Redesigning your life is never easy. You need to have lots of courage and determination to even take that first step. That’s why many people would rather stay inside their comfort zone. However, change is inevitable. if you feel like your life is going around in circles, it is a sign that you need to have a fresh start in life. Sometimes, changes in your beliefs and your habits are necessary in order to move forward. If you are a Korean drama fan, here are some drama dramas about a fresh start in life.
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While some heroes / heroines made a choice to deliberately change their lives, others were forced into the situation. Whatever the original reasons were, the important lesson here is that they allowed themselves to experience change. The path ahead is difficult. There are many bumps along the way but they all persevered. In the end, these people were no longer the same person as before. Because they took on the challenge, they became better, happier and more successful individuals.
1. Designated Survivor: 60 Days (2019)
A remake of American television series Designated Survivor, this is about Park Mu Jin, a man with no political ambition who suddenly found himself in the highest office of the country after an explosion took place and killed many high-ranking government officials including the President. He was appointed as the Designated Survivor on his last day as Minister of Environment. A professor of Chemistry, he was looking forward to going back to his life in the academe when the tragedy happened. Forced to become the Acting President for 60 days, his job was to stabilise the nation and to chase the people responsible for the bombing. As he overcame each challenge, he rose up to become a good and respected national leader.
2. The Entertainer (2016)
This drama is about the journey of two men whose lives were brought together by music. Shin Suk-ho is a hotshot music producer and talent manager in a top company who gave it all up to start his own company. He had troubles with his new company that he ended up losing everything. Jo Ha Neul on the other hand, is a talented high school student who was framed for assault. Suk-ho vowed to clear Ha Neul and turn him into a famous musician. Together with other band members, they conquered all the adversities that came their way to achieve their dreams and become the persons that they want to be.
3. Go Back Couple / Confession Couple (2017)
Choi Ban-do and Ma Jin-joo are a couple who are already tired and unhappy with their relationship. After 18 years as husband and wife, they decided to call it quits because it has become too emotionally painful to stay together. However, they suddenly woke up and found themselves transported to the year when they first met. Their journey back in time gave them a fresh start in life. It gave them a chance to explore what might have been and to remember the reasons why they fell in love in the first place.
4. Haechi (2019)
Haechi is based on the true-to-life story of King Yeongjo, known for the many reforms he did in the political, cultural and industrial state of the Joseon dynasty. His reign was also characterised with an economic boom and a peak in Confucian values. Despite his numerous achievements, the crown was not easily handed to him. Although born as the second son of King Sukjong, his mother was a maid in the palace. Due to his lowborn status, he had a hard time growing up. The nobilities resented him because of his low birth status while the commoners treated him as someone different from them. He spent his early years wandering and hiding the truth about his identity. The drama is about his transformation and journey from an insecure and unwanted prince to a respected king in Korean history.
5. Hospital Ship (2017)
Song Eun Jae is a talented and youngest chief surgeon in prestigious hospital who suddenly found herself being transferred to a hospital ship. A hospital ship is a medical ship that caters to rural villages in remote islands. She is very professional but cold-blooded. Her experiences and encounters with local patients and relationships with coworkers in the hospital ship slowly transformed her into a new person. She learned that life is not all about achievements and recognitions but rather it is about service, selflessness and at peace with one’s self.
6. My ID is Gangnam Beauty (2018)
A popular Korean webtoon that was turned into a drama, it is is about Kang Mirae who was an outcast growing up because she was perceived as ugly by the society. She wanted to have a fresh start in college so she had undergone several plastic surgeries. Although she became beautiful, she was now tagged as a Gangnam Beauty. A Gangnam beauty is someone who is attractive but no longer looks natural. This is about Mirae’s journey in overcoming her personal insecurities and learning that physical changes do not necessarily lift one’s self-esteem but rather it should come from the inside.
7. Romance is a Bonus Book (20c19)
In the drama, Kang Dan-i used to be a successful advertising copywriter. She gave it all up after she got married and had a family. After her marriage fell apart, she found herself broke and unemployed. This is about her struggle in trying to get back to the workforce after being a stay at home mother for so long.
8. Second 20s / Twenty Again (2015)
This is about a girl, Ha No Ra who had to quit school and got married when she was just a teenager because she got pregnant. For almost twenty years, her life revolved around her husband and her son who both took her for granted. Her world shattered when her husband asked for divorce. She was also diagnosed with cancer. Thinking that she was already towards the end of her life, she made a bucket list and did everything she can to make her remaining years worthwhile. She went back to school and got a job. In the process, she ended up finding herself and re-experiencing life and love again.
9. Still 17 (2018)
The story is about Woo Seo-ri, a gifted aspiring violinist who fell into a coma when she was 17 years old. She then woke up 13 years later only to find out that nothing is the same anymore. It is about how to slowly overcome the tragedies and bitterness that happened in life, to be able to live and smile again and to have a fresh start despite the odds and the fears. It is a heartwarming journey towards acceptance, adaptation and maturity.
10. You are My Destiny / Fated to Love You (2014)
A remake of the 2008 Taiwanese Drama Fated to Love You, this is about a pushover girl named Kim Mi Young. Because she was so nice, she found it hard to deny anyone who asks something from her. As a result, she became vulnerable to other people who simply used her. Due to a drunken one-night stand, she got pregnant and was forced to marry a rich obnoxious stranger. The relationship was short-lived because of the circumstances and personality differences. The whole experience made the heroine change to become a confident, successful and better version of herself.
Any other drama recommendations about Fresh Starts? Please type in the comments below.
Feature Image by NickyPe from Pixabay Images
First Published 01.29.2020
Special thanks to Lyrie and Isabel, members of YourLifeSketch Kdrama group on Facebook, for making some of the recommendations.