10 Greatest K-Dramas About College Romance

There is an abundance of romance K-dramas for audiences to choose from, but those set in colleges provide something fresh to the widely popular genre. Romance is a beloved K-drama genre for its expected lighthearted tone and sweet portrayals of love. Popular settings for such relationships to develop are in the workplace and at high school, but the setting of a college campus adds another layer of emotional stakes.

A college setting in romance K-dramas makes way for coming-of-age storylines to be mixed with the focal love stories. K-dramas like Age of Youth and My First First Love address the ups and downs of early adulthood, and others such as Reply 1994 and Dear. M are made lighthearted due to their college settings.

10 Dear. M (2022)

College students track the identity of a mystery writer.

Despite relying heavily on the popular tropes found within romance K-dramas, Dear. M still manages to feel like something brand new. Dear. M is a standard romance series with endearing character relationships and an overall strong performance from its cast. Dear. M follows a group of students at Seoyeon University who team up to uncover the identity of an anonymous writer.

The secret writer sent a message to the school’s online community, signing only with the initial “M.” As the group of students works to solve the mystery, new relationships form and old ones get tested. Dear. M is a spinoff to the webseries Love Playlist, which sees a similar group of friends navigate life as college students. Additionally, the K-drama stars a K-pop idol with his acting debut with Jeong Jae-hyun from NCT in the leading role, Cha Min-ho.

9 Twenty-Twenty (2020)

Two college students bond over their lives back at home.

The troubled home life of two individuals brings them together in Twenty-Twenty. After living with her strict mother her whole life, Chae Da-Hee (Han Sung-Min) is ready to find independence when she heads off to college. This is where she meets Lee Hyun-Jin (Kim Woo-Seok), an aspiring musician. Lee Hyun-Jin is the first leading role in a K-drama for Kim Woo-Seok, a singer and former member of the K-pop group X1.

His natural talent shines through and he has a satisfying chemistry with Han Sung-Min as their two characters get closer. Between familial relationships and the difficulties that come with early years at college, there is a sufficient amount of drama in Twenty-Twenty on top of the series’ romance storylines. Though Twenty-Twenty has 20 episodes, they’re on the shorter side and are quickly paced, leaving little room for boredom.

8 Age Of Youth (2016-2017)

College friends navigate early adulthood with one another.

Age of Youth, also known as Hello, My Twenties!, is a slice-of-life K-drama portraying the daily fun and mishaps of a group of friends. The romance on display in Age of Youth isn’t the focus of the series, but how it’s introduced is important for understanding why the K-drama works so well. What makes Age of Youth a truly compelling series is its depiction of female friendships.

Much of Age of Youth sees the girls connecting and helping one another out as they get through the messiness that comes with being a 20-something-year-old. It’s this sense of community that helps audiences connect with the characters. Many of the pressures and hardships experienced by Age of Youth‘s characters are widely understood by female audiences, though some are specific to cultural expectations in South Korea.

7 Go Back Couple (2017)

A struggling couple has the chance to make things right.

Sometimes, a lighthearted, easy viewing is what’s wanted from a romance K-drama, but when there’s a desire for more emotional stakes in the script, a series like Go Back Couple is just the solution. Go Back Couple does feature a college couple, but not before audiences see the pair, Ma Jin-joo (Jang Na-ra) and Choi Ban-do (Son Ho-jun) as adults in their 30s, married with a child. Go Back Couple begins with the troubled marriage between the two and when tensions reach an all-time high, the couple is transported back to their college days.

The concept of time travel and fixing a struggling relationship is not rare in K-dramas, but Go Back Couple is unique in the questions it poses for both its leading couple and viewers at home. Given the opportunity to rewrite their lives, Jin-joo and Ban-do wonder what choices they’ll make moving forward and how it’ll affect those around them.

6 My ID Is Gangnam Beauty (2018)

A girl finds rare acceptance of her looks from an unexpected classmate.

Among the budding romance of its two leads, My ID Is Gangnam Beauty has a lot to say about beauty standards, particularly those in Korean culture. My ID Is Gangnam Beauty follows Kang Mi-rae (Im Soo-hyang) after she’s undergone cosmetic surgery and is starting college. The unrealistic beauty standards never allow Kang Mi-rae to feel accepted. The cosmetic surgery was to avoid the ridicule she received her whole life for her looks, but her new appearance was also criticized by others for being inauthentic.

The acceptance Kang Mi-rae receives from the typically distant and cold Do Kyung-seok (Cha Eun-woo) is what sparks their romance. Neither Do Kyung-seok nor Kang Mi-rae ever felt understood by others, making their connection feel like destiny. What comes, as a result, are sweet moments between the two that utilize the best of K-drama romance tropes.

5 Heartstrings (2011)

College students achieve their dreams and find love.

Having previously worked together on the TV show, You’re Beautiful, a few years before, Park Shin-hye and Jung Yong-hwa reunited in Heartstrings. The actors’ familiarity with one another helps in pulling off their character’s growing romance. Jung Yong-hwa plays a musician with a cold exterior and Park Shin-hye is a college student pursuing a music degree. The two have a rocky start but grow closer over time and help one another realize their dreams, even if that means sacrificing their love.

Heartstrings has an entertaining plot and positive character progression. Considering music is a large factor in the series, the music selection is well done, though some songs do become repetitive at times. Jung Yong-hwa sings throughout Heartstrings and, as the lead vocalist in CNBLUE, his voice is a strong component of the series’ soundtrack.

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4 My First First Love (2019)

Five friends live with one another in their early 20s.

As the K-drama’s name would suggest, My First First Love is the perfect blend of the romance and coming-of-age genres. In My First First Love, Yun Tae-o (Ji Soo) turns 20 and gains a newfound freedom when his father allows him to live in his grandparent’s home by himself. However, Yun Tae-o’s life gets increasingly chaotic after four of his friends ask to move in with him for various personal reasons.

Living under the same roof, My First First Love shows the group of friends helping one another out through growing pains. The romance in My First First Love is complicated as certain housemates fall for one another, taking full advantage of popular romance tropes such as friends-to-lovers and love triangles. The latter is where Yun Tae-o finds himself with his college friend and childhood best friend. It’s a drama-filled love triangle that sorts itself out over My First First Love‘s two seasons.

3 Reply 1994 (2013)

The lives of six friends are shown in 1994 and the current year 2013.

Part of the Reply TV series, Reply 1994 tells a nonlinear story — going back and forth between 1994 and 2013 — about a group of six college friends. The Reply series is known for its attention to detail, expertly capturing the titular years, as well as the series’ depictions of friendships and love. Reply 1994 isn’t the most popular of the three seasons, but the beloved elements are still present.

Reply 1994 is concerned with the various friendships and endeavors of the six housemates, but the main mystery is who Sung Na-jung (Go Ara) will marry in the future. The flashbacks to the group’s college years are fun for audiences to dissect before Sung Na-jung’s husband is revealed, but these scenes also highlight cultural events that took place during the year. From the series’ original soundtrack to the rise of the Korean Basketball League, Reply 1994 is an appreciated snapshot of Korean history.

2 Love Alarm (2019-2021)

An app informs people when others have feelings for them.

Love Alarm‘s premise is unique and, while it does touch upon similar issues presented in other romance K-dramas, the approach is different. The K-drama’s love triangle follows Lee Hye-yeong (Jung Ga-ram), Hwang Sun-oh (Song Kang), and at the center is Kim Jo-jo (Kim So-hyun). Hwang Sun-oh and Lee Hye-yeong are friends, making their shared feelings for Kim Jo-jo all the more complicated.

To further muddle the situation, the series’ titular app informs people when those near them have romantic feelings for them. The advanced technology helps the lead trio work through their feelings, but on a bigger scale, the Love Alarm app has damaging effects on some of its users. Paired with the love triangle, Love Alarm has serious commentary about the negative impact of relying on technology, particularly a moment in the series when a mass suicide takes place as a result of never receiving a Love Alarm notification.

1 Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo (2016-2017)

Two friends reunite in college and a romance starts to develop.

Following a group of college athletes, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo has become a widely popular K-drama for its coming-of-age themes and romance. The K-drama wonderfully handles storylines younger audiences can connect with, painting a relatable picture of the college experience. However, the best part about Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo is the romance between the titular weightlifter (Lee Sung-kyung) and Jung Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk).

Kim Bok-joo and Jung Joon-hyung are childhood friends who reunite in college and when the former confesses her crush on Jung Joon-hyung’s brother, things get complicated. The performances of the leading actors are nothing short of excellent. They each won an MBC Drama Award for their work and were nominated together under the Best Couple category. The on-screen connection between the K-drama actors is endearing to watch as the friends gradually become something more.