My Demon is a Korean drama revolving around a contract marriage between an heiress, Do Do-hee, and a demon that has lost his powers, Jeong Gu-won. After a suspicious death, the supernatural romantic comedy turns into a murder mystery. All the while, there are other supernatural goings-on, as even God might be hiding inside the cast. For fans of the series, there are other K-dramas filled with supernatural love stories.
My Demon
- Release Date
- November 24, 2023
- Cast
- Kim Yoo-jung , Song Kang-ho , Kim Hae-sook , Lee Sang-yi
- Studio
- Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), Netflix
Some are romantic comedies, while others are a bit more dramatic. Many series draw on figures from Korean mythology, from goblins to gumihos. That said, some draw on other supernatural beings, like ghosts, angels, and even aliens. Some don’t necessarily feature supernatural beings, but have characters find love within stories of time-travelling and portals to other worlds. Despite all the otherworldly happenings threatening a couple, viewers still watch to see if they get a happy ending. Some shows have even been popular enough to get remakes and spin-offs.
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15 My Love from the Star (2013)
My Love from the Star revolves around Do Min-joon, an alien who got stranded on Earth during the Joseon Dynasty, having missed the ship back home thanks to saving a girl from falling off a cliff. Min-joon doesn’t age, meaning he’s been stuck on Earth for centuries, causing him to adopt a new identity each decade. Four centuries later, he’s currently working as a college professor. Meanwhile, Cheon Song-yi is a former child star, already caught up in a love triangle between two childhood friends.
An Alien & an Actress Fall in Love
When Min-joon and Song-yi become neighbors, the alien soon finds himself using his powers, and skills he’s learned over the centuries, to help the actress, who notably resembles the girl Min-joon once saved. The two gradually start to fall in love, but Min-joon’s time on Earth is about to come to an end, with a ship expected to arrive in the upcoming months.
Notably, the series was so popular it inspired a few foreign remakes over the years, including ones from the Philippines, Thailand, and Japan. The series was popular in China and was even edited into a theatrical film. However, due to censorship laws, the series’ ending was edited so that the supernatural elements were just parts of a novel Min-joon was writing for Song-yi.
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14 The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
The Legend of the Blue Sea is a series based on a Korean legend of a fisherman who captures and frees a mermaid. In the Joseon era, a mermaid, later dubbed Se-hwa, falls in love with Dam-ryeong after saving him as a child. Being too young to transform into a human herself, she erases his memories. After suffering a tragic fate, the two are reincarnated into the modern age, where the mermaid, now to be named Shim Cheong, falls in love with her lost love, now a con artist named Joon-jae, and follows him to Seoul.
A Mermaid’s Second Chance at Love
Dam-ryeong is warned of what is to come in a dream and constructs a time capsule in the hopes of preventing the ill omen. Upon learning their predestined fates, Joon-jae hopes to keep history from repeating itself. Meanwhile, Joon-jae’s stepmother hopes to kill him and obtain his family’s fortune.
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13 Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017)
Strong Girl Bong-soon revolves around the titular young woman, Do Bong-soon, who was born with superhuman strength, a gift inherited by women in her family. Bong-soon has many dreams, from creating a video game with herself as the heroine to becoming a fine lady in order to impress her crush, the police officer In Guk-doo. Thanks to her strength, she is able to get a job as a bodyguard to the wealthy Ahn Min-hyuk, who runs a video game company. With Min-hyuk’s help, she manages to control her power, putting it to good use.
Love is the Real Strength
However, despite complications, Min-hyuk and Bong-soon find themselves falling for each other. Meanwhile, Bong-soon’s powers might come in handy when a kidnapper targeting women is on the loose. The series later inspired a spin-off, Strong Girl Nam Soon, which revolved around Gang Nam-soon, a distant cousin of Bong-soon’s, who also possesses superhuman strength. Having been lost and raised in Mongolia, she returns to South Korea to find her birth family.
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12 The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
The King: Eternal Monarch is a series that takes place in two parallel worlds. Emperor Lee Gon rules the Kingdom of Corea. One day, he encounters an alternate reality through a supernatural door, with the Republic of Korea serving as his Kingdom’s counterpart. He encounters a detective, Jeong Tae-eul, who he recognizes from an identity card found at the time of his father’s death. Meanwhile, Lee Gon’s uncle, Lee Lim, is plotting to use the two worlds to build up an army.
Romance Blooms Down the Rabbit Hole
Lee Gon believes Jeong Tae-eul saved his life as a child. However, as the story goes on, the person who saved Lee Gon might be closer than he realizes. Most of the characters have counterparts in both worlds, with the notable exceptions being Lee Gon and Lee Lim, though the reason for this eventually comes to light.
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11 Oh My Ghost (2015)
In Oh My Ghost, also known as Oh My Ghostess, Na Bong-sun is a shy woman who doesn’t really have any close friends and is often getting in trouble at work. She also has a secret power: she’s able to see ghosts. One day, however, Bong-sun’s body is taken over by a ghost, Shin Soon-ae, who died without falling in love and thinks finding it will help her move on.
Romance and a Murder Mystery All in One
Meanwhile, Bong-sun has a crush on her boss, the haughty star chef, Kang Sun-woo, who has grown out of love with love after being rejected by a friend from college. However, he soon takes an interest in the brand new Bong-sun. All the while, the truth about Soon-ae’s death proves to be an ongoing mystery. The series also notably received a Thai remake, in which a chef named Jiew is possessed by a ghost looking for love.
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10 Lovers of the Red Sky (2021)
Lovers of the Red Sky is a series based on the Jung Eun-gwol novel of the same name. Taking place in a world filled with spirits and gods, the story revolves around a female painter, Hong Cheon-gi, and a blind astrologer, Ha Ram. Both of their fathers have incurred the wrath of Ma Wang, the Demon King, who has placed a curse on them and their children. Cheon-gi was also born blind thanks to the curse, but was healed by the goddess Samshin, around the time Ha Ram loses his sight.
A Battle of Good, Evil, and True Love
Hong Cheon-gi and Ha Ram initially meet as children and fall in love with each other when they reunite years later. However, they eventually get caught up in the schemes of the royal court. Their love story is further complicated by Ha Ram being possessed by the Demon, while Hong Cheon-gi having the divine destiny to seal the Demon away.
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9 Mr. Queen (2020)
Mr. Queen is a series inspired by the Chinese web series Go Princess Go, making use of historical figures. A chef from the modern era, womanizer Jang Bong-hwan, travels back in time into the body of Queen Cheorin in the Joseon period. Meanwhile, King Cheoljong may be kind and friendly, but he is only a figurehead, with his adoptive mother, Queen Sunwon really being the one in charge.
Love and Good Food Can Transcend Time
Bong-hwan tries to win the Queen’s favor through her cooking skills, all the while hoping to get back to modern-day Korea. All the while, Cheoljong grows out of being a puppet king and proves there is more to him than meets the eye. However, Bong-hwan may one day return to the future. Compared to the more comedic Chinese series, Mr. Queen is a dramedy that takes the political and philosophical elements seriously. The series also gained a spin-off, Mr. Queen: The Secret, also known as Mr. Queen: Bamboo Forest, which further explored Cheorin and Cheoljong.
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8 Queen and I (2012)
Queen In-Hyun’s Man, also known as Queen and I, is a love story across time. Kim Bung-do is a scholar from the Joseon Dynasty who is the only surviving member of his family. Choi Hee-jin is a struggling actress from modern Seoul who dreams of making her big break. Her wish is set to come true when she is cast in a drama as Queen In-hyun, who Kim Bung-do supported in his time. A magic talisman brings the scholar to the future, where he meets and falls in love with Choi Hee-jin.
Changing History Isn’t Going to be Easy
However, Bung-do’s mission in the past is not finished, and it is risky changing history. The story seems like its reached its resolution by its 14th episode, only for there to be two more episodes remaining. In the end, it’s left to be seen if love can be more powerful than a talisman. The series also inspired a Chinese remake, Love Weaves Through a Millennium.
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7 Angel’s Last Mission: Love (2019)
Angel’s Last Mission: Love revolves around Lee Yeon-seo, a talented ballerina who gets blinded in an accident, making her bitter towards the world. Soon, she no longer believes in love. An angel, Dan, comes into her life. Often getting in trouble, Dan has to earn his way back to Heaven by helping Yeon-seo find her true love. However, while doing so, Dan soon falls for her himself.
A Guardian Angel Plays Cupid
Meanwhile, another fallen angel is around, Ji Kang-woo, who takes an interest in Yeon-seo as she resembles his dead lover. Adding to the drama, Yeon-seo’s aunt and cousin are scheming against her. At its heart, this is a story about a woman who has hardened her heart to the world who learns to love again.
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6 Meow, the Secret Boy (2020)
Welcome, also known as Meow, the Secret Boy, is a series based off a webtoon that starts with artist Sol Ah, who has a love-hate relationship with cats. One day, she brings home a cat, Hong Jo, with a secret. He can transform into a human and strives to stay near her. Little by little, Hong Jo tries to help Sol Ah whenever he can, all the while helping to make her life happier. Meanwhile, Sol Ah falls in love with Hong Jo without realizing his identity.
Life Is Full of Cats and Dogs
An interesting running theme throughout the series is that many of the characters are divided into two types: those with cat-like personalities and those with dog-like personalities. Another common theme is that, while humans don’t often show it, all have emotions and a need for love deep down.
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5 Alchemy of Souls (2022)
Alchemy of Souls is a series revolving around mages, divided into two parts, with the second half known as Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow. Starting off in a fantasy country, Daeho, where a spell called the “alchemy of souls” allows souls to switch bodies. Nak-su is a warrior who switches bodies with the blind Mu-deok, after faking her own death. She soon encounters Jang Uk, a noble who wants to become a mage. They make a deal: she will teach him magic while he will help her regain her powers.
A Twist on Servant and Master Love Stories
This isn’t a typical love story between a master and servant, as Nak-su/Mu-deok and Jang Uk each feature as each other master and servant on their own ends. Complicating things, the original Mu-deok isn’t gone, as her soul still remains alongside Nak-su’s, and her true identity will soon come to light.
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4 Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020)
Tale of the Nine Tailed revolved around Lee Yeon, a nine-tailed fox who is over 1,600 years old. Once a mountain guardian, he gave up his position after the death of a human he loved. He now works as a supernatural bounty hunter in Seoul. All the while, he waits for the love of his life to be reborn. However, he soon meets television producer, Nam Ji-ah, who wants to find her parents. Interestingly enough, she also has an interest in the paranormal and resembles Yeon’s lost love.
A Fox Gets a New Chance at Romance
Yeon is fiercely protective of those he loves, from freezing the river of the dead to prolong Ah-eum’s passing into the hereafter to helping grant Ji-ah a long life. Of course, a driving part of the series is that Yeon doesn’t want to see history repeat itself, losing his love all over again. The series’ second season, Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938, serves as a prequel to the first season’s story.
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3 My Roommate Is a Gumiho (2021)
My Roommate Is a Gumiho is a drama based on the webtoon of the same name. Shin Woo-yeo is a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox, who is nearly a thousand years old. However, one day, a college student named Lee Dam, swallows his fox bead. This should kill her within a year, in addition to keeping Woo-yeo from having a chance to become human. The two decide to move in together in order to find a way out. However, love might start to bloom between them.
Love Might Just Prove Stronger Than Fate
Woo-yeo believes that, in order to become a human himself, he needs to take energy from other humans. However, what will really grant his wish serves as the story’s big twist. Adding to the supernatural complications, a red string of fate, a traditional sign connecting those destined to be together, connects Dam with someone else.
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2 My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (2010)
My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho sees Cha Dae-woong, a regular college student who dreams of becoming a star. One day, he accidentally sets a gumiho free that had been sealed inside a painting. After getting fatally wounded while trying to escape the scene, he is only saved when the gumiho gives him her “fox bead.” The gumiho, who he soon dubs “Mi-ho” wants to become human, so the two strike a deal.
An Alliance Might End in Love or Death
Dae-woong gets to use the fox bead’s power, and increase his strength and speed, which will help him become an action star. On his end, he’ll help Mi-ho become human, all the while becoming charmed by the way she views the world. However, the two fail to realize how dangerous the deal really is. If Mi-ho becomes human, Dae-woong will die. On the other hand, if she doesn’t reclaim her bead, Mi-ho will be the one to die.
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1 Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, also known as Goblin, starts with military general Kim Shin during the Goryeo Dynasty, who is framed for treason and executed. He is then cursed to become an immortal goblin after death, forced to watch his loved ones die. He can be freed from this state by his bride.
Goblins, Ghosts, and Grim Reapers Abound
Meanwhile, he encounters Ji Eun-tak, a high school student who can see ghosts. Adding to the supernatural happenings is Wang Yeo, a grim reaper who guides souls and serves as Kim Shin’s housemate, who is also in love with Eun-tak’s boss. All the while, the characters realize they might be more connected than they think. The series proved extremely popular in South Korea, being the sixth highest-rated drama in Korea’s cable television history.
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