Shin Hye-sun pouting as Kim So-yong in Mr. Queen.
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Shealyn Scott
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Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television. A creative writer, journalist, and lover of the written word in all its forms, Shealyn enjoys deconstructing scenes from her favorite shows, using context clues and historical precedent to predict major plot points (which, due to her successful track record, has sparked rumors of clairvoyancy). As an award-winning student journalist, Shealyn spent her college years advocating for the humanities while studying English Literature. Her love of storytelling propelled her to expand her degree with minors in Writing and History, believing life to be a mere collection of stories that can be framed in as many ways as a movie scene. As a Senior member of the TV Team, Shealyn treats the series she covers like books, analyzing every line, camera angle, and lighting choice. Thankfully, her personal mission statement lines up perfectly with Screen Rant: every creative work deserves just as much thought from the viewer as it received from its creator.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapK-dramas have a long history of using hidden identities as a plot device, but the cliché trope can be incredibly effective. Whether they add much-needed complexity to a simple K-drama love triangle or give the main character depth via a dark past to run from, secret identities can be invaluable sources of intrigue and conflict.
Plus, the prospect of living a double life gives talented performers the chance to show off their masterful K-drama acting, with some even portraying multiple characters in the same story. Regardless of the sub-genre, a main character harboring secrets regarding their identity is a classic storytelling technique that typically makes the K-drama even more compelling.
Romance Is A Bonus Book
2019
Cha Eun-ho (Lee Jong-suk) and Kang Dan-i (Lee Na-young) drinking coffee in Romance is a Bonus Book.
Romance is a Bonus Book is a classic friends-to-lovers K-drama following Kang Dan-i’s (Lee Na-young) return to work after an unexpected divorce. Sadly, her experience as a mother is seen as a gap in her resume, meaning nobody will hire her until Dan-i lies and says she has no degree, making her eligible for a book company’s special hiring initiative.
The trouble comes when her childhood friend, Cha Eun-ho (Lee Jong-suk), uncovers Dan-i’s scheme and has to help her hide her true past. Though Dan-i is incredibly overqualified, she takes pride in her work as she learns about the publishing industry and realizes her new— albeit precarious— dream.
Start-Up
2020
A woman reading a piece of paper as a man looks at her in the Start-Up K-drama
From the K-drama’s first episode, it was clear Seo Dal-mi’s (Bae Suzy) relationship with “Nam Do-san” would be complicated. Throughout her adolescence, Dal-mi exchanged letters with a pen pal named Nam Do-San (a nom de plume used by Kim Seon-ho’s Han Ji-pyeong), leading him to be her first love.
As Dal-mi navigates the complex world of Start-Up’s tech industry, she meets the real Nam Do-san (Nam Joo-hyuk), a tech genius who helps with her entrepreneurial goals. Nam Do-san grapples with the dilemma of whether to tell Dal-mi the truth regarding his identity, especially given that the revelation could ruin their burgeoning romance.
Kill It
2019
Kim Soo-hyun (Jang Ki-yong) and Do Hyun-jin (Nana) in Kill It.
There are many K-dramas about serial killers, but Kill It takes a unique approach with its crime-solving duo. Kim Soo-hyun (Jang Ki-yong) seems like a typical veterinarian, but he secretly works as a world-class assassin after his adoptive father’s health begins to decline.
Similarly, Do Hyun-jin (Nana) is a seemingly cold, unaffected detective who hides her heart of gold to protect herself. After another killer brings Hyun-jin straight to Soo-hyun, the hit man has to help the investigator unravel a vast conspiracy.
Extracurricular
2020
Kim Dong-hee looking sad as Oh Ji-soo in Extracirricular.
With its instantly captivating premise and short run time, Extracurricular is an underrated yet bingeable K-drama that deserves more hype. At the center of the action is Oh Ji-soo (Kim Dong-hee), an average teenager trying to pay his way through school.
Rather than take up a job at a convenience store, however, Oh Ji-soo enters the dangerous world of sex work as a protector for young girls. Between a blackmail plot and a classmate who’s unknowingly a coworker, Oh Ji-soo has to balance all the typical troubles of high school with his secret nightlife.
Touch Your Heart
2019
Kwon Jung-rok (Lee Dong-wook) holding the hood of Oh Jin-shim's (You In-na) sweatshirt in Touch Your Heart.
When it comes to legal K-dramas, there tend to be dramatic and sometimes overwrought plots involving the cases they take to court. In Touch Your Heart, however, the main storyline is decidedly upbeat and more comedic. Yoo In-na’s Oh Jin-shim (who acts under the stage name Oh Yoon-seo) needs experience as a secretary for an upcoming role.
Oh Jin-shim’s plan takes a turn when she ends up working for Kwon Jung-rok (Lee Dong-wook), a serious lawyer who would fire her instantly if he knew what she was up to. Thus, the faux secretary has to manage her long-term goal of returning to stardom with the responsibilities of an everyday office job.
I’m Not A Robot
2017
Kim Min-kyu (Yoo Seung-ho) wearing a sweater that says "love" while looking at Aji 3/Jo Ji-ah (Chae Soo-bin).
I’m Not a Robot is a fairly dystopian love story, as Kim Min-kyu (Yoo Seung-ho) originally falls in love with his artificial intelligence robot, Aji 3 (based on the likeness of Chae Soo-bin’s Jo Ji-ah). After Aji 3 breaks down, Jo Ji-ah has to stand in her place and pretend to be a mere machine.
As she quickly learns, however, Kim Min-kyu is a complex K-drama male lead who, despite appearances, craves human connection and physical touch. Nevertheless, Ji-ah's rapidly growing affinity for the boss gets in the way of her core mission to not give away her humanity.
Miss Night And Day
2024
Lee Jung-eun and Jung Eun-ji wearing identical coats, head scarves, and sunglasses in Miss Night and Day.
When it comes to living a double life, no K-drama takes the concept as literally as Miss Night and Day. The main character, Lee Mi-jin, is split into two identities every day— a 48-year-old version of herself (Lee Jung-eun) and a 28-year-old version of herself (Jung Eun-ji).
Lee Mi-jin has to try and swindle everyone while keeping her lives separate. During the day, she’s a young woman seeking a job, but at night she turns into an unassuming older woman. In the midst of the chaos, prosecutor Gye Ji-woong (Choi Jin-hyuk) crosses paths with both versions of Mi-jin, which quickly arouses suspicion.
Her Private Life
2019
Ryan Gold and Sung Duk-mi in Her Private Life.
Her Private Life has one of the most iconic K-drama couples of all time — Sung Deok-mi (Park Min-young) and Ryan Gold (Kim Jae-wook)— but their love story was far from straightforward. Deok-mi was a sophisticated museum curator by day, but she spent her free time running a popular fan page for a young K-pop idol.
Sung Deok-mi treated her fangirling like a second life, taking drastic measures to ensure no one in her personal life could connect the dots and figure out that The Road to Si-an was her all along. Of course, Ryan quickly realized the truth and loved both sides of her.
Flower Of Evil
2020
Lee Joon-gi as Baek Hee-sung and Moon Chae-won as Cha Ji-won in Flower of Evil.
Flower of Evil takes a loving family and tears it apart with one murder investigation. Detective Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won) was happily married to Baek Hee-sung (Lee Joon-gi), but everything falls apart when her work begins to interfere with her personal life— or vice versa.
In spite of the many years they spent together, Baek Hee-sung harbored a dangerous secret and kept his true identity hidden from his wife. Cha Ji-won’s husband — who eventually reveals himself to be a man named Do Hyun-soo — wasn’t the killer she expected, but Flower of Evil nonetheless had an unforgettable K-drama villain.
The Beauty Inside
2018
Han Se-gye (Seo Hyun-jin) and Seo Do-jae (Lee Min-ki) in The Beauty Inside.
The Beauty Inside is an uplifting rom-com K-drama with a ridiculous premise: every month, beautiful actress Han Se-gye (Seo Hyun-jin) transforms into someone else, potentially changing her age, race, gender, etc. for an entire week. Se-gye's secret condition causes her to hide out from society at random intervals.
Her reclusive nature changes after becoming intertwined with Seo Do-jae (Lee Min-ki), an executive with prosopagnosia, which means he can’t recognize people’s faces. Both main characters initially view their respective situations as curses, but they make a true perfect match because of their eccentricities.
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