From princely oppas to wicked stepsisters and magical mermaids - these K-Dramas and Asian dramas put a new spin on classic fairytale romances.

Fairytale Romances

After losing her mother and finding out that her college funds were stolen by her cruel stepmother, Eun Ha Won (Park So Dam) is in desperate need of a job. After a chance encounter with an incredibly wealthy old man who admires her straightforward personality, Ha Won becomes a housekeeper for the man’s three grandsons. Living with the brooding Kang Ji Woon (Jung Il Woo), the charming Kang Hyeon Min (Ahn Jae Hyun), and the affable Kang Seo Woo (Lee Jung Shin), Ha Won faces unexpected challenges and even more unexpected romantic tension. As her relationship with the cousins deepens, she must navigate her new life and determine where her heart truly lies. This 2016 South Korean romance drama was directed by Kwon Hyuk Chan and Lee Min Woo, based on the web novel of the same name by Lee Min Young.

Cinderella and Four Knights

✨ Cinderella's Knights ✨

This is an alternate history drama that is based on Park So Hui's "Gung" with the reinstatement of the Korean monarchy in August 15, 1945, along with its liberation and establishes Year 1 of Gwanghwa. In 2006, "Year 14 of Inhwa," an overly normal high school girl that attends an arts high school ends up marrying the Crown Prince, who is dating Min Hyo Rin, because of a promise that the elders made decades earlier, and becomes the Crown Princess. But due to the failing health of the King, many problems occur in the aftermath. That's when Hwa Yeong, the former Crown Princess and her son, second in line to the throne, Prince Yul, return from 14 years away in England. Their ultimate aim being to take the throne. But Prince Yul ends up falling in love with the average high school girl turned Crown Princess, Shin Chae Gyeong, and one calamity after another continues to plague the Royal Family.

Princess Hours

 🐻 Royal Teddy Bears 🐻

In Ancient China, a young woman (Zhang Xue Ying) wakes with amnesia up after being captured by armed assassins and is told that she is Rong Le, the younger sister of the Emperor of the Western Qi Kingdom. She tries to remember if this is really her true identity, or if she has been tricked. But she is soon told that she must marry Zong Zheng Wu You (Aarif Rahman), a prince of the neighboring kingdom of Northern Lin. If she is successful, the marriage will allow the two kingdoms to forge a powerful alliance.

However, this plan is beset with problems. The woman is certain that there are untold secrets to discover about her true identity, while Zong Zheng Wu You turns out to be intelligent, but extremely sure of himself. He is also tormented by past tragedy and claims to have no interest in romance. The marriage plans fall through, but rather than returning to the Western Qi court, the woman takes up a fake name and ostensibly settles down to open a tea house. However, she is secretly searching for clues that will help her discover who she really is, and unearth evidence about her family. Things get very complicated when Zong Zheng Wu You visits and takes a shine to her – unaware that she is actually the “princess” whose hand in marriage he once turned down…

This drama was based on a novel by the author Mo Yan Shang.

“Princess Silver” is a 2019 Chinese drama series that was directed by Li Hui Zhu.

Princess Silver

More Shining Than Silver

When Joseon-era mermaid Sim Cheong (Jun Ji Hyun) follows her true love, she finds herself mysteriously transported into modern-day Seoul. Though separated from her true love, she soon crosses paths with his doppelgänger, Heo Joon Jae (Lee Min Ho). With nowhere else to go, Joon Jae takes the stranded mermaid in, though not out of the goodness of his heart. As a con artist, Joon Jae is quick to spot the priceless jade bracelet Sim Cheong wears. Determined to take Sim Cheong for all she’s worth, Joon Jae soon finds himself thinking twice about the mermaid after she helps him evade the lethal plans of his greedy stepmother. As the two draw closer together, will the charms of the ancient mermaid begin to melt the icy heart of a bitter conman? Inspired by a historical folktale, this 2016 South Korean drama series was directed by Jin Hyuk.

The Legend of the Blue Sea

The Blue Sea

Dal Po's real name is Ha Myung. When he was about to drown at 14, Gong Pil saved and adopted him, giving him a new name. Gong Pil believes Dal Po is his son who was lost in the sea in the past. And Dal Po tries to erase his past to live as Gong Pil's son. He even pretends to be bad at his studies even though he is brilliant and intentionally wears shabby clothes to hide his good looks. He gives up going to college due to financial difficulty at home. Still, he succeeds in becoming a reporter with unique talents thanks to the intelligence and experience he acquired by driving a taxi. Meanwhile, he has a niece who is the same age as him. She has Pinocchio syndrome, so she can't choose a job that requires some amount of lying. She decides to be a reporter, whose job is to seek the truth at all times.

Pinocchio

The Can't Lie Team

We all wear masks in our daily lives. A temporary worker wears a mask of an owner at a hostess bar, a girl who used to be a terrible bully back in her school days now wears a mask of a graceful lady to impress her blind date, and a director of child care center who abuses children puts on a mask of an angel before cameras. Hiding our true selves under the masks, we lead a lonely life. Today is the age of materialism, and a married couple that left love and everything behind to get what they want discovers each other\u2019s true colors under their masks and realizes that love and family matter the most.

Mask

The Pretenders

Bitten by a wolf while searching for her father, Ling Long (Connie Kang) lives her life as a woman split in two. Constantly switching between her gentle human side and the savage wolf that has awakened within, Ling Long can’t seem to control either side of herself. With both personalities dueling for control, she often comes off as manipulative and subversive, though in reality, she is exactly the opposite. Even so, her warring personalities don’t do her any favors, especially not when an arrogant young aristocrat by the name of Yan Qing (Gu Jia Cheng) catches her in an awkward situation and mistakes her for a thief.

Able to escape Yan Qin’s accusations once, Ling Long finds it much more difficult to do so a second time. Which is why, when a cruel twist of irony brings them together once more, Ling Long takes it upon herself to prove her innocence. Determined to find those responsible for the theft at the Yan manor, in which she now resides, Ling Long begins her own investigation. As she searches, she begins to notice her senses are becoming incredibly keen. But she’s not the only one noticing these changes. With the blood of the wolf clan coursing through his veins, Yan Qing is drawn to Ling Long’s increasingly wolfish tendencies, his curiosity piqued. Unable to resist the urge to get to know this strange girl, Yang Qing offers to help her with the investigation. Despite their rocky start, Ling Long accepts his offer and together they begin their search in earnest. But the deeper they dig, the more they find, eventually uncovering a plot that could shake the very foundations of their world.&nbsp;

Side-by-side, Ling Long and Yan Qing set out to right a multitude of wrongs but uncovered conspiracies aren’t their only problems. With Ling Long’s dangerous wolf side taking over more often Yan Qing must find a way to help before her humanity is lost forever. Can this unlikely pair find a way to stop both the evil running rampant in the world and the darkness that resides within?

Based on the web comic of the same name by Cheng Du Yuan Meng, “The Wolf Princes” is a 2021 fantasy romance drama directed by Danny Ko.

The Wolf Princess

🐺 The Howling Dynasty Team 👑

After being found in 918, the kingdom of Goryeo faced a critical existential crisis when the powerful Yuan dynasty tried to subjugate them. In the fictional setting of this drama, a warrior living in the timeline of Goryeo meets a plastic surgeon living in the present day. The plastic surgeon gets kidnapped by the warrior who got an order from the king to find a doctor who can cure the fatally injured queen. The two individuals who were not meant to coexist are brought together to fight their way through the ordeals on the land of Goryeo. The warrior makes a promise that he will return her to her world, but a scheming royal advisor persuades the king to force the surgeon to stay as she can be useful to him. There, the surgeon falls in love with the warrior who is the leader of the royal guard. In this era of change and chaos, love that transcends time and space blooms.

The Great Doctor

The Faith Team

KBS02

As a young boy, Moo Hak grew up in the market as a peddler. Although he is ignorant, he is strong-willed and knows how to make money. He is now the managing director of Dondon F and B, a global restaurant chain that his family started as a small gamjatang diner. However, he isn't dignified and only cares about money. He meets Da Li, the only daughter and child of an upper-class family who runs an art gallery. She has a profound deep knowledge of things. She gets faced with bankruptcy due to her father's sudden death and begins a hard life. Moo Hak and Da Li start a relationship as a creditor and debtor over the art gallery. Will these two polar opposites understand each other and fall in love?

Dali and Cocky Prince

Dali and Prince Lovers Team 

Sometimes, we feel everything is already determined as we are born. However, the meaning of life is not always about class, and often, the class among people change, and more importantly, people have passion, dream, and love. As we live, we often think some people live in a different world, yet we all know everyone has their own concerns and worries for some reason. Through these four people's stories, let's find out the true meaning of humanity and love and how the four are involved in a story.

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