5 K-Dramas with 12 episodes that pack drama, fun and heart: Can This Love Be Translated to Little Women

I have just finished Can This Love Be Translated, and I can say safely, that I enjoyed it. It's breezy, full of whimsy, silliness and very aesthetically pleasing. And, it's 12 episodes. Considering I used to devour 16-episode dramas in a week, this feels oddly refreshing. Maybe it’s because lately, nothing seems to happen for several episodes, and then everything gets rushed at the end. Not that the 12-episode format is always perfect—looking at you, When The Phone Rings, where they try to cram every possible storyline into the finale.

On that note, here are some 12-episode series for anyone who wants a weekend binge and a Monday crying session.

1) Can This Love Be Translated

Kim Seon-ho is back, folks. It’s been a while since we saw him as the main lead in a K-drama (Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was almost five years ago!), though his cameo in When Life Gives You Tangerines was a delightful surprise. In this entertaining story, he plays the earnest Ju Ho-jin, who crosses paths with hapless actress Cha Mu-hee (Go Youn-jung), a dreamer living in paparazzi flashes. After helping her confront betrayal in their very first encounter, fate brings them together again when she suffers an accident. It’s sweet, wacky, and thoroughly wholesome. Be ready for Kim Seon-ho’s dry wit and his emotional perseverance—qualities that rightly earn him the title of “Romcom King.”

2) Business Proposal

I’m sorry, but this drama will appear on every second list I make. How could it not? It’s one of the most entertaining office dramas in K-drama history—and it doesn’t just have one fun couple, but two. There’s the chaos between Ahn Hyo-seop’s CEO Kang Tae-moo and Kim Seo-jong’s Shin Ha-ri, a woman juggling two identities with a wig—all to help her best friend avoid a blind date. Then there’s the earnest romance between Kim Min-kyu and Seol-in Ah, their best friends who gradually fall in love.

It’s one of the last office romances that truly landed with flair, striking the perfect balance between serious moments and fluffy fun.

3) Little Women

Ah, if romance and whimsy aren’t your thing, here’s one for you. Little Women, starring Kim Go-eun, Nam Ji-hyun, and Wi Ha-joon, is a slick, tightly-woven thriller that flips the 1900s novel on its head. It tells the story of three sisters on the brink of poverty who get entangled in a murder case—one that not only changes their lives but also threatens to destroy them. The acting is brilliant, with each sister's arc clearly shown, and don't worry, there isn't a romance here, though for ages fans were begging for at least one romantic scene between Kim Go-eun and Wi Ha-joon.

4) Love to Hate You

If 12 episodes feel like too much, how about 10? And here’s one that works perfectly for a treadmill binge (trust me, it helps). Meet Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin): a fierce, free-spirited lawyer with a soft spot for social justice… and zero patience for men. She is tough, and she will let you know how tough she is. But life throws her into a big, male-dominated law firm that handles celebrity scandals—a playground for entitled egos.

Enter Nam Kang-ho (Teo Yoo): romantic movie heartthrob, certified misogynist, and absolute nightmare. Mi-ran overhears him spouting rhetoric about women being nothing but gold diggers and instantly files him under scathing label. When she gets a hunch he’s up to no good with a schoolgirl, she hatches a plan: get close, gather dirt, and watch his shiny-star reputation come crashing down.

5) My Name

Alright, we dialed it down further. This one has 8 episodes and is for the really, really busy souls. My Name has a divisive fandom, be warned: You either come away absolutely hating it, or you just might be so devastated that you look for closure. Yoon Ji-woo (Han So-hee) has just had her world turned upside down—her father dies suddenly, and she’s out for revenge, no questions asked. There's Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon) and his notorious drug gang, Dongcheon. With Mu-jin’s backing and a thirst for answers, Ji-woo infiltrates the police force as a mole, adopting the alias Oh Hye-jin.

Assigned to the drug investigation unit at Inchang Metropolitan Police Station, she’s partnered with Detective Jeon Pil-do (Ahn Bo-hyun)—a man who has no idea he’s working with the enemy. Secrets, schemes, and a whole lot of danger await as Ji-woo walks the razor-thin line between justice and vengeance.

It's gritty, messy, but very, very binge-able.