The love for South Korean dramas is worldwide. While the most preferred shows consist of happy endings, there are several good K-dramas with sad endings.
Sad endings mean a storyline finishing with death or breakup. Despite tragic finales, many drama series and movies have made special places in fans’ hearts. One of the recent ones was The Worst of Evil which ended in October.
Take a look at a few more K-dramas with sad ending here:
Uncontrollably Fond
Uncontrollably, Fond is the 2016 drama that appears on the top for K-dramas with a sad ending. When high school sweethearts Shin Joon-Young (Kim Woo-Bin) and No Eul (Bae Suzy) meet as adults, it takes time for the spark to reignite. No Eul keeps pushing Joon-Young away without knowing that he has cancer.
The K-drama ends with a heartbreak. The couple spends quality time together on his final days. In the finale, he takes his last breath on her shoulder after she says, “See you tomorrow, Joon-Young.’’ The K-drama is available on Netflix.
The Worst of Evil
The Worst of Evil was one of the best 2023 dramas but disappointed fans with a sad ending. It is the story of police officer Park Jun-Mo (Ji Chang-Wook), who participates in an undercover mission. He becomes a trusted driver to drug lord Jung Gi-Cheul (Wi Ha-Joon). The twist to the tale is Yu Eui-Jeong (Lim Se-Mi), Jun-Mo’s wife, also joins the mission. Things worsen when Jun-Mo discovers that his wife is Gi-Cheul’s first love.
The thriller crime K-drama kept viewers on the edge of their seats. In the finale, it became one of the K-dramas with a sad ending. The drug lord is dead, and the lead couple’s marriage suffers the aftermath of their mission. The series is available on Disney Plus.
20th Century Girl
20th Century Girl is a high school romance K-drama with a sad ending. Bo-Ra (Kim You-Jung) and Woon-Ho (Byeon Woo-Seok) fall in love. But her world turns upside down when her best friend Yeon-Doo (Roh Yoon-Seo) mentions she has a crush on Woon-Ho. Due to a misunderstanding, Bo-Ra loses her BFF and part ways with her boyfriend.
Towards the end, the couple reunite. Before Woon-Ho leaves for his home, he asks Bo-Ra to wait for him. She waits months and years before giving up on hope. One day, adult Bo-Ra visits a museum and sees footage by Woon-Ho on the display. She then finds out the year her boyfriend stopped contacting her was the year he passed away. It is available on Netflix.
Big Mouth
Big Mouth is another South Korean drama with a sad ending. The 2022 series is about lawyer Park Chang-Ho (Lee Jong-Suk), who gets involved in a murder case. He is framed and ends up in jail with the identity of genius swindler Big Mouse. To survive, he plays the part. His wife, Go Mi-Ho (Lim Yoon-A), collects evidence for her husband outside, while Chang-Ho deals with corruption inside the prison.
Towards the end, they win the case and Chang-Ho is free. But tragedy strikes when he learns his wife is one of the victims of the corrupted system. The final heartbreaking scene features Mi-Ho on the hospital bed with Chang-Ho holding her hand as she passes away from cancer.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a romance drama focusing on the lead characters’ careers. Na Hee-Do (Kim Tae-Ri) and Back Yi-Jin (Nam Joo-Hyuk) meet young and grow mature together. A point comes when they have to choose between their career and love. Ultimately, they decide to go separate ways to follow their dreams.
While the storyline gave a reality check, K-drama fans’ hearts sank with the break-up between the lead characters.
