung, a clumsy journalist known for covering romance scandals. When a photo of Kwon Yul and Da-Jung in an intimate position is released (it's not really that intimate, it just looks like their kissing), the pair is stuck in a contract marriage in order to avoid more misunderstandings and scandals. Will they fall in love or is a contract marriage just a contract?
Honestly, I started watching this show with very low expectations but was actually surprised by how much of a good drama this was. Trust me this show is worth a while.
10. Mary Stayed Out All Night
http://asianwiki.com/Marry_Me,_Mary!
Now, I haven't seen this drama yet and it is currently on my watchlist. From what my friends tell me, it is about a girl, Wi Mae-ri, who in order to not marry her father's friend's son, Byun Jung-in, says that she is already married to Kang Mu-gyul, a musician. And thus, there is the love triangle.
From my friends' comments and suggestions, I can tell that this drama is pretty good and worthwhile. However, I have a very very strong feeling I will fall for the second lead.
- My 10 Favorite Contract Marriage Korean Drama | 2018 - YouTube ›
- Arranged/Fake/Forced Marriage - by TPixie_12 - MyDramaList ›
- MY BEST KOREAN DRAMA SERIES - GENRE : CONTRACT ... ›
- If You Like... Contract Marriages » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps ›
- Top 25 Forced/Fake/Arranged Marriages in Korean Dramas - YouTube ›
- Top 10: Dramas with Contracted Relationships - MyDramaList ›
- 20 Recommended Korean Fake Relationship Dramas - YouTube ›
