Spending 8 hours at your office desk becomes so much easier when the love of your life sits a few feet away. The little breaks together, the eye contact, looking up from your desk only to find them already staring? SWOON! And while not everyone is as lucky, it’s never too late to start binging on an office romance.
K-Dramas have a formula for hooking in viewers; and workplace romance in a K-Drama? Chef’s kiss! While you might think workplace romances are doomed to fail with strict HR policies restricting them, it’s hard to restrain yourself when you catch the eye of a dashing CEO in the K-Dramaland.
Updated on May 26, 2023, by Daniela Gama:
With so many great K-Dramas out there and recent releases like Paper Moon and My Perfect Stranger – which also feature a good dose of romance – it can be somewhat difficult to figure out what to watch next. Luckily for fans of both the dreamy South Korean media and the office romance subgenre, there are tons of incredible rom-coms to choose from.
13 ‘Jugglers’ (2017-2018)
In the enthralling 2017 K-Drama Jugglers, viewers follow the story of a loyal and devoted office secretary (Jin-hee Baek) who must juggle multiple jobs at once for her austere and stoic boss (Daniel Choi). While she is his assistant at work, their roles start to shift slightly when he moves into her home as a new tenant.
While Jugglers may not be considered a masterpiece, this drama surely provides audiences with a great time in front of the screen, providing viewers with a memorable office love story that is guaranteed to linger in their minds for a while.
12 ‘Forecasting Love and Weather’ (2022)
As the name suggests, Forecasting Love and Weather, which joined Netflix’s selection of K-Dramas in 2022, is a cheerful and light-hearted drama that depicts the beginning of a magnetic dynamic between two staff members (Park Min-young and Song Kang) at the Korea Meteorological Administration. The series juggles between the leads’ work and romantic life, making for a compelling watch.
Between using changing weather as metaphors for love and featuring a very entertaining narrative, the K-drama is very well-written and undoubtedly a must-see when it comes to Korean workplace love stories.
11 ‘My Secret Romance’ (2017)
When Lee Yoo Mi (Song Ji Eun) spends a night with Cha Jin Wook (Sung Hoon) at one of her mother’s many weddings, she doesn’t plan on seeing him again. Since she’s never had a boyfriend, she doesn’t know the procedure of a one-night stand and decides to flee the following morning. Years later, she lands a job as Jin Wook’s nutritionist, but he’s no longer the same rich boy. Even after changing his ways and taking over his father’s company, Jin Wook never really forgot Yoo Mi.
My Secret Romance is an intriguing office romance that showcases the characters’ struggle through awkwardness and that soon gives way to true love. It’s also among the cheesiest K-Dramas, but we love it for it.
10 ‘My Shy Boss’ (2017)
Eun Hwan Ki (Yeon Woo Jin) is the exact opposite of what you’d expect the CEO of a public relations firm to be. His social anxiety often makes him appear cold and rude, and his employees know very little of him. When the company hires Chae Ro Woon (Park Hye Soo), a cheery extrovert who wants to uncover his identity, to work with him, his worst nightmares come true.
With a strong female lead and a beautiful revenge plot, My Shy Boss is a must-watch for fans of workplace romances, and stands among the best in the genre.
9 ‘She Would Never Know’ (2021)
Based on the popular 2017 Web Novel of the same name, She Would Never Know tells the love story between two people working on the same marketing team of a cosmetics brand (Won Jin-ah and Rowoon). It also features some interesting substories, though the office romance is surely the most poignant.
The 2021 series, considered a hidden gem on Netflix by some, supplies viewers with an entrancing narrative that is assured to make them swoon every now and again, taking fans of the genre on a fascinating romantic journey, counting on a fair share of thrilling moments.
8 ‘Touch Your Heart’ (2019)
When a scandal destroys her career, a once top actress, Oh Yoon Seo (Yoo In Na), gets a chance to salvage her reputation by grabbing a lead role in a drama. But the position requires her to train under a lawyer. So when her agent sets her up for a job under the supervision of Kwon Jung Rok (Lee Dong Wook), the boat seems to be rocky enough to tumble over. But, as time passes, their animosity gives way to friendship and maybe, a whirlwind romance.
Based on the web novel “Reach of Sincerity” by Jäger, Touch Your Heart is a beautiful K-Drama romantic comedy that will definitely touch your heart.
7 ‘Her Private Life’ (2019)
Sun Deok Mi (Park Min Young) is a talented and highly regarded art curator with a secret that can’t get out. She’s a K-pop-obsessed fangirl, and it could potentially ruin her career at the museum. Things start to shift when Ryan Gold (Kim Jae Wook), an acclaimed but retired artist, becomes the museum’s new boss. A rumor spreads, and Deok Mi and Ryan must pretend to date to stop scrutiny towards the latter’s favorite idol and new museum client.
While watching Park Min Young pencil skirts for an envy-inducing array of pantsuits is reason enough to binge office rom-com Her Private Life, the arrival of Kim Jae Wook as her stone-cold boss is the cherry on top. No doubt, the 2019 drama is one of the best romances streaming right now.
6 ‘She Was Pretty’ (2015)
As children, bold and beautiful Kim Hye Jin (Hwang Jung Eum) used to rescue her best friend and first love Ji Sung Joon (Park Seo Joon) from awkward situations. Now, years later, the tables have turned. Hye Jin isn’t as pretty as she used to be, not even close, and Sung Joon is no longer an ugly lad but a handsome, rich boy. So when he asks her to meet him, Hye Jin panics and sends her attractive roommate to meet him instead. What she doesn’t know is that soon enough, Sung Joon is going to be her boss.
If you’re on the hunt for great office romances, She Was Pretty is definitely a perfect binge for whenever you need a confidence boost and a charming love story to keep you going.
5 ‘Romance is a Bonus Book’ (2019)
Cha Eun Ho (Lee Jong Suk) has a successful career as editor-in-chief at his publishing company. However, he has a secret: he’s been harboring an unrequited crush on Kang Dan Yi (Lee Na Young), his childhood best friend, for decades. So when Dan Yi, now a divorced single mother, asks for help finding a job, there’s no way he can say no to her. But seeing her daily makes it harder for him to keep his feelings at bay.
Childhood crush, impending feelings, and a workplace situation – it’s an epic love story waiting to happen, and truly a recommendable one for everyone who particularly loves the office romance trope.
4 ‘Suspicious Partner’ (2017)
Adding a dash of action to a beautiful office romance, Suspicious Partner tells the story of Noh Ji Wook (Ji Chang Wook), a prosecutor, and Eun Bong Hee (Nam Ji Hyun), a prosecutor trainee. As they work together on a mysterious case involving a sly psychopath murderer, they discover how their pasts are heavily entrenched with one another. Soon after they give in to their feelings, Bong Hee finds herself a murder suspect.
With a strong storyline, the plot features beautiful friendships and an incredible case of teamwork, which is to be expected from a K-Drama of the genre.
3 ‘What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim’ (2018)
Kim Mi So (Park Min Young) has played a right hand, AKA secretary to Lee Young Joon (Park Seo Joon), for over nine years. So when she submits her resignation, Young-Joon is shell-shocked. In a quest to find out the reason for her sudden actions, he leads them to build feelings for each other. But when memories from their childhoods strike, will they be able to hold on to each other through the storm?
A compelling love story of a chaebol and a girl he has loved for years, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim is a fantastic workplace romance every K-Drama fan should watch; in fact, some even believe it deserves a Hollywood adaptation.
2 ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’ (2017)
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is the story of an extraordinary woman, Do Bong Soon (Park Bo Young). She possesses a superpower and an ambition. Do Bong Soon is no ordinary Joel. In fact, she’s physically stronger than a hundred of them. But she secretly wishes to be a game designer. Enters Ahn Min Hyuk (Park Hyung Sik), an ambitious, rich lad, and a supernatural office romance is born.
The couple shares an adorable bond and is honest with each other from the start. They learn to respect each other, and when Bong Soon accompanies Min Hyuk from work to home, it gives them a lot of time together and sets the stage for many adorable antics. Assuredly, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is a perfect pick for rom-com enjoyers.
1 ‘Business Proposal’ (2022)
When Shin Ha Ri (Kim Se Jeong) agreed to go on a blind date set up for her best friend, Jin Young Seo (Seol In-ah), by her father, she didn’t know what she had signed up for. But seeing Kang Tae Moo (Ahn Hyo Seop), the handsome CEO of Go Food, the company she works at, was not what she wanted to do. He doesn’t know she’s his employee yet, but when he decides to pursue her further, all bets are off.
Brimming with hilarious anecdotes, Business Proposal is based on a webtoon of the same name. It’s also a fan-favorite series that will keep any viewer intrigued throughout its entirety, all thanks to the cutesy and compelling romance it features, as well as the perfect blend of mistaken identity and dating.
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