8 Fantasy K-Drama Characters We Love: Goblins, Fox Spirits, Mermaids
There are romance dramas, and then there are romance dramas with other-worldly beings so impossibly good-looking and charming, you can’t help but fall in love with them. This phenomenon seems quite prevalent in K-dramas, with many top-rated shows featuring romantic goblins, amorous foxes and lovelorn mermaids paired up with humans.
Does it play to our fantasies of being swept off our feet by more powerful and mysterious beings? Or perhaps the idea of the star-crossed romance between mere human and immortal deity is so poignant and melodramatic, it just makes for rich K-drama fodder. Either way, we are hooked on these Korean shows that feature such mystical characters.
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1/8 Tale of the Nine-Tailed (2020)
The creature: Gumiho or nine-tailed fox spirit
The actor: Lee Dong-wook
The premise: A powerful nine-tailed fox and former mountain god spends centuries among humans waiting for his true love to reincarnate. Chaos, hilarity and lots of romance ensue.
Watch it on Netflix
2/8 Goblin / Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
The creature: A goblin
The actor: Gong Yoo
The premise: Kim Shin, an immortal being, is cursed to roam the earth forever, while he looks for the Goblin’s bride, who can help him to finally die. Before we watched this show, we thought goblins were nasty, ugly creatures. We were wrong—apparently, they look like Gong Yoo. Where can we meet one?
Watch it on Netflix
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3/8 Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
The creature: A mermaid
The actress: Jun Ji-hyun
The premise: A mermaid (Jun) and a con artist (Lee Min-ho) are linked by an ancient past, but their current interaction is a comedy of errors, with Jun’s wide-eyed mermaid and Lee’s glib trickster.
Watch it on Netflix
4/8 My Love from the Star (2014)
The creature: An alien
The actor: Kim Soo-hyun
The premise: A centuries-old alien who does not age and has superhuman abilities falls in love with an earthling (Jun Ji-hyun). Lots of drama, plus Kim Soo-hyun looking devastatingly handsome and Jun Ji-hyun in glam designer wear.
Watch it on Netflix
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5/8 Hotel Del Luna (2019)
The creature: An immortal owner of an inn for the dead
The actress: IU
The premise: The tempestuous 1,300-year-old owner of the Guest House of the Moon is cursed to live forever, running a hotel for departed souls on their way to the afterlife. She deals with her pain by indulging in champagne, fast cars, designer outfits and expensive meals. IU is a vision in this show.
Watch it on Netflix
6/8 The Bride of Habaek (2017)
The creature: Water God
The actor: Nam Joo-hyuk
The premise: Before he was a coding genius in Start-Up, Nam Joo-hyuk starred in this fantasy tale about the God of the Land of Water, who has to come to earth to retrieve sacred stones. Predictably, he falls in love with a human.
Watch it on Netflix
Related: 5 Korean Dramas With Cast Members Who Have the Best Chemistry Onscreen and Off
7/8 Oh My Ghost (2015)
The creature: A lustful virgin ghost
The actress: Park Bo-young
The premise: Park’s timid chef character gets possessed by a ghost determined to lose her virginity by seducing men, and makes a move on her boss. You can imagine the uproarious situations that follow.
Watch it on Netflix
8/8 A Korean Odyssey (2017 )
The creature: Son Oh-gong, The Great Sage Equal to Heaven—a character based on the Chinese Monkey King
The actor: Lee Seung-gi
The premise: A powerful immortal who’s also extremely mischievous is exiled to earth, where he finds conflict, chaos, warmth and love.
Watch it on Netflix