10 Most Heartbreaking K-Dramas With No Happily Ever After
It should not always be fun and games, right?
Korean dramas are often an easy way to escape the problems of real life – they are filled with lots of jokes and touching relationships between the characters. But there are days when you just want to have a good cry, and these ten dramas are just perfect for that.
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Autumn in My Heart, 2000
In 2000, this story touched the hearts of many viewers. The 16-episode drama about love and loss attracted more than 40% of Korea’s entire population.
The story begins when Eun-suh and her brother Joon-suh are born into a wealthy family. Years later, Eun-suh was hit by a car and needed a blood transfusion, but a test showed that her blood type did not match that of her parents. It turns out that Eun-suh was mistaken for another child at birth.
It turns out that Joon-suh's real sister is a girl named Shin-ae. Eun-suh and Shin-ae return to their biological families and after that the former brother and sister lose contact with each other for years.
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Snowdrop, 2021-2022
Seoul, 1987, a time of harsh authoritarian dictatorship. A dangerous mercenary has entered the city and is killing Koreans. Neither his face nor his age are known, but his trail, which leads from Germany, is being followed by the nation's top intelligence agent.
In the women's dormitory of the university, life goes on as usual. Four girls go on a blind date. There, Eun Yeong-ro meets Lim Soo-ho, a graduate student at the University of Berlin, who has just arrived from Germany.
When one day Soo-ho comes to Yeong-ro covered in blood, the girl hides him in her dormitory and turns a blind eye to his secrets.
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Youth of May, 2021
Kim Myung-hee is pursuing her dream, but it will take a lot of money to make it happen. One day, Myung-hee kindly agrees to replace her rich friend on a date for a small reward.
Thus, fate brings Myung-hee and Hee-tae together. And no matter how hard the girl tried to make a bad impression on the guy, she failed. Hee-tae fell in love with her unconditionally.
This love story could have had a happy ending if not for the guy's cruel father and the situation in the country. The couple is drawn into the brutal and bloody events of May 1980.
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The Red Sleeve, 2021-2022
Crown Prince Yi San believes that duty to the country is more important than feelings. One day he falls in love with one of the court ladies and invites her to become his concubine.
But the clever Seong Deok-im does not want to lose her freedom and does everything to preserve the last drops of independence. But feelings are stronger than anything else in the world, and the lovers will find a way to be together. But not for long.
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Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, 2016
Go Ha-jin travels back in time. She wakes up in the body of 16-year-old aristocrat Hae Soo. The girl remembers everything, but cannot go back and is forced to live according to the laws of the old world.
Go Ha-jin tries by all means to settle down in the Goryeo era. Fate brings her together with the heir to the throne, which forces her to find herself in the middle of a civil war. And the struggle for the throne always leaves a bloody trail.
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Black, 2017
Kang Ha-ram has an amazing ability: she has been able to predict death for many years. One day, due to a plane crash, she ends up at the police station, where she meets detective Han Moo-gang.
The man turns out to be her childhood friend and first love, and they begin to work together. Soon, the body of the policeman is possessed by the Grim Reaper, who has come to Earth with an important mission.
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Kill It, 2019
His father ordered his death, he lost his memory and lived in a strange orphanage for some time. This is all that Kim Soo-hyun, who was raised by a killer and became a representative of this cruel profession, knows. 17 years later, before his death, the killer gives Kim Soo-hyun a photo of his supposed mother and sister.
Later, he receives the same photo from the new client, who is willing to reveal the secret of his past to Kim Soo-hyun if he kills the people in the photo.
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Stairway to Heaven, 2003-2004
Cha Song-joo is a charming guy who owns an amusement park. Many girls like him, but he is only interested in one, Han Jung-suh. They fell in love when they were kids, but accidents kept them apart.
But then Song-joo meets his beloved again, but fate was merciless and soon took Jung-suh away from him. The girl had a car accident and was presumed dead. Song-joo tried to move on with his life, but met his love again.
Jung-suh has lost her memories and Song-joo wants to do everything to make her remember the years they spent together and to make her happy.
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The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, 2018
Advertising designer Yoo Jin-kang meets a strange guy named Kim Moo-young at an art exhibition. Despite his unusual behavior and absurd frankness, the girl finds in him a kindred spirit with similar psychological scars and traumas.
Standing in the way of their relationship is Yoo Jin-gook, Jin-kang's brother, who is a policeman and suspects Moo-young of being involved in a recent murder. And for a reason.
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Uncontrollably Fond, 2016
Noh Eul and Shin Joon-young were very close in their youth. But one day a terrible tragedy happened, and they had to part. Many years pass and the two meet again, but Shin Joon-young is now a serious and cold-blooded actor and singer, and Noh Eul is a money-hungry documentary director.
Without spoiling anything, the drama can be described as an endlessly sad love story, which should always be stronger than death.