8 Of The Most Underrated Sad K-Dramas That Will Take Weeks To Recover From

SPOILER NOTE: While we will not be giving away major plot points, we have put the spoiler warning as sometimes, knowing the K-Drama is sad is a spoiler in itself.

Look, it’s been a rough year and a half for the entire world. Many of us could probably do with a great, cathartic cry right now. Or maybe, tragedy and tearjerkers just happen to be your favorite genre!

Regardless, these 8 K-Dramas will leave you in a river of your own tears for whatever reason you need it.

1. Secret

Cho Min Hyuk (Ji Sung) has everything in the world except a good personality. He has been filled with rage ever since he learned that his lover was the victim of a hit-and-run accident. Kang Yoo Jung (Hwang Jung Eum) takes the blame for her boyfriend, the driver of the accident. Now in prison and in despair, Yoo Jung still refuses to give up.

2. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

This series is centered around the unfolding relationships of free and unpredictable yet dangerous Kim Moo Young (Seo In Guk). He works at a beer brewery and becomes a suspect when a woman’s suicide is discovered to be a murder. His life begins to change when he meets a kind, warm advertising designer named Yoo Jin Kang (Jung So Min), who wants to comfort Moo Young. Yoo Jin Kang happens to have a brother, Yoo Jin Kook (Park Sung Woong), who has been a homicide detective for over 27 years. He strives to “reveal” who Moo Young really is and attempts to keep his sister away from him. 

3. My Country: The New Age

Set during the transition from the Goryeo period to the Joseon period, this series focuses on two friends who argue due to their opinions about “my country.” Seo Hwi (Yang Se Jong) is a warrior who is the son of a famous commander. He does not tolerate injustice in the slightest. Nam Seon Ho (Woo Do Hwan) is a smart and talented man. However, because his mother was born into the lowest class, he is often looked down upon. Despite this, he hopes to pass the military service examination. Due to a scandal involving his father, Nam Seon Ho loses his dream and fights with Seo Hwi over a misunderstanding.

4. 49 Days

Shin Ji Hyun (Nam Gyu Ri) was about to marry her fiancé, but her happiness is destroyed when she gets in a car accident that leaves her in a coma. She is given a second chance at life but with one condition: she must find three people outside of her family to cry genuine tears for her. To do this, she borrows the body of Song Yi Kyung (Lee Yo Won), a part-time employee at a convenience store.

5. I’m Sorry, I Love You

Cha Moo Hyuk (So Ji Sub) was adopted by an Australian family but was abused and left homeless at an early age. One day, he meets Song Eun Chae (Im Soo Jung), who is the coordinator for Choi Yu Ne (Jung Kyung Ho), a famous singer in Korea. Due to an accident involving his ex-girlfriend, Moo Hyuk has only 3 months to live, leading him back to South Korea to find his biological mother. The discoveries he makes turn him toward revenge, but he finds happiness through Song Eun Chae.

6. Mother

After realizing one of her students is being abused, bird researcher and substitute teacher Kang Soo Jin (Lee Bo Young) kidnaps the girl and acts like her mother.

7. Chocolate

Lee Kang (Yoon Kye Sang) is a neurosurgeon who once dreamed of becoming a chef. As a child, Moon Cha Young (Ha Ji Won) met Lee Kang at a small restaurant in the seaside town, making her dream to become a chef. Many years later, they meet again at a hospice ward, where they heal their scars by preparing meals for the patients.

8. Angel Eyes

Park Dong Joo (Lee Sang Yoon) is a surgeon whose first love was a blind girl. Yoon Soo Wan (Gu Hye Seon) is an emergency worker who was bling when she was younger but was able to see after eye surgery. They were each other’s first loves but separated due to painful family circumstances. Then meet again 12 years later, but will they recognize each other?