10 K-Dramas Where May-December Romance Isn't Awkward
These K-dramas prove that the love between older women and younger men in pop culture can be powerful.
Although romance between two people with a large age difference is taboo in many parts of Korean society, South Korean pop culture is incredibly devoted to this trope.
It even has its own term in Korea, 'noona romance,' but let's face it, these storylines are often incredibly cringe-worthy. But it's not all bad! Here are some better K-dramas that highlight this type of romantic relationship.
10. Forecasting Love and Weather (2022, 16 episodes)
This romantic comedy tells about the daily life of employees of the Korea Meteorological Administration. At the center of the story is the love between a 35-year-old general forecaster and her 27-year-old subordinate. Believe us, their romance is much steamier than the sweltering summer weather in Seoul!
9. Melancholia (2021, 16 episodes)
Enthusiastic math teacher is drawn to a troubled student, who later turns out to be a math genius. The two develop strong feelings for each other, even if they don't fully act on them until they meet again after graduation 4 years later.
8. A Witch's Love (2014, 16 episodes)
Ban Ji-yeon is a 41-year-old investigative reporter. Her main problem is that she lost her faith in love after her boyfriend disappeared. Yoon Dong-ha is a 25-year-old man who lost his ambition after the death of his girlfriend.
7. She Would Never Know (2021, 16 episodes)
The relationship between sunbae and hoobae, senior and junior, is a common trope in the Korean Wave media. However, it is most often seen between a male superior and a female subordinate. Here, it's the opposite, as the story follows a senior female lead and an intern.
6. Why Her (2022, 16 episodes)
Oh Soo-jae is a brilliant lawyer, but one case leads to her being demoted as an adjunct professor at a law school. There she meets a student, Gong Chan, who immediately falls in love with her and does everything to get her back to the firm.
5. Encounter (2018, 16 episodes)
Cha Soo-hyun seems to have it all: as the daughter of a famous politician she has privileges and wealth. But she has no freedom as she was forced to marry a rich man only to divorce him because he cheated on her. She meets a young man who has no riches but a freedom-loving nature.
4. Secret Affair (2014, 16 episodes)
Lee Sun-jae is a 20-year-old delivery boy. One day he must deliver a package to a concert hall, where he starts to play the piano, hoping for nothing. His genius is immediately recognized by 40-year-old Oh Hye-won. One thing leads to another, and a passionate but secret affair develops between the two.
3. Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019, 16 episodes)
Kang Dan-i is a 37-year-old single mother who is struggling to find a job. Fate brings her into contact with her friend, 32-year-old Cha Eun-ho, the youngest editor-in-chief of his publishing company, when Dan-i takes a temporary job there.
2. Something in the Rain (2018, 16 episodes)
As we mentioned, Korean society still stigmatizes this type of relationship. This is what the main characters, a young video game developer and a district supervisor who is the friend of the former's sister, face.
1. Hotel del Luna (2019, 16 episodes)
In the listed shows, the age difference may be small, may be large. But what if the difference is a thousand years? Hotel del Luna follows the owner of a hotel who has a mystical contract with the father of the male lead that requires him to work at the hotel for 20 years.