Romance K-dramas are commonly associated with sentimental gestures of love and happy endings, but dark romance K-dramas choose to explore tougher subject matter. The lovestruck individuals in these series are often characterized by their troubled pasts and how their reluctance to fall in love wounds up being challenged by someone with a similar backstory. Many dark romance series portray two emotionally wounded individuals helping one another heal. In most dark romance series, the central love story is not without distress, but things aren't always so glum.

K-dramas like Kill Me, Heal Me and Flower of Evil have comedic and thrilling components, respectively, which help prevent their shows from being incessantly melancholic. Still, heavier romance series aim to move audiences with their emotional love stories. The best dark romance K-dramas combine endearing sentimental connections with traumatic upbringings, discussions about mental health, and mysterious murder cases.

10 Rain Or Shine (2017-2018)

Two People Are Drawn Together In The Wake Of Tragedy

Following the collapse of a building in Rain or Shine, also known as Just Between Lovers, the individuals who survived band together in an attempt to heal and move on. The collapse killed countless people, including the loved ones of Lee Kang-doo (Lee Jun-ho) and Ha Moon-soo (Won Jin-ah). The two process their losses in drastically different ways, but their shared experience of losing someone in the tragic accident brings them closer together.

Watching Rain or Shine can be quite a difficult viewing experience, as the heavy heartbreak and guilt felt by the survivors of the collapse carry on for much of the series. The K-drama succeeds in highlighting the various ways people cope with tragedy, which is refreshing to see. Luckily, the romance between Kang-doo and Moon-soo balances out the persistent melancholic tone, and it's heartening to see the two help one another heal.

9 Call It Love (2023)

An Unexpected Romance Derails A Plan Of Revenge

Many couples in dark romance K-dramas bond over heartbreaking shared experiences, but few are as connected as those in Call It Love. Shim Woo-joo's (Lee Sung-kyung) life is completely changed after discovering her father's infidelity. Woo-joo is kicked out of her family's home by her father's mistress, and this prompts her to get revenge against the woman's son, Han Dong-jin (Kim Young-kwang).

Woo-joo's plan begins to take shape the more she learns about Dong-jin. However, what Woo-joo didn't expect was to fall in love with him. Call It Love's main characters are wonderfully complex and come with tragic backstories that help inform their interactions with others.

The K-drama does have a slower pace and perpetually sad tone that can make the viewing experience more difficult than most melodramas. Audiences willing to stick with Call It Love until the end will be rewarded with an impactful ending that thoroughly ties together the series' themes.

8 I Can Hear Your Voice (2013)

A Determined Trio Uses Supernatural Powers To Get Justice

During their high school years, Jang Hye-sung (Lee Bo-young) gave a powerful testimony in court, which allowed the case of Park Soo-ha's (Lee Jong-suk) murdered father to avoid being ruled an accident. Years later, Soo-ha can read others' minds simply by looking them in the eye, and he's shocked to learn Hye-sung has turned into a cynical public defender. I Can Hear Your Voice follows the two as they grow closer and team up to solve a variety of cases.

I Can Hear Your Voice isn't nearly as emotional as other dark romance K-dramas. However, the inclusion of Soo-ha's supernatural abilities and the traumatic experience of witnessing his father's murder as a child adds an edge to the show. The series' viewership gradually increased with every episode, as the compelling relationship and mission between Soo-ha and Hye-sung made it easy for invested audiences to keep returning for more.

7 The Hymn Of Death (2018)

A Historical Romance Series Based On Tragic Events

Based on true events, The Hymn of Death is a K-drama audiences can easily binge in a day. The series revolves around Korea's first professional soprano, Yun Sim-deok, portrayed with great consideration by Shin Hye-sun. The K-drama details Yun's tragic affair with famous married playwright Kim Woo-jin (Lee Jong-suk). The shocking ending to Yun and Kim's story has long fascinated people, especially those in Korea at the time.

The romantic connection in The Hymn of Death is palpable, and the ending of Yun and Kim's story is sure to leave a mark on both those well-informed and unfamiliar with the true events.

The Hymn of Death omits crucial information regarding Yun and Kim as individuals but still works incredibly well as an emotional, dark romance series. Shin and Lee do an excellent job at bringing their respective historical figures to life, but audiences aren't necessarily required to do any research before diving into the series. The romantic connection in The Hymn of Death is palpable, and the ending of Yun and Kim's story is sure to leave a mark on both those well-informed and unfamiliar with the true events.

6 Kill Me, Heal Me (2015)

Love Forms Between A Psychiatric Resident And Her Patient

In Kill Me, Heal Me, third-generation business heir Cha Do-hyun (Ji Sung) has a traumatic childhood, which leads to him developing memory loss and dissociative identity disorder. Years later, Do-hyun is ready to take control over his life and acquires the help of psychiatric resident Oh Ri-jin (Hwang Jung-eum). As the two continue to work with one another, Ri-jin finds herself falling for one of Do-hyun's six other personalities.

Ji makes the difficult task of capturing seven distinct personalities look easy and was heavily awarded for his performance. The comedic elements in Kill Me, Heal Me do just enough to lighten up the show without taking away from the gravity of Do-hyun's diagnosis or history of being abused. While the K-drama does have its flaws and may run longer than most audiences would prefer, Kill Me, Heal Me is still a compelling series worthy of romance enthusiasts' time.

5 Doom At Your Service (2021)

A Terminally Ill Woman Wishes For The End Of The World

The life of Tak Dong-kyung (Park Bo-young) in Doom at Your Service is filled with heartbreak. After being informed that she has three months left to live, Dong-kyung sees a shooting star and wishes for the world to end. In most lighthearted K-dramas, Dong-kyung's wish would be unfulfilled, and she'd carry on living out her remaining days to the fullest.

However, this fantasy series has Dong-kyung's wish heard by Myul Mang (Seo In-guk), a sort of middle man between humans and Gods. Myul Mang has grown tired of his supernatural fate and is eager to grant Dong-kyung's wish so he can be put out of his misery as well.

As is the case with most fantasy K-drama series, the main story in Doom at Your Service becomes convoluted at times. Yet, what's easy to understand is the unexpected romance between Dong-kyung and Myul Mang. The two connect with one another over their shared feelings of isolation and sadness, making for a bittersweet love story.

4 It's Okay, That's Love (2014)

Two Hurt Individuals Fall In Love And Help Each Other Heal

Starring Zo In-sung and famous romance actor Gong Hyo-jin, It's Okay, That's Love has a bit of everything romance fans could want in a series. There are tear-jerking scenes, sweet moments when characters begin to fall in love, and an enemies-to-lovers setup in the K-drama as well.

The show primarily revolves around Jang Jae-yeol (Zo), a successful author and radio DJ with a traumatic upbringing. When he first meets the ambitious Ji Hae-soo (Gong), the two get off on the wrong foot. Their contrasting personalities lead to constant bickering, but they eventually learn they're quite compatible, and romantic feelings soon develop.

Still, It's Okay, That's Love is a dark romance, meaning Hae-soo and Jae-yeol's relationship isn't without its fair share of obstacles. Jae-yeol, who developed an obsessive-compulsive disorder later in life as a response to his trauma, learns his mental health is more severe than he initially believed.

3 Flower Of Evil (2020)

A Perfect Marriage Is Threatened Following A Murder Investigation

Unlike many of the best dark romance K-dramas mentioned, Flower of Evil acts as a crime thriller, when a seemingly perfect marriage begins to unravel. Both an engaging mystery K-drama and a dark romance series, Flower of Evil is centered around Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won) and Baek Hee-sung (Lee Joon-gi), who are married and have a young daughter together. To outsiders, their marriage and family are ideal.

However, Ji-won is a detective, and after she begins investigating a string of murders, she becomes increasingly suspicious of her husband's behavior. The suspense is thick throughout the series and gradually builds to a surprising finale that will leave audiences emotional and relieved. Flower of Evil is also guaranteed to keep audiences invested with its cleverly placed twists and well-written backstories for its characters, especially Hee-sung, whose past is more troubling than anyone could have predicted.

2 Scent Of A Woman (2011)

With Six Months Left To Live, A Woman Lives Life To The Fullest

On top of being diagnosed with gallbladder cancer, Scent of a Woman's Lee Yeon-jae (Kim Sun-a) has not had it easy in life. Yeon-jae is single and made to feel bad about it because of her age, and her timid personality at work is taken advantage of when others accuse her of stealing from a client. With her remaining six months left to live, Yeon-jae takes control of her life and lives it to the absolute fullest.

On her adventures, Yeon-jae comes across a man, Kang Ji-wook (Lee Dong-wook), who is everything she could ever want in a romantic partner. The dramatic storylines in K-dramas are known for making audiences cry, and Scent of a Woman is not an exception. Yet, the series does an excellent job of balancing the emotional scenes with moments of shared laughter between Yeon-jae and Ji-wook. Audiences never fully forget about Yeon-jae's grim fate, but they, like the character, are able to live in the moment and watch the pair's sweet romance evolve.

1 A Time Called You (2023)

Time Travel Results In A Complicated Love Story

A Time Called You combines romance, time travel, and a murder mystery. The series begins with Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been) in 2023 as she mourns the loss of her boyfriend. Jun-hee is suddenly transported back in time and wakes up in the year 1998 in the body of 18-year-old Min-ju.

Their connection is intense but complicated, as Jun-hee can't save Min-ju and be with Si-heon at the same time.

Intending to reunite with her boyfriend, Jun-hee instead becomes involved in a murder mystery as she works to solve and prevent Min-ju's eventual death. The mechanics of time travel in A Time Called You are a bit confusing at times, as body swapping is also involved, and these themes play a role in what happened to Min-ju.

Though the mystery is fascinating and is a big part of the series, what truly drew audiences to the K-drama was the romance between Jun-hee and Nam Si-heon (Ahn Hyo-seop), a boy in 1998 who resembles her deceased boyfriend. Their connection is intense but complicated, as Jun-hee can't save Min-ju and be with Si-heon at the same time.