Slice-of-life stories are usually those that portray everyday life realistically. You won’t find dashing heroes to make you swoon or heroines getting amnesia after finding out they were accidentally switched at birth. Instead, you’ll find heartfelt, honest-to-goodness stories that you can relate to.
That’s not to say, however, that slice of life is boring and uncreative. You’ll likely find that these heartwarming stories are the ones that stay with you longer, even after the end credits have rolled. These stories are the ones most down-to-earth, most touching, and most relatable.
If you want to try getting into slice-of-life K-dramas, here are some to start with:
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
Starring: Shin Min-ah, Kim Seon-ho, Lee Sang-yi
Themes: life, romance
No. of episodes: 16 episodes
After getting into conflict with her boss, dentist Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-ah) escapes to a seaside village where she sets up her own practice. There, she meets Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho), dubbed Chief Hong by the residents. Whenever someone needs something, Chief Hong comes to the rescue.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha explores the relationships of the town residents who, at first, are wary of Hye-jin’s presence. Slowly, they warm up to her and welcome her as one of their own. Hye-jin is also drawn to Du-sik, with whom she clashes at first, but eventually becomes curious about.
Hospital Playlist
Starring: Jo Jung-suk, Jeon Mi-do, Jung Kyung-ho, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Dae-myung
Themes: friendship, career, relationships
No. of episodes: 12 each for Seasons 1 and 2
Medical dramas tend to be suspenseful, thrilling, and dramatic. At times, Hospital Playlist delivers those elements—and a lot more. It’s a drama that talks about the friendship between five doctors who have known each other since college days. Despite being busy with their individual careers and navigating their own lives, they make it a point to practice regularly in their band—their chosen platform for de-stressing themselves. (Fun fact: all the actors learned how to play their instruments, so what you see in the series is a result of their hard work.)
Interwoven between the scenes of the present-day story are some stories from the past. It gives us glimpses of when they first met and how they became friends. You’ll also witness the ups and downs of their lives as doctors and the stories of the patients and their families. Like how life goes, not everything is a happy ending, and along with the good, there is tragedy, there is grief, and even death.
My Liberation Notes
Starring: Lee Min-ki, Kim Ji-won, Son Suk-ku, Lee El
Themes: career, life, romance
No. of episodes: 16 episodes
Nobody wants to stay in Sanpo Village, including the Yeom siblings, Chang-hee (Lee Min-ki), Mi-jeong (Kim Ji-won), and Gi-jeong (Lee El). Their lives feel meaningless, dull, and unfulfilling, despite the fact that they work decent jobs. One day, a mysterious man named Mr. Gu (Son Suk-ku) appears in their village. He spends his days working and his nights drinking. One day, Mi-jeong decides to approach him.
My Liberation Notes is a slow burn kind of drama that presents life in a less-than-glamorous way. It talks about the realities of work, of boring jobs, of feeling left behind by peers.
Our Blues
Starring: Lee Byung-han, Shin Min-ah, Cha Seung-won, Jee Jung-eun, Uhmm Jung-hwa, Han Ji-min, Kim Woo-bin, Him Hye-ja, Go Doo-shim, Gi So-yoo, Choi Young-joon, Park Ji-hwan, Bae Hyun-sung, Roh Yoon-seo, Jung Eun-hye
Themes: friendship, family, life, death, relationships
No. of episodes: 20 episodes
Our Blues tells the story of different characters on the beautiful island of Jeju. Each episode highlights different characters while giving you glimpses of the other characters’ story lines as well. After all, on that little island, all their lives are intertwined.
You learn about the Jeju Haenyeo divers, what life is like for fish sellers. You meet two people who used to be the best of friends but cannot be in the same room without going at each other’s throats. You follow the journey of the people who have left the island, the people who find their way to the island, and the people who want to return. Each story is unpacked slowly but tenderly, and each episode leaves you wanting to learn more about the characters.
Prison Playbook
Starring: Park Hae-soo, Jung Kyung-ho
Themes: friendship
No. of episodes: 16 episodes
Dramas or TV series set in prison aren’t entirely uncommon. You’ve got Western shows like Prison Break and Orange is the New Black. In 2013, the Korean movie Miracle in Cell No. 7, starring Ryu Seung-ryong, became an international hit for its beautiful portrayal of a father’s love.
What makes Prison Playbook different from its Western counterparts is how it centers around the relationships the prisoners have with each other and even their wardens and guards. In fact, the very essence of this drama is all about the friendship between a man who is imprisoned for accidental manslaughter and his childhood best friend, who happens to be a guard at the prison where he stays.
Theirs is an unlikely story, and as you watch the series, you’ll find yourself drawn to the characters, rooting for them, especially those who are counting the days till they can finish serving time and start a new life outside the prison walls.
Racket Boys
Starring: Kim Sang-kyung, Oh Na-ra, Tang Jun-sang, Son Sang-yeon, Choi Sang-yeon, Choi Hyun-wook, Kim Kang-hoon, Kim Mink-ki, Lee Jae-in, Lee Ji-won
Themes: family, friendship, school, sports
No. of episodes: 16 episodes
If you think Racket Boys is just for kids, think again. While it is the story of high schoolers learning how to play badminton and become excellent at it, it is also the story of friendship and family, told in such a way that will have you supporting the characters and wishing that they win every match they play.
Racket Boys follows the story of Yoon Hyun-jong (played by Kim Sang-kyung), who returns to his hometown to teach badminton to the local kids. His son, Yoon Hae-kang (Tang Jun-sang), isn’t exactly thrilled about the move, especially because it means having to give up football and switching to playing badminton instead.
Aside from dealing with all the school drama and funding for their team, the series also explores themes like family, friendship, and life challenges. The students learn to compete in various tournaments to become successful badminton players. Life for them isn’t a gold-paved path, and the drama slowly reveals the struggles each student faces. What’s heartwarming, however, is the bond they share as they grow closer through playing and hanging out with each other.
Reply 1988
Starring: Lee Hye-ri, Go Kyun-pyo, Ryu Jun-yeol, Park Bo-gum, Lee Dong-hwi
Themes: family, friendship, relationship, life
No. of episodes: 20 episodes
Perhaps themost iconic when you mention slice of life in K-dramas, Reply 1988 follows the lives of five friends from the little neighborhood of Ssamundong as they grow up. It’s an endearing series that allows you a peek into the lives of the families. It shows the kids as they grow up—with all their petty squabbles, the fads they get into, their struggles, how they fall in love and with whom, and so on.
What makes it interesting is how each family is different in terms of personality and financial standing. While they live in the same neighborhood, they are not all well-off. Sung Dong-il’s family, for example, lives in the basement house of Kim Jung-hwan’s family, who won the lottery and can afford more expensive things.
But what is interesting is that it does not prevent the families from enjoying a genuine relationship with each other. The neighbors share what they have with each other. In fact, one of the most endearing scenes is at the start, when the parents are sending off their children to give food to their neighbors. One of the families, played by Choi Moo-sung and Park Bo-gum acting as his son, starts with no food on their table. Later, we learn that Park Bo-gum’s character Choi Taek has no mother (which was also hard for the actor himself to play, as his mother passed away when he was young). The final shot is a table full of food from their neighbors.
Special note: Reply 1988 celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2026. The cast got together to hang out and play some games. If you loved Reply 1988, you’ll definitely tear up watching their reunion!
Run On
Starring: Yim Si-wan, Shin Sae-kyeong, Choi Soo-young, Kang-Tae-oh
Themes: romance, life, sports
No. of episodes: 16 episodes
Run On is a mix of slice-of-life, rom-com, and melodrama. It follows the story of Ki Sun-gyeom (Yim Si-wan), a former sprinter (and former javelin thrower) who, due to an injury, had to retire and became a sports agent. He crosses paths with Oh Mi-joo (Shin Sae-kyeong), a subtitle translator for movies.
An underlying theme on Run On seems to be how people from vastly different worlds meet. Ki Sun-gyeom and Seo Dan-ah (played by Choi Soo-young) come from wealthy, prestigious families. Oh Mi-joo and Lee Young-hwa (Kang Tae-oh) come from more humble backgrounds, doing whatever work they can, including odd jobs, to make ends meet. Sometimes, this becomes a point of contention and conflict between the couples. And because their worlds are so unalike, there’s a lot of unlearning and relearning of lessons where love and life are concerned.
Summer Strike
Starring: Kim Seol-hyun, Yim Si-wan, Shin Eun-soo, a.mond
Themes: life, romance
No. of episodes: 12 episodes
Perhaps Yim Si-wan was made for slice-of-life movies (although he does an incredible job in thriller roles, too).
Summer Strike follows the story of Lee Yeo-reum (Kim Seol-hyun), who tires of the daily grind her job brings. A spur-of-the-moment decision makes her quit her job and move to the countryside, where she chooses to live a simple and carefree life in an old abandoned building that was once a billiards game room.
One of her favorite places to visit is the library, where she spends most of her days reading and trying to let life slow down a little. It’s there where she meets an interesting cast of characters, including An Dae-beom (Yim Si-wan), who works as a librarian on some days and has different jobs on others. She also meets the townspeople, who are suspicious of her and treat her rudely at first. Yeo-reum tries to convince herself that there is no need to build deep relationships, that she is merely passing by, but soon, she finds herself drawn to the place and the people.
Thirty-Nine
Starring: Son Ye-jin, Jeon Mi-do, Kim Ji-hyun
Themes: life, romance, friendship
No. of episodes: 12 episodes
Thirty-Nine is a bittersweet story about three friends on the brink of their 40s. Cha Mi-joo (Son Ye-jin) is the head dermatologist of a successful clinic in Gangnam. Jung Chan-young (Jeon Mi-do) is a frustrated actress who ended up becoming an acting teacher instead. Jang Joo-hee (Kim Ji-hyun) is a department store cosmetics manager with a timid, quiet personality.
Together, these three friends do the best they can to navigate life and their somewhat complicated relationships. But then tragedy strikes them in a most unexpected way. How are they going to cope and celebrate life and each other in the midst of it all? Thirty-Nine is a story about the bond of friendship that stays strong against all odds.
Twenty Five, Twenty One
Starring: Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk, Bo-na, Choi Hyun-wook, Lee Joo-myung
Themes: sports, life, friendships, romance, youth
No. of episodes: 16 episodes
Set during South Korea’s financial crisis, Twenty Five, Twenty One follows the story of aspiring fencer Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri). It talks about friendship with Bo-na (Go Yu-rim), Moon Ji Ung (Choi Hyun-wook), and Ji Seung-wan (Lee Joo-myung) in the last few years before they graduate from high school.
Their paths cross with that of Baek Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk), whose life is turned upside down when his family’s business goes bankrupt. Despite his struggles, he works hard to become a sports reporter.
Welcome to Samdal-ri
Starring: Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hae-sun
Themes: love, relationships, friendship, life, career
No. of episodes: 16 episodes
Cho Sam-dal (Shin Hae-sun) has made a name for herself in the fashion photography industry as Cho Eun-hye—but it all comes crashing down in the blink of an eye. With nowhere else to go, she returns to her hometown of Samdal-ri, with its delightful mix of nosy neighbors and rowdy childhood friends.
One of them is Cho Young-pil, a weather forecaster, who goes the extra mile in caring for the elderly people in Samdal-ri. We learn that he and Sam-dal used to be best-friends-turned-lovers, but an incident drove them apart. As Sam-dal tries to get used once more to life in Samdal-ri, she finds herself running into Young-pil a lot—unearthing what went wrong between them and finding that, despite the distance and the years, their strong feelings remain.
When the Weather is Fine
Starring: Park Min-young, Seo Kang-jun
Themes: family, relationships, friendship
No. of episodes: 16 episodes
Mok Hae-won (Park Min-young) is a cellist in Seoul whose traumatic past leaves her withdrawn and cold. Tired of life in the big city, she decides to return to Bookhyun Village, where she lived for a time during high school. There, she meets Im Eun-seob (Seo Kang-joon), a childhood friend who runs a bookstore.
Eun-seob leads a simple life: waking up, drinking coffee, reading books, and writing on his blog. But both Eun-seob and Hae-won carry scars from the past, and in the cold winter, they are confronted with the things they’ve tried to hide for so long. Slowly, their encounter brings a change that comes with healing.
Which one have you seen already? What else would you add to the list?
