20 K-Dramas That Didn’t Have A Happily Ever After

Feb. 1, 2021, 10 p.m.

Movies

20 K-Dramas That Didn’t Have A Happily Ever After

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Summary K-dramas often have sad endings, not all couples stay together, nor do main characters find long-lasting love.

Fans are emotionally invested in characters, hoping for a good resolution, but some K-dramas are known for sad endings.

From realistic love stories to bittersweet conclusions, K-dramas like "Now, We Are Breaking Up" explore the complexities of romance.

Content warning: This article contains discussions of suicide, terminal illness, and violence.

K-dramas rarely go past one season, or perhaps two if they're lucky, which often means viewers can find the K-dramas have a sad ending. The overarching storyline has to come to a close by the season finale, which can make for bittersweet conclusions. Not all of these endings are happily ever afters. Not all couples stay together, nor do the main characters finally get their shot at long-lasting love. In some cases, there might be a glimmer of hope, but audiences will never truly know how the rest of the story would have turned out.

More casual fans might be surprised that there are some K-dramas with sad endings that were just as popular as some of the happier hits, even though they left fans with a sour taste in their mouths when all was said and done. After becoming emotionally attached to the main characters, fans only hope for the best and a good resolution, yet sad endings are not new for K-dramas. Fans keep coming back to experience the heartbreak all over again. Among the countless K-dramas available, there are a select few that have become well-known for their sad endings.

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20 Now, We Are Breaking Up (2021)

Romantic Drama About Real-World Love & Breakups

Stream now on Viki

It was no surprise that Now, We Are Breaking Up was a sad ending K-drama series. The title of the series almost suggests this from the start. This K-drama takes a very realistic look at romance and how it is not always about happily ever after and true love. Ha Young Eun, a successful team leader in the design department, puts her work ahead of everything else in her life. She is mostly cold-hearted and practical, and she knows that she is not fit for a serious romantic relationship.

Things change when she meets Yoon Jae Kook, a freelance fashion photographer, and it is love at first sight. However, this is a realistic look at love stories, and it isn't a fantasy about two people who were meant to be living happily ever after.

The one last look in Busan as they glance at each other is heartbreaking.

When their relationship threatens their careers, they have to decide what is more important and they choose their careers over love. The one last look in Busan as they glance at each other is heartbreaking for viewers who want to see these two make it work.

19 Yumi’s Cells (2021)

A Woman Sees Love Through Her Brain Cells

Stream now on Viki

It is not often that a series with animation ends up with a sad ending K-drama. However, with Yumi's Cells, the story takes the form of the American movie Inside Out, but doesn't finish off with the happy (yet touching) ending of that Pixar masterpiece. This series is also different because it mixes animation and a live-action love story. Kim Yoo Mi is a woman who has just gone through a painful breakup when she meets the emotionally unstable game developer Goo Woong.

This is the setup for a cute love story. The twist is that most of Kim's decisions come from her "love cells," which live in their own cute animated world. However, after the painful breakup, they are in a state of disaster.

While the series has a satisfying ending, she chooses not to accept love in her life again.

Just like in Inside Out, this uses anthropomorphic emotions to show how hard it can be to function when facing uncertainty. While the series has a satisfying ending, she chooses not to accept love in her life again, and instead chooses to try to learn to love herself.

18 The Red Sleeve (2021)

Fictionalized Account Of Love Between King Jeongjo & His Royal Consort

Stram now on Viki

The Red Sleeve takes place in 18th-century Korea, where Prince Yi San mourns his father's death. His next step is to wait until his chance to take the rule and reform the laws once his cruel grandfather dies. However, having inherited the throne, he falls in love with his royal concubine, Sung Deok Im. There is one problem which is that this romance could prove fatal, and he struggles with how to deal with his feelings, despite knowing the possible consequences.

This is a romantic drama between two star-crossed lovers, and it was never meant to end well.

This is a romantic drama between two star-crossed lovers, and it was never meant to end well for either of them. The story shows ther love is sweet and strong, and they want more than anything to have a passionate romance and live their lives together. Unfortunately, Sung Deok Im ends up dying, delivering the tragedy of this K-drama and Yi San deals with the tragic grief before the series then flips into a dream-like sequence to end the story.

17 Love Alarm (2019)

A Mobile App Finds People Close Who Are Compatible For Love

Stream now on Netflix

The plot synopsis for Love Alarm makes it sound like a sweet and quirky love story but what results is a devastating tale of lost love. The series follows Kim Jo Jo, an orphan who struggles when her aunt takes her in. However, this world has technology in the form of an app that notifies users when someone within 10 meters has romantic feelings for them.

This leads Kim to use it and end up in a love triangle between two young men — best friends Hwang Sun Oh and Lee Hye Yeong. The fact that Hwang Sun Oh and Lee Hye Yeong are best friends makes this a story that is bound to have hurt feelings and a possible tragic ending.

The sad ending K-drama is all about the broken relationships that this technology causes.

While the main focus of the plot is on the dangers of relying on technology to find love, the sad ending K-drama is all about the broken relationships that this technology causes. By the conclusion, it has a tragic ending as Jo Jo finally breaks up with Sun Oh in the end.

16 Youth Of May (2021)

A Medical Student & Nurse Fall In Love During The Gwangju Uprising

Stream now on Kocowa

Youth Of May is a period drama taking place in 1980 and follows student activists in Gwangju protesting against the government. This takes place during the Gwangju Uptising, which saw people rise up against a new military dictator that implemented martial law. The dictatorship closed down universities and the military impression was violent.

In the real event, the students began to protest, so the military fired upon them, attacked and brutalized them, and between 600 and 2,300 victims were massacred. That backdrop shows that this K-drama has nothing but a sad ending in store for viewers. The show follows the love story of a medical student named Hwang Hee-tae and a nurse named Kim Myung-hee.

The entire purpose of the plot is to show normal people in the background of this bloody massacre to show how people could have had a different life if not for the dictatorship's violent actions. It all ends with the army gunning down Myung-hee and leaving him for dead in the woods.

15 Black (2017)

Fantasy Thriller About The Grim Reaper

Fans really hoped for happily ever after in the supernatural K-drama, Black. A woman who sees ghosts joins forces with a detective who is possessed by an elite grim reaper. Fans saw the cold and dark grim reaper, Black (Song Seung-Heon), start to fall in love with Ha-Ram (Go Ara).

This ending didn't sway certain fans as the Reapers deem Black's punishment to be that he never existed. They erase all memories of him from Ha-Ram's mind. This means she grows up to have a normal life like everyone else. Fans didn't take to Ha-Ram not living out her days with Black.

It's only when she's old that she remembers Black after receiving a red string bracelet. Old Ha-Ram passes away and rejoins Black in the afterlife. The series also had a Malaysian adaptation, with the Grim Reaper replaced by the Orang bunian.

14 Kill It (2019)

Thriller About A Killer & The Detective Pursuing Him

Fans shouldn't expect a happy ending from this thriller K-drama. Kill It tells the story of a top assassin, Kim Soo-Hyun (Jang Ki-Yong), and a police detective who cross paths to uncover the truth behind her lover's death. Soo-Hyun and Do Hyun-Jin (Nana) just so happen to fall in love.

The series is also one that juxtaposes the characters, as the killer is also an animal lover and skilled veterinarian and the detective offers a cold and calculating image, but is actually empathetic inside.

The ending is bittersweet as Soo-Hyun exacts revenge against the person who hurt the woman he loves. In the final scene, Soo-Hyun kills said person and causes the SWAT team to open fire on him. Hyun-Jin falls to the floor beside him to hold his hand one last time. There is a total of 12 episodes in this thriller K-drama series, originally released in 2019 on OCN.

13 Stairway To Heaven (2003)

A Melodrama About Childhood Friends Who Fall In Love

Stairway to Heaven is a complex love story about two childhood best friends who are forced apart by evil characters. As adults, Han Jung-Suh (Choi Ji-woo)'s stepsister makes her life hell out of jealousy to the point where she fakes Jung-Suh's death and causes her amnesia. Years later, Jung-Suh reunites with her childhood friend and true love, only to fall ill with the same type of cancer her mother died of. Fans were left heartbroken by the sad ending in this K-drama as Jung-Suh doesn't get her happily ever after. She dies in the arms of her love.

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The series is named after the famous Led Zeppelin song of the same name and that song is used frequently in the underscore of the sad ending K-drama. This is also part of the Heaven Trilogy by director Lee Jang-soo, with the other two movies being Beautiful Days (2001) and Tree of Heaven (2006).

12 Empress Ki (2013)

A Biodrama About The Powerful Empress Ki

Empress Ki is a highly popular historical K-drama that had a sad ending that left fans heartbroken for the main character. The final episode of the drama entails the last of Empress Ki's (Ha Ji-Won) enemies being defeated. The death of a main character overshadows the joy of their win. Ta Hwan (Ji Chang-Wook) realizes that he's been betrayed by someone close to him.

He's been secretly fed poison for some time. Realizing it's too late, he allows Empress Ki to take over his rule. He subsequently dies, leaving Empress Ki to once again lose someone she loves and rule the kingdom alone.

This K-drama series with a sad ending was a huge success in awards season. It picked up five MBC Drama Awards nominations, winning all but one, including the Grand Prize. It also eaenred Baek Jin-hee Best New Actress (TV) at the Baeksang Arts Awards.

11 The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018)

A Mysterious Man With A Forgotten Past

Before fans fell head over heels for Seo In-Guk in the hit 2021 drama, Doom at Your Service, he starred in the 2018 drama, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes. Kim Moo-Young (In-Guk) is a bit mysterious yet has a childlike personality. He falls in love with a woman who is connected to the past he can't remember.

This is a typical enemies-to-lovers story, as they fall in love despite tension between them when they first meet. By the end of the drama, fans were left in shock at its sad ending. Moo-Young accepts the consequences of his decision to kill an evil character.

At his childhood home, the scene unfolds into tragedy as the truth comes to light between Moo-Young and his love. In a sad turn of events, both characters are killed by another and die in each other's arms after declaring their love.

10 Record Of Youth (2020)

Three People In The Fashion Industry Strike For Their Dreams

Record of Youth is a Netflix show that debuted in 2020. The ending left viewers on a mediocre note compared to the rest of the series. The two main characters go through a tough time as the male lead rises in fame as an actor and the female lead gets recognized as a makeup artist.

By the end, they part ways, believing that it's not the right time for them to be together, despite their love for one another. They do promise that if in the future they come to meet because of fate, then they'll give it another go.

The last episode shows them meeting by chance at a movie shoot, striking up a conversation, and walking together, but the rest is up to the imagination of the viewers. Record of Youth was nominated for one Baeksang Arts Award, but didn't win for Best Screenpay (TV) for Ha Myung-hee.

9 Cheese In The Trap (2016)

Drama Series Taking Place At A University

Cheese in the Trap became a notorious K-drama for its intense display of "second-hand lead syndrome" and the love triangle. While fans may not have initially liked the love interest Hong Seol (Kim Go-Eun) chose, fans were left heartbroken in the finale.

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Yoo Jung (Park Hae-Jin) ends up leaving Korea, stating that he was the problem in their relationship and needed time. Baek In-Ho (Seo Kang-Joon) doesn't get the girl either, as Hong Seol recuperates from a broken heart. Still scarred by it, she still sends emails to Yoo Jung with no reply. The final scene of the show is one of the emails getting a response, leaving the fans with a small seed of hope. The series was nominated for five Baeksang Arts Awards and Kim Go-eun won for Best New Actress (Television).

8 A Korean Odyssey (2017)

A Modern Spin On Journey To The West

The ending of the fantasy K-drama A Korean Odyssey left viewers with a bittersweet feeling but ultimately made sense for the story. As the story goes, Oh-Gong (See Seung-Gi) becomes indebted to Sun-Mi (Oh Yeon -Seo) for what he did to her when she was a child. Many can say their love story was fated from the start.

Their fate also came with a dark reality. Sun-Mi is a Sam Jang and is fated to die at the hands of her true love, Oh-Gong. In the final episode, she comes to accept her fate but wants to die on her terms.

She ends up being killed to stop a heinous evil from entering the world but Oh-Gong becomes the one to vanquish it. In the end, Sun-Mi dies in Oh-Gong's arms. A Korean Odyssey was the most-watched series premiere when released, counting both public broadcasting and cable (via Naver).

7 The Hymn Of Death (2018)

A Tragic Romance Between A Singer & A Playwright

The Hymn of Death was a 2018 drama that was a historical romance. The story would entice any viewer as it depicts the tragic story between Joseon's first soprano and a playwright. As fans watch the show, they realize what's in store for the couple in the end. Woo-Jin (Lee Jong-Suk) and Sim-Deok (Shin Hye-Sun) catch a ferry together using their pen names as an alias.

That night, they go onto the deck for a final dance. Sim-Deok tries to hide her tears but Woo-Jin wipes them and takes her hand in his. They share one final moment before turning to the railings. All audiences are left hearing is the crashing of waves.

This was a nice series for fans of the K-drama School 2013 (2013) because this was the first time that Lee Jong-suk and Shin Hye-sun worked together since that series.

6 Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

A Woman Is Transported Back In Time

The ending to Moon Lovers was hard and had fans feeling immense emotional pain. The storyline revolves around Go Ha-Jin/Hae Soo (Lee Ji-Eun) being transported to the Goryeo Dynasty and falling in love with the "wolf dog" 4th prince. Their story goes through the test of time, but in the end, she dies after giving birth to her child.

To make matters worse, Wang So (Lee Joon-Gi) doesn't visit her beforehand and upon hearing of her death realizes that the letters he refused to open explain her feelings for him. Hae Soo wakes up in her own time thinking it to be a dream.

Fans cry along with her when she visits a Goryeo exhibit and realizes it wasn't a dream at all. Moon Lovers received the K-Culture Pride Award at Korea Brand Awards, which signified the exchange of cultural contents between China and Korea.

5 Uncontrollably Fond (2016)

Former Classmates Who Reunite As Adults To Make A Documentary

Uncontrollably Fond gave fans high hopes as two childhood classmates find each other in adulthood. Noh Eul (Bae Suzy) is tasked with documenting the life of actor/singer Shin Joon-Young (Kim Woo-Bin). Fans will remember Kim Woo-Bin for his not-so-delightful character in Heirs. The show's end had fans in shock and tears, but it was expected from the start.

Joon-Young comes to terms with his life, and in the final scenes, he's with Noh Eul. He rests his head on her shoulder and a while later she asks if he's asleep. There's no answer and Noh Eul knows he's passed away.

Some time passes and in the very final scene, she looks at a poster of him, kisses it, and says “See you tomorrow, Joon Young-Ah.” The series received several awards nominations, including six at the 30th KBS Drama Awards. Bae Suzy won the Best Star Award at the 1st Asia Artist Awards.

4 Mr. Sunshine (2018)

Activists Fighting For Korea's Independence

Mr.Sunshine has gotten high remarks since its debut in 2018. It interweaves the drama and turmoil of a political era and the romance between Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-Hun) and Go Ae-Shin (Kim Tae-Ri). But the astounding story ends on a sad note. In the final episode, Dong-Mae (Yoo Yeon-Seok) dies fighting off his enemies but suffering fatal knife injuries. He dies smiling and thinking of Ae-Shin. Dong-Mae warmed hearts despite his K-drama bad boy appearance.

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It doesn't end there. Eugene saves Ae-Shin from soldiers by using his last bullets to separate her train car. Eugene is then killed by multiple shots to the back by Japanese soldiers. In the epilogue, Ae-Shin continues to train soldiers in a liberated Korea, and all thanks to Mr. Sunshine aka Eugene. The series received critical acclaim with nine nominations at the Baeksang Arts Awards, winning Best Actor for Lee Byung-hun.

3 Hotel Del Luna (2019)

Fantasy About A Hotel For The Dead

This drama has fans heartbroken with the finale over Man-Wol (IU) not getting her happily ever after. She spends decades atoning for her past crime by helping troubled souls who enter her hotel (which everyone is a dead ghost except for the general manager). Fans loved the K-drama character for being tough and independent but she still got her own love story.

Her end is bittersweet. She doesn't drink the moonflower wine that would allow her and Chan-Sung (Yeo Jin-goo) to live out their lives once again as the hotel's manager. In an emotional scene, Man-Wol decides to enter the afterlife on her own terms, not escorted by the Grim Reaper.

Chan-Sung watches as she fades into the mist. There's an epilogue of what occurs to the remaining characters, so the audience does receive some closure despite the sad ending to the K-drama.

2 My Country: The New Age (2019)

Friends Become Enemies During The Goryeo Dynasty

This K-drama is for fans who want a show set in a historical period riddled with the dangers of war and politics tied with love and rivalry. The drama centers mostly around two best friends, Seo-Hwi (Yang Se-Jong) and Nam Seon-Ho (Woo Do-Hwan). At the same time, the country is transitioning into a new era that leads both friends to be enemies.

But in the final episode, the story gets complex and upsetting. Both characters storm the palace, fighting off guards. To allow Seo-Hwi to see Bang-Won (Jang Hyuk), the prince, Seon-ho sacrifices himself, leading him to be speared multiple times.

Seo-Hwi returns to hold his friend and is shot by arrows. They die in each other's arms in a heartbreaking moment. There are 16 episodes in the series, which was released in 2019 and is available on Netflix for streaming in most territories.

1 I'm Sorry I Love You (2004)

A Con Artist Falls For A Fashion Coordinator

If there is one K-drama that takes the cake for having the most heartbreaking and saddest K-drama ending, it's I'm Sorry I Love You. It tells the story of a bad boy scammer living in Australia when he meets Song Eun-Chae (Im Soo-Jung) who gets her items stolen by criminals.

Their love story blossoms when he returns to Korea to find his birth parents. He soon comes to learn about his real family. He, at first, seeks revenge, but when his newfound brother is injured in an accident, he makes a decision. Moo-Hyuk (So Ji-Sub) kills himself in a motorcycle accident to save his brother. Before his death, he calls Eun-Chae and says, "I'm sorry. I love you." In the final scene, she visits his grave and dies by suicide. Not every K-drama has a sad ending, but this one leaves the audience sobbing.