Romance isn’t always a garden of roses – sometimes things go wrong, wild affection turns to bitter hate, and jilted lovers hunt for revenge! Check out this list of dramas and movies that explore the darker side of love...

Bad Romance

Lee Ra El (Seo Yea Ji) idolized her brilliant father and stunning mother, but her world shattered when a ruthless plot led to her father’s death. Consumed by grief and a thirst for vengeance, Ra El targets Kang Yoon Kyum (Park Byung Eun), the CEO of the powerful LY Group who was instrumental in her family’s downfall. Her weapon? A high-stakes divorce battle worth $1.6 billion, aimed at dismantling Kang’s empire. As Ra El embarks on this 13-year quest for revenge, she must navigate a treacherous legal landscape and confront formidable adversaries. Will her meticulous plan bring the justice she seeks, or will the quest for retribution ultimately destroy her? This 2022 South Korean drama series was directed by Park Bong Seop.

The rEVEnge Team

Beautiful, trendy, and intelligent, Ha Yeong Eun (Song Hye Kyo) is the epitome of a fashion industry icon. Content in both her work and her life, Yeong Eun is unfazed by others perceiving her pragmatic nature as cold. However, her life takes a turn when she meets Yoon Jae Gook (Jang Ki Young), a popular and charismatic freelance photographer who embodies perfection. Unable to ignore the feelings growing between them, Yeong Eun and Jae Gook fall quickly for each other. Yet, their romance faces challenges, showing that not all love stories have happy endings. A story that explores all the ups and downs of romantic love, this 2021 South Korean romantic series was directed by Lee Gil Bok.

Now, We Are Breaking Up

Are You The One Team

To outside observers, it looks like metal-worker Baek Hee Sung (Lee Joon Gi) and homicide detective Cha Ji Won (Moon Chae Won) have a perfect life: they’re happily married with a beautiful young daughter. But Hee Sung is hiding secrets from his family… and when Ji Won is dispatched to a puzzling and violent new case, she learns that her husband is somehow implicated. As she investigates, she begins to discover that the man she loves may not be who she thinks he is. Could he have taken on a secret identity? And if he is lying about his real identity, what other skeletons could be lurking in the family closet? This 2020 South Korean drama series was directed by Kim Cheol Kyu.

Flower of Evil

✨🌹The Flowers Team 🌹✨

Tencent, iQiyi

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A teenage boy (Darren Wang) who has been raised by wolves and has developed keen, supernatural-like senses, meets a woman named Ma Zhai Xing (Li Qin), the teenage daughter of a government official – and the duo strikes up a firm friendship.

But Wolf Boy knows little about the ways of civilized society and is easily duped by Ma Zhai Xing’s brother into offending a powerful group of people who then hunt him down and push him from a cliff.

However, the fall has not killed the boy, instead just leaving him badly injured.

The Yang ruler Chu Kui (Ding Yong Dai) has learned of Wolf Boy – and goes searching for the youth. He believes he can make use of the boy’s powers and eventually adopts him as his own son, keeping his true identity a secret.

Raised to be ruthless and fiercely loyal to Chu Kui, he is eventually named as a royal prince.

But eight years after the prince’s fateful fall, he is suddenly reunited with Ma Zhai Xing. Could old emotions resurface, or has too much water passed under the bridge?

“The Wolf” is a 2020 Chinese drama series that was produced by Chen Yu Shan.

The Wolf

🐺Howling at the Moon Team🌙

Toru Sakurai (Yuki Furukawa) is a scheming, high-flying social climber who is a rising star at a major, big-money trading company. He is engaged to Mika Kuroda (Rio Yamashita), another cunning and ruthless individual with a reputation for getting what she wants at all costs. Toru Sakurai, however, has begun an affair with a woman named&nbsp;Kanata Hirose (Fukagawa Mai), whose parents died when she was younger, leaving her to take sole care of her younger sister. This relationship takes an unwanted turn for&nbsp;Toru Sakurai, however, and both he and Mika Kuroda take drastic action. The consequences are dire, and&nbsp;Kanata Hirose vanishes from the scene, in an apparent suicide.

But Kanata Hirose’s sister, Hinata Hirose (Minori Hagiwara), vows to take revenge, and attempts to enlist the help of her childhood friend Mitsutoshi Asai (Miyachika Kaito). What follows is a deadly game of cross and double-cross, as the vengeful Hinata Hirose attempts to derail the success of the people who drove her sister to her apparent death. But in this dark web of secrets, lies, and betrayal, nobody is safe from the ever-present threat of deception…

This drama was based on a manga series of the same name that was serialized from 2018 to 2019.

“RISKY” is a 2021 Japanese drama series that was directed by Hiroto Hara and Tatsunori Sato.

RISKY

💔 The Sweet Revenge🩸

Oh Su Jae (Seo Hyun Jin) is on a journey to reach the pinnacle of South Korea's legal world. However, a key case takes an unexpected turn, leading to her abrupt demotion. Deflated, Su Jae takes on a job working at a law school, hoping to reclaim her reputation and standing in the law firm where she was once a partner. At the school, she meets Gong Chan (Hwang In Yeop), a student who has faced his own share of hardships. And as they begin to spend time together, a close bond forms. As Su Jae begins her journey back to the top, could love be on the cards? This 2022 South Korean drama series was directed by Park Soo Jin.

Why Her?

Fallen ⭐️ Rising Team

JSTV

The road to becoming an empress is paved with treachery. Ruyi (Zhou Xun) is a consort who quickly learns to navigate the treacherous politics of the the royal court and move up the ranks.

After becoming Empress, Ruyi still must survive the many conspiracies against her. Her relationship with Emperor Qianlong (Wallace Huo) becomes eroded even when Ruyi is able to overcome the challenges. 

Can Ruyi maintain her role as Empress under such difficult circumstances?

“Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace” is a 2018 Chinese drama series directed by Wang Jun. It is adapted from the novel Hou Gong Ru Yi Zhuan by Liu Lianzi and is a sequel to the critically acclaimed 2011 television drama “Empresses in the Palace.”

Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

Qing Hair and Those Who Dare

The residents of Hera Palace, a luxury penthouse apartment with 100 floors, have many secrets and hidden ambitions. Sim Su Ryeon, who was born into wealth, is the queen of the penthouse apartment. Cheon Seo Jin, the prima donna of the residence, does all she can to give everything to her daughter. Oh Yoon Hee comes from a poor family background, but she strives to enter high society by becoming the queen of the penthouse, the pinnacle of success in her eyes.

The Penthouse

The Penthouse Tangles Team

Seo Jin and Dan Tae eventually get rid of everyone who was in their way. They shamelessly frame Yoon Hee for the murder of Su Ryeon and even cover up the death of Seol A. The residents of Hera Palace believe everything will return to how it used to be. However, the tides change when Yoon Hee escapes prison and Eun Byeol discovers the truth. Their mysterious fates are still yet to be seen. Will they manage to protect their precious palace until the very end?

The Penthouse 2

💥 The Penthouse Tangles II 💥

Su Ryeon finally takes revenge on the residents of Hera Palace. They lost all of their money by investing in Cheonsoo District, and even worse, they stand before the court for covering up Seol A\u2019s death. Those greedy residents of Hera Palace who caught themselves in their own traps end up losing their fortunes, reputations, and everything they had, and Su Ryeon succeeds in getting her revenge on Dan Tae who tried to kill her. When Su Ryeon thought the nightmare is finally over, she witnesses Logan\u2019s death right before her eyes. Who could have planned to murder Logan, and what will happen to the residents of Hera Palace next? Their desire for revenge is not over yet.

The Penthouse 3

💥The Penthouse Tangles III💥

iQiyi

Branded as an outsider and shunned as such, Shang Xirui (Yin Zheng) has faced a lifetime of trials but that has never once stopped him from reaching for his dream. An exceptional talent in the world of Peking opera, Xirui has but one dream, to share his love and knowledge of this beautiful, traditional art form with the world.&nbsp;

When wealthy businessman, Cheng Fengtai (Huang Xiao Ming) attends one of Xirui’s performances, he’s captivated by both the art and the artist. Sharing a passion for Peking opera, Fengtai and Xirui soon become the best of friends. An avid supporter of Xirui’s work, Fengtai helps his Xirui rebuild a local theater and train a new troupe of aspiring actors, to carry on the art and its traditions.

As the two work closely together, their friendship blossoms, both finding something in each other that neither has had before: a true friend. But in the summer of 1937, everything they love and have worked so hard for is threatened, when the Japanese army invades Beijing. Knowing they must fight to protect that which they love most, the two take up arms in defiance of those who threaten to destroy everything they hold dear.

Based on the novel of the same name by Shui Ru Tian Er, “Winter Begonia” is a 2020 period drama directed by Hui Kai Dong.

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