10 Must-Watch K-Dramas For Every Romantasy Fan

The romantasy genre is certainly booming, but it is nothing new for the illustrious K-drama industry. Over the past decade, there has been a sudden incline in books, series, and films that blend fantasy elements with a captivating love story. Be it bestselling novels like A Court of Thorns and Roses, renowned television shows like Outlander, or blockbuster films like The Shape of Water, romantasy is a subgenre that lends itself to every medium imaginable, and it only gets exponentially more popular with each passing year.

Nevertheless, the concept of mixing romance and fantasy has always been a staple of Korean dramas. Long before BookTok darlings dramatically propagated the subgenre, K-dramas like My Love from the Star, Oh My Ghost, and countless more toed the line between fantastical shenanigans and swoonworthy love plots. In fact, some of the best K-drama couples of all time have some sort of magic to thank for their happy ever-after. Regardless, the industry is constantly evolving, meaning even the most familiar tropes— including classic romantasy— can be turned on its head and made into a refreshing K-drama masterpiece.

Tale of The Nine Tailed

A Classic Story Highlighting An Iconic Creature From Asian Folklore

Just as many romantasy novels from the West typically focus on fairylike creatures, the fantasy K-drama genre has its own conventions, including mythical figures inspired by Asian folklore and mythology. By far the most prevalent is the gumiho, a nine-tailed fox spirit. Plenty of K-dramas have put unique spins on this concept, from My Roommate Is a Gumiho to No Tail to Tell, but nothing compares to Tale of The Nine Tailed.

The 2020 drama is far darker than most fantasies, adding true suspense and realistic conflicts to the main couple’s forbidden romance. There’s a bittersweet edge to their story, as the female lead is a reflection of all the people gumiho Lee Yeon (Lee Dong-wook) has loved and lost throughout his centuries as a fox spirit. Nonetheless, their chemistry is palpable, and the series itself has one of the best K-drama villains ever created.

While You Were Sleeping

A High-Octane Mystery Mixed With A Fated Love Story

Conversely, there are titles like While You Were Sleeping, which seamlessly integrates one magical element into an otherwise grounded world. From the K-drama’s enrapturing start, it’s clear the romance between Nam Hong-joo (Bae Suzy) and Jung Jae-chan (Lee Jong-suk) will be filled with trials and tribulations— but, of course, all the best love stories are.

Both main characters share the uncanny ability to see the future via prophetic dreams, but simply knowing what will happen isn’t enough to change it. Alongside an ordinary police officer, journalist Hong-joo and prosecutor Jae-chan band together to rewrite fate itself and save the world from their premonitions. As their mission truly kicks off, though, Jae-chan and Hong-joo can’t fight their magnetic connection, which may be destiny’s strongest work of all.

Doom at Your Service

The Most Romantic Apocalypse In Television History

Similarly, Doom at Your Service is inherently a story about defiance and going against fate— or, in this case, the divine will of a godlike deity. When Tak Dong-kyung (Park Bo-young) is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, the demure editor devolves into an uncharacteristic fit of rage, damning the world amidst her sad monologuing. Unbeknownst to her, a K-drama grim reaper known as Myulmang (Seo In-guk) was listening in, and he decides to use her despair as an excuse to destroy the world.​​​​​​​

Thus, an apocalyptic journey of self-discovery kicks off, as Dong-kyung ironically finds doom himself as her closest confidant. As they grow closer, however, a devastating dissonance forms as Myulmang— who has awaited the end of the world for centuries— falls in love with a human who makes him question everything. Doom at Your Service is fairly recent, but its love story is instantly timeless. Nevertheless, be warned: its ending is a certified tearjerker.

The Beauty Inside

A Ridiculous Premise That Packs A Shockingly Heartfelt Punch

Most romantasy K-dramas have a sort of self-reflexivity about their otherworldly nature, but The Beauty Inside opts for a sense of magical realism. The 2018 romance follows A-list actress Han Se-gye (Seo Hyun-jin), who suffers from an inexplicable curse wherein she shapeshifts once a month. Seemingly at random, she turns into someone else entirely, with a potentially different age, race, gender, etc.

At the other end of this K-drama’s opposites-attract romance is Seo Do-jae (Lee Min-ki), a stoic executive who hides his prosopagnosia from the world. Together, two souls that have felt ostracized for years form an unconventional perfect match. What sets The Beauty Inside apart from most romantasy is its unique immersion, as the series does a phenomenal job of normalizing Se-gye’s unexplainable condition to the viewer without needlessly othering her. By the finale, the audience accepts it as a mere character quirk rather than a frustrating loose end.

See You in My 19th Life

A Bittersweet Tale Of Reincarnation & Rewriting Destiny Itself

Fantasy K-dramas can span far and wide, but certain formulas stick, including the tried-and-true reincarnation plot. As the title suggests, protagonist Ban Ji-eum (Shin Hye-sun) has lived over a dozen lives, retaining her memories each time. During her 18th life, the woman unexpectedly falls in love— only for a tragic accident to send her consciousness off to another body all too soon.​​​​​​​

Consequently, Ji-eum— who, by this point, has had nearly a millennium of life experience— decides to devote her 19th life to rekindling a relationship with her one true love. The K-drama is a fascinating twist on immortality, and there’s far more substance than may initially meet the eye. Without question, See You in My 19th Life is definitely one of the most romantic options in the romantasy niche at large.

My Demon

Even Supernatural Monsters Can Enjoy A Fake Dating Scheme

K-dramas about supernatural romance tend to platform darker and more grotesque creatures, but the male love interest of My Demon literally hails from hell. After crossing paths with a cutthroat CEO named Do Do-hee (Kim You-jung), the demonic Jeong Gu-won (Song Kang) suddenly finds himself powerless. For 200 years, the demon targeted corrupt humans, using his supernatural abilities to claim their souls as punishment for breaching their hellish contracts.

Following a collosal mishap, however, Gu-won’s demonic tattoo— which, of course, is the source of his power— transfers to Do Do-hee. Fake relationships, inheritance battles, and vigilante justice ensue as the pair attempt to navigate their cosmic connection. Out of Song Kang’s lengthy filmography, My Demon is often overlooked, but the rom-com is the perfect storm for any romantasy lover.

Lovely Runner

Arguably The Best Time Travel Plot Of The 21st Century

Despite airing in 2024, Lovely Runner is already considered a modern classic, and it is by far one of the most popular romantasy K-dramas yet. The series follows Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) and Ryu Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok) in two distinct stages of life as an unsolved murder leads to an interdimensional uproar. In the present day, Ryu Sun-jae is a world-renowned pop star, while Im Sol is his biggest fan. When the young woman magically wakes up in 2008, however, she realizes her idol was her neighbor— and, more importantly, her secret admirer.​​​​​​​

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Lovely Runner has quickly become the gold standard for time-travel K-dramas, but the time-slips aren’t nearly as interesting as the complex dynamic between Sun-jae and Sol. Every time a major development hits, the audience is left on the edge of their seat, waiting to see how the butterfly effect has impacted the overarching timeline. Undoubtedly, Lovely Runner will only get better with age, but it’s an absolutely flawless romantasy at present.

Destined with You

A Delightful Pair Tackle A Centuries-Old Curse With Perseverance & The Power Of Love

While romantasy is already a genre fusion, romantasy and mystery go hand-in-hand. Case in point: Destined with You, a gripping drama following a hotshot lawyer secretly saddled with an ancient curse and an unassuming civil servant who, as the title implies, is destined to change his life. To find the truth and save their future, however, the couple must look to their shared past.

Jang Shin-yu (Rowoon) and Lee Hong-jo (Jo Bo-ah) get off to a rocky start, but their bickering soon gives way to banter as they team up to decode a centuries-old book. Shin-yu is merely the most recent recipient of the curse, which has plagued his family for years, but Hong-jo is a living disruption to his carefully curated facade. Aside from having one of the steamiest kisses in K-drama history, Destined with You has a genuinely engrossing mystery that slowly unravels in tandem with the central pair’s growing feelings.

Hotel del Luna

A Highly Stylized Fantasy World Hidden Within An Unassuming Hotel

Beyond being one of IU’s best K-dramas to date, Hotel del Luna is a masterclass in blending fantasy and romance. Due to a life of sin, IU’s Jang Man-wol is bound to the eponymous hotel for over 1,000 years, periodically convincing a human to be the purgatorial guesthouse’s general manager. Enter Gu Chan-sung (Yeo Jin-goo), whose father signed away his life to manage Hotel del Luna after a 21-year grace period.​​​​​​​

Hotel del Luna offers a one-of-a-kind viewing experience, with its enchanting aesthetic bleeding into every inch of the drama. Man-wol’s stunning wardrobe and the delightful soundtrack may draw viewers in, but there’s true emotional depth to the central storyline that keeps the audience’s attention for 16 satisfying episodes.

Alchemy of Souls

In A Kingdom Forged By Magic, Two Unlikely Allies Become Star-Crossed Lovers

Yet, no romantasy K-drama can compete with Alchemy of Souls. The two-part period drama centers on a skilled mage named Nak-su (Jung So-min) who, in the middle of a tense battle, performs the eponymous alchemy of souls and trades bodies with a maid named Mu-deok. When her first love, a noble named Jang Uk (Lee Jae-wook), discovers her true identity, they make a deal: in exchange for his secrecy, Nak-su will take on Jang Uk as her magic apprentice.

Their symbiotic relationship isn’t without hardships, as political intrigue and betrayal run rampant in the central kingdom, but the bond forged between Jang Uk and Nak-su is more than romantic; it’s downright alchemical. The iconic series is one of the best K-dramas on streaming, and it has a much broader appeal than most of its contemporaries. Without a doubt, Alchemy of Souls is the peak of K-drama romantasy.