5 Best Teen Romance K-Dramas to Watch in Summer 2022
Summertime means relaxing fun by the beach or having the time to binge-watch a long list of K-dramas. Nothing is better for the hot summer months than a few teen romances, high school shenanigans, and stories of friendship. With True Beauty being one of the best teen romance K-dramas, there are more that rise to the same fame.
‘Love Alarm’ was Netflix’s first, second season K-drama
Die-hard fans remember when K-dramas lasted for roughly 16 episodes or one season. In 2019, Netflix started to venture into the world of K-dramas, with Love Alarm being one of its first major successes.
The K-drama starred Song Kang as Hwang Sun-oh and Kim So-hyeon as Kim Jo-jo. Love Alarm is centered on a viral dating app that lets people know when someone in the vicinity likes them. Jo-jo is kind, intelligent, and level-headed and does not download the app.
Meanwhile, she meets the handsome and wealthy Sun-oh at school. His Love Alarm app rings every second. He is best friends with Lee Hye-young, played by Jung Ga-ram. When Sun-oh realizes Hye-young likes Jo-jo, he kisses her but creates a love triangle. Love Alarm became one of the exception K-dramas that developed a second season due to fan response.
Love Alarm is available on Netflix.
‘Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok-joo’ is a classic and one of the best K-dramas
While Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok-joo does not necessarily have teen characters, it still fits the bill of one of the best K-dramas to watch during the summer. The 2016 drama focused on a group of young college students. It is a coming-of-age story of students trying to achieve their dreams, friendship, and young love.
Lee Sung-kyung stars as Kim Bok-joo, a naturally gifted weightlifter. But her tough exterior hides her insecurities about not being girly enough. She ventures into new territory when she develops a crush on Jung Joon-hyung’s (Nam Joo-hyuk) older brother. Joon-hyung teases her but soon starts to realize her beauty and character. He decides to help her, even if he has fallen in love.
Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok-joo is available on Viki.
‘A Love So Beautiful’ takes romance from teenage years into adulthood
Fans’ hearts will leap with glee when watching A Love So Beautiful. The 2020 K-drama was praised for its coming-of-age story of a group of friends in high school and the developing romance of two lead characters. The K-drama is a remake of a Chinese movie of the same name.
The K-drama shows the journey of the main characters in high school and the bubbly and cheerful Shin Sol-i (So Joo-yeon). She has a major crush on her neighbor and top student, Cha Heon (Kim Yo-han). While she confesses her feelings every day, he rejects her advances.
They still develop a friendship, but a new student transfers in and falls in love with Sol-i. As the characters go through school, college, and more, Sol-i and Heon’s love story develops.
A Love so Beautiful is available on Netflix.
‘Moment at Eighteen’ is one of the best coming-of-age K-dramas about youth
When it comes to resonating stories about the turmoil and expectations of teenagers, Moment at Eighteen takes the cake as one of the best K-dramas. In this drama, the focus is on 18-year-old Choi Joon-woo (Ong Seong-wu). He is forced to transfer schools after being blamed for a violation he did not commit.
He decides to become a loner to get through the school year. But along the way, he and his classmates deal with the woes of teenage years, the stress of family expectations, and trying to enjoy life and young love. Joon-woo develops a crush on the top student Yoo Soo-bin (Kim Hwang-gi). Soo-bin’s life is not hers as her mother pushes her to succeed.
Moment at Eighteen is available on Viki.
‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’ became the most successful K-drama to date
Fans would categorize Twenty-Five Twenty-One as a teen romance because of its leading characters. The K-drama became the best work of 2022, taking home multiple awards and becoming a fan favorite. It is a teen romance because three main characters are in their teens.
In the aftermath of the IMF crisis, Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri) loses her fencing team and finds a way to join the team where her idol trains. Meanwhile, Baek Yi-jin’s (Nam Joo-hyuk) family loses everything. He delivers papers and unceremoniously meets Hee-do.
The 18-year-old Hee-do develops a friendship with 22-year-old Yi-jin. But underneath their friendship is a brewing love story. The characters become each other’s support system as they figure out their lives into adulthood. Twenty-Five Twenty-One is one of the best k-dramas of the year for its resonating story and finale that broke fans’ hearts.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One is available on Netflix.
