5 K-Dramas that are comfort food for the tired soul: Cinderella and The Four Knights to Wok of Love

Craving comfort without leaving your couch? These five K-Dramas are the real soul-soothers, like a steaming mug of hot chocolate melting away the day’s stress. From the charmingly awkward romance of Cinderella and the Four Knights to the sizzling, food-filled love of Wok of Love, each series serves up laughter, heart-fluttering moments, and just the right amount of drama. These shows wrap you in warmth, sweetness, and a little magic. Perfect for when you need a pick-me-up, they’re reminders that sometimes, the best therapy comes in episodes of love, friendship, and endless charm.

1) My Roommate is a Gumiho

If you need something fluffy, silly and very sweet, we have just the one for you. My Roommate Is a Gumiho stars Jang Ki-yong as Shin Woo-yeo, a 999-year-old, dangerously charming gumiho (nine-tailed fox) and Hyeri as Lee Dam, a chaotic college student who accidentally swallows a magical bead, that is linked to Woo-yeo. Suddenly, they’re forced to live together in the most awkward, hilarious roommate situation ever. And with that, you've found yourself a bizarre, fun, supernatural romcom, with a lot of time-pausing chaos and more. Can a legendary nine-tailed fox and a modern-day student survive cohabitation… or is romance—and disaster—inevitable?

2) Wok of Love

Stay for the food, that's what we say. In this show, you've got a potful of chaos, and romance. Lee Jun-ho plays Doo Chil-sung, a former gangster turned struggling chef, while Jung Ryeo-won is the perfectionist restaurateur named Dan Sae-woo. When Chil-sung teams up with a passionate, reckless chef Jang Sun-woo (played by Kang Ji-hwan) to save a failing restaurant, the kitchen heats up—literally and figuratively. With love, food, and plenty of mouthwatering drama on the menu, this K-drama serves spicy romance with a side of laughter and heart.

3) Hometown Cha Cha Cha

You can't ever consider a list like this without Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-ah's Hometown Cha Cha Cha. It follows overtly methodical dentist Yoon Hye-jin, who moves from the city seeking a quieter life, and charming jack-of-all-trades Hong Du-sik, who seems to know everyone and everything in town. Their contrasting personalities lead to several arguments, growing affection, a love triangle of course, and slowly unpacking a troubled past. With its mix of small-town charm, slow-burn romance, and genuine emotional depth, the show captures the beauty of human connections and life’s simple joys.

4) Cinderella and The Four Knights

It's exactly as it sounds. Hold on to your patience, that's all. Park So-dam stars as Eun Ha-won, a spunky, determined girl who ends up living in a mansion with Park Hyung-sik, Ahn Jae-hyun, and Lee Jung-shin, three charming yet infuriating heirs along with Jung II-woo. And, you're presented with love triangles, and all the rich-kid chaos you secretly live for. It’s messy, it’s romantic, it’s full of sass, and very joyful cheesiness.

5) Reply 1988

How can we forget the OGs? Set in a cosy Seoul neighborhood in the late ’80s, it follows Sung Deok-sun (played by Lee Hyeri) and her tight-knit group of friends—plus their families—through school, crushes, and all the awkward, hilarious moments of growing up. It’s sweet, funny, and just cheers you up. Basically, it’s a warm hug of a drama that makes you wish your childhood had been this perfect.