10 Perfect K-Dramas Where The 'Ugly Duckling' Steals The Show

The South Korean TV industry is famous for its perfect image and all good-looking cast. Most of the time, the best rom-coms are even based on the premise that one of the main characters is handsome, and most of the time, it's even the main personality trait.

However, the industry doesn't make it all about looks, the writers of many K-dramas just emphasize the importance of beauty in people, whether it's an inner beauty or just appearances.

Sometimes, however, even South Korean dramas focus on the theme of the journey of self-discovery and realizing one's own worth. And what better way to do that than with the ugly duckling trope? So here we have ten perfect series to binge with such a premise.

1. Dream High – 2011

The series revolves around six Art School students who have one dream: to become music stars. But everybody knows that it would be hard to achieve as everybody is aware that becoming successful in a cutthroat Korean music industry is mission impossible.

Among these friends there is Kim Pil-sook, a young girl who has perfect pitch but is too afraid to pursue her music dreams because she feels that she is overweight. She falls in love with her friend, but when she tells him about that he rejects her, so she makes a promise to herself to become the best version of herself. Check out the show to find out how her journey went.

2. Birth of a Beauty – 2014

Sometimes being kind to other people makes you feel happier, so if you have a chance to change someone's life for the better, don't hesitate to do it. This is exactly what Han Tae Hee did. A successful and wealthy man, he suffers from broken heart syndrome, but instead of sitting there mourning, he decides to turn an unattractive woman into a total goddess.

Of course, as the genre suggests, he will fall in love with this woman during her transformation game, but that is the whole other story.

3. The Secret Life of My Secretary – 2019

The series follows Do Min Ik, the smart and powerful man who is a perfectionist and a top manager in a large tech company. He has a secretary, Jung Gal Hee, who is so fierce that she is probably the only person in the office who is not afraid to speak her mind and talk back to their boss. The show has an amazing transformation story, but you will have to wait until the last episode to see it.

4. Boys Over Flowers – 2009

There are a lot of people, even die-hard K-drama fans, who don't think this series is worth watching because it's so outdated, but fans of old school K-dramas can't stop pointing out this forgotten gem.

The series follows Geum Jan Di, a very poor girl who one day attends a very prestigious school and... saves a student from committing suicide. She becomes a hero and gets a scholarship to attend the same school. But her life remains miserable there because she doesn't fit in. However, what she needs is just a little time.

5. Oh My Venus – 2015

Kim Yeong Ho is now one of the most popular personal trainers in Hollywood. One day he comes back to South Korea to visit his family and accidentally meets Kang Joo Eun, a woman who used to be the beauty queen in high school, but over the years has become an overweight and unhealthy version of herself.

She makes a deal with Kim Yeong Ho and accepts his help to make her beautiful again, but in the course of the story they discover something even more important.

6. My ID Is Gangnam Beauty – 2018

The show follows the life of Kang Mi Rae, a girl who was previously bullied because of her appearance. This made her insecure, shy and introverted. However, Mi Rae decides that she wants a new beginning far away from the bullying and undergoes plastic surgery to change her face. But apparently you can be bullied even if you are a very beautiful person. Luckily, Mi Rae meets Do Kyung Suk who sees her for who she is.

7. Shopping King Louie – 2016

Louie is a wealthy shopaholic who has nothing to worry about except where to buy new things for himself. But everything changes when he is in an accident and loses his memory.

Suffering from amnesia, she is taken in by Go Bok Shil, a poor country girl who has never owned a branded piece of cloth. The story revolves around the two kinds of transformation that result in two very different people realizing the true value of beauty.

8. Another Miss Oh – 2016

How many childhood traumas follow us into adulthood? The answer may shock you. Oh Hae Young became a very insecure woman because all her life another girl with the same name as her lived nearby and she was better in every way. She had more money, better friends, better job, etc.

But one day our main character finally realized that her life is only her responsibility and no one, not even the person with the same name, can take it away from her.

9. Cinderella and the Four Knights – 2016

At the center of the story is Eun Ha Won, a young, dedicated woman who dreams of becoming a teacher. In order to fulfill her dream, she has several jobs and is always willing to do more. One day she is hired by a wealthy man to be his date to his grandfather's wedding, only to be hired by that very grandfather. And it changes her life completely.

“Female lead also never really transforms into something more traditionally “beautiful” - she keeps her cropped hair and track suits to the end lol. And people fall for her because of her heart, which I absolutely loved,” Redditor PHSKdrama said.

10. Crash Course in Romance – 2023

The female lead of the series, Nam Haeng Sun, can't be described as a beauty queen, but that's not something that needs to become her main identity trait, right? However, other people seem to think so when they criticize her behind her back without even knowing her. Will she find a way to fight back?