4 K-Dramas Recs For The Reader

Hello Everyone! As you know, I’m a big fan of Korean dramas and reading books. I wanted to try something to new from the typical recommendation posts I have on the blog. Today I’ll be recommending K-Dramas that have bookish themes and will appeal to readers alike.

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Romance Is a Bonus Book

Cha Eun Ho is a successful and handsome writer who is also the youngest chief editor at a publishing company. He has a calm demeanor and remains reasonable at work. He then becomes involved in the life of his childhood friend, Kang Dan Yi who was once a popular copywriter. She is now divorced, a single mother, unemployed and struggling in life though still attempts to find a job, but even with her once good career, she cannot. However, in a desperate attempt to find a job, she lies about her background and begins to work as a temporary worker in the same building under none other than Cha Eun Ho. As they become involved in each other’s life more than often, a love story begins to unfold.

This drama has book in the title! So there’s no doubt that readers will want to add this show to their watchlist. Though I’m still in the middle of watching this show I still wanted to recommend it. The show uses books to paint the story of a woman (Dan Yi) who didn’t give up and tries still to survive. The drama is sweet and “cozy”, but also has its moments of realism as Dan Yi’s life has turned upside down after her divorce. The friendship dynamics were top notch and the subtle romance was fitting for this drama. It’s more a slow-burn show as well. The office sub-plot is particularly interesting as viewers get to see the inner workings of a small publishing company. 

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Monthly Magazine Home

Na Young Won is a successful senior editor at the hit monthly magazine Monthly House. Although her glittering journalistic career spans a decade, her home situation is not quite as idyllic as those she spends her time reporting on. In fact, she lives alone in a rented house and happily makes adjustments as she sees fit. But when the magazine’s CEO Yoo Ja Sung buys the house and becomes her fussy new landlord, she is in for a shock.

Yoo Ja Sung proves to be a very difficult landlord to keep happy. He grew up in poverty, initially working in the construction industry, but determined to make his fortune through real estate investment. For him, buying the house Na Young Won lives in is little more than another financial transaction. But as the duo starts to get to know one another, their attitudes toward the real estate market – and one another – start to change. Suddenly, Na Young Won starts to ask herself if she would be better off buying her own house…or beginning on an unlikely romance with her firm’s CEO!

This drama is great for those who also enjoyed Because This is My First Life (which I recommend in this list). The premise of the show may feel mundane at first glance but the writing gave an interesting spin on the usual drama formulaic structure. There good mix of comedy, romance and friendship and it also throws in some life lessons that are relatable. It shies away from the over the top comedic actions for quieter moments and it shows the work that goes into putting a magazine together (giving it a bookish spin). It’s got some life lessons that viewers can take away from the show and it also inspires you to chase your passions in life!

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Bo Ra! Deborah

The series follows the romantic journey of Yeon Bo Ra, a celebrated love coach and successful author of romance novels, and Lee Soo Hyuk, a charming man who grapples with matters of the heart. As a discerning publishing planner, Soo Hyuk is not easily impressed and initially has a negative impression of Bo Ra. However, their lives become entangled unexpectedly, and he becomes increasingly drawn to her. Meanwhile, Han Sang Jin, Soo Hyuk’s friend and business associate, heads the Jinri book publishing company.

This novel has a bookish tie-in as the main character Bo Ra, tries to cope with heartbreak while working on a new novel about winning over your ex. We see multiple scenes within the publishing company along with Bo Ra’s social experiments that she uses to write material for her newest book. The characters stay true to themselves which I really appreciated. The show has a message that resonates with its viewers about living each day as if there’s no tomorrow while planning a forever. Bo Ra has her own journey of self-realization while writing that whole book which is done so well (props to the drama writing team). It’s a great show about break-up, moving-on, and healing.

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Because This Is My Life

Socially awkward IT employee Nam Se-hee and broke homeless writer Yoon Ji-ho agree to a marriage of convenience by signing a contract of two years, wherein they agree to the terms and conditions of only being landlord and tenant, sharing their home based on common goals and values. Things do not go as planned when the housemates’ pact of platonic cohabitation is interfered with by their personal trauma, social expectations, and familial interventions. The series also follows the lives of the friends of Se-hee and Ji-ho and their different perspectives on love and marriage.

I was absolutely blown away by this drama. The writing is very good, and I feel that this show is severely underrated. The main character Ji-ho is an assistant screenwriter and struggles to find her place in a field that she has been undervalued. She struggles through writer’s block and wonders if this is a career she wants to pursue throughout the course of the show. It follows the “marriage contract” trope, but the show is so much more than that. It talks about relationships (platonic/romantic), careers, issues in the workplace, gender equality, and growing up. It’s very realistic but is also full of many heart-warming and comedic moments. The show also features passages from Korean Literature and poems during various episodes and we see how these quotes tie into the characters lives. Ji-ho is also a main character that looks to books for comfort and advice.

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What other bookish K-Dramas do you recommend watching? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.