10 K-Dramas So Sad, You'll Never Want to Re-Watch Them

Sometimes you watch k-dramas for the silliness and melodrama, but sometimes you just want to curl up and have a big, cathartic cry. If getting weepy is your goal, here are 10 movies and tv shows that will do the trick.

But be warned: these k-dramas are so sad, we’re willing to bet that you’ll only watch them once.

1. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

When a woman’s supposed suicide turns out to be murder, the detective on the case immediately suspects Kim Moo Young: a mysterious man who either innocent or a monster. When Moo Young starts dating the detective’s sister, the case gets personal and the past starts to catch up with all three of them.

There’s no happily-ever-after in this one (that’s why it’s on this list!) but it’s not just a tearjerker — The Smile Has Left Your Eyes is a melodramatic crime thriller full of twists and turns.

2. The Red Sleeve

Based on a true story, The Red Sleeve tells the story of King Jeongjo and Ui-bin Seong, a court lady who values her independence and resists his invitation to become one of his concubines. But in spite of her resistance and his need to put his country above all else, a romance blossoms between the two strong-willed protagonists. Politics clash with personal values in this real-life historical drama.

3. Youth of May

In 1980, university students in Gwangju led a protest against Korea’s newly-installed dictator. The protest led to a massacre by South Korea’s military. In Youth of May, a tragic romance begins between a nurse and a medical student trying to do the right thing under violent and dangerous circumstances. History and fiction blend seamlessly in this 12-episode heartbreaker, which will make you tear up for the lovers as well as the thousands of innocent people harmed in the Gwangju Massacre.

4. Stairway to Heaven

Han Jung-suh and Cha Song-joo become friends in childhood, and this bond blossoms into love. But a series of dramatic twists and turns pull them away from each other, and they are separated for years. Although the lovers do manage to find each other eventually, the bittersweet ending will leave you bawling.

5. Mr. Sunshine

In 1871, a small child escapes a life of slavery in Korea and flees to the United States. When he returns home as an adult member of the U.S. Marine Corps, he falls in love with an aristocrat’s granddaughter. Mr. Sunshine is one of the most popular Kdramas on Netflix right now: come for the doomed romance, but stay for the gorgeous cinematography and a fascinating glimpse of history.

6. Snowdrop

Yet another drama inspired by real life events, Snowdrop takes place during Korea’s pro-democracy movement of 1987. When an injured Suho falls into a university women’s dormitory, Youngro takes a great personal risk to hide him. Their star-crossed love is challenged by the political danger of their situation and their . Bring tissues!

7. On Your Wedding Day

If you’re looking for a tearjerker but don’t have time for a whole series, this movie is a good bet. When he receives an invitation to the wedding of Hwan Seung Hee, “the one that got away”, Hwang Woo Yeon remembers their long and complicated history. Starting in school and moving through their adult lives, the film shows flashbacks of a deep friendship and a romance that could have been perfect… if only the timing had ever been right.

More bittersweet than tragic, On Your Wedding Day is a meditation on love, time, and luck.

8. My Country: The New Age

Instead of a romance that goes wrong, this one’s a bro-mance that goes… well, still wrong. Two best friends in Korea’s Joseon period find themselves on opposite sides of a battle for their country’s future: Seo Hwi, an uncompromising warrior, and Nam Seon-Ho, a low-class boy whose family is plagued by scandal. Their connection is tested when they find themselves crossing swords in this historical epic.

9. The Hymn of Death

It’s the 1920s, and an occupied Korea is starting to see a push for liberation. In this period drama, Korea’s first soprano falls in love with a married writer… but it’s on this list, so you know it won’t end happily.

Set against a stunning historical backdrop and featuring terrific performances, The Hymn of Death is actually based on the tragic true story of Kim Woo Jin and Yun Shim Deok.

10. Uncontrollably Fond

Shin Joon-young and Noh Eu fell in love as teens, but they were separated and fell out of touch. Now, he’s a popular singer and she’s a filmmaker in charge of making a documentary about him. It’s a romance with a lot of comedic moments, but ultimately it’s also the kdrama that some say is the saddest ever made.