Preye
This isn’t news, but I’ll say it either way: I absolutely love Kdramas with fake relationships.
Whether it’s a fake dating situation or two strangers coming together to contract a sham marriage, it’s always so thrilling watching two people who put on a show of being in love slowly fall for each other for real.
From fake kisses to awkward touches and that oh-so-sweet moment when they realise they’ve actually been in love for a while, there’s just so much to love about fake relationship Korean dramas.
If you’re a fan of this trope like me, you’ll be delighted with these Kdramas that I’ve selected for you. They are the best of the best when it comes to fake romance dramas.
Featuring characters with great chemistry, outstanding plots, and fun-filled humor, you’re going to love all of them!
Here are the best fake relationship Kdramas with happy endings to binge-watch:
1. Because This Is My First Life
What happens when a broke woman and a mortgage-ridden man share a house?
Yoon Ji Ho is tired of renting and dating, and while she wants a home of her own, she can’t afford it. Nam Se Hee is a fussy and stoic bachelor who owns a house, but he has a huge debt to pay.
To offset some bills, Se Hee decides to take on a roommate with an alternating daily schedule, so they’re way, way into their living arrangement before he realizes she’s a woman.
Soon enough, they’re blocking nosy families and friends, and they decide to lie that they’re dating. If you’re in the mood for a Kdrama about cohabiting characters who enter into a fake dating agreement, then you’re going to love this one!
2. Her Private Life
Sung Deok Mi is a professional art gallery curator who has a passion for her work. But she also has a passion for something else – Cha Shi An, a handsome idol star.
Deok Mi is a hardcore fan of Cha Shi An, and she manages a fansite for him and dedicates her life to him.
But her secret passion is at risk of being discovered when Ryan Gold, the new art gallery director, learns about it. Ryan Gold is a former artist who has lost interest in everything and everyone.
When an unfortunate incident leads to rumors being spread that she’s dating Shi An, Deok Mi and Ryan fashion a fake dating agreement in order to protect her and the gallery.
This is a perfect pick if you want to watch a fake relationship Kdrama with lots of chemistry between the leads.
The pairing in this drama quite literally defined steam, and I just know you’ll enjoy watching Her Private Life.
3. Legally, Dad
Ah Young is a 23-year-old orphan who works hard to take care of her little sister Dan Bi.
She has no time for herself and barely makes ends meet, but one day, a 28-year-old man Yoo Sang shows up and offers to be her dad.
Though skeptical of his offer Ah Young, who at this point is barely scraping by, agrees and this starts their relationship.
I absolutely adore single-parent romance Kdramas, and this was no different.
This is the perfect heartwarming fake relationship Kdrama that will have you all in your feels for many reasons.
4. Crash Landing On You
While paragliding, Yoon Se Ri, a wealthy and glamorous South Korean lady, gets caught in the wind and ends up in North Korea.
There, she meets Ri Jung Hyuk, a dashing and loyal North Korean officer who vows to help her escape.
As she waits in the tiny North Korean village close to the border while they try to send her home safely, they concoct a story to explain her presence there and settle on a fake relationship.
If you haven’t watched this drama, then you’ve probably heard about it. The couple in this fake relationship Kdrama was simply stunning, and watching their love bloom was the most precious thing.
5. Something About 1 Percent
Lee Jae In is a wealthy and attractive man who has it all, but he is also a snobbish and arrogant person who treats people badly.
His grandfather, unhappy with his behavior, decides to give him a challenge. He tells him that he has to marry Kim Da Hyun, a lovely and gentle schoolteacher he met while hiking if he wants to get his inheritance.
While Da Hyun is reluctant – she doesn’t know his grandfather and Jae In isn’t the most friendly – she agrees when Jae In promises to donate new computers to the school she teaches, and they agree to start fake dating for a particular period of time before letting it fizzle out “naturally.”
At first, they don’t get along at all, but as time passes, they start to feel something for each other and when they finally found common ground, I just about wept.
This isn’t a new Kdrama, but I only watched it this year, and I’ll tell you for free that this pretend dating Kdrama is one of the best out there.
The leads had incredible chemistry, and it was so refreshing to watch a mature female lead reach for love.
Also see: 25 Interesting Rich Boy and Poor Girl Korean Dramas
6. Marriage Contract
Kang Hye Soo is a single mother who has a fatal brain tumor, and she wants money to leave for her daughter.
She agrees to give her liver to her new boss’ mother. In exchange, she will receive a huge amount of money.
But they have to pretend to be married and in love to fool the hospital, and this kicks off their contract marriage in this amazing Kdrama.
While they think the contract will be swift, a lot of third parties get thrown into the mix (like her daughter), and it becomes this delightful union of opposite worlds.
7. Business Proposal
Shin Ha Ri is a single lady stuck in unrequited love with her friend who has a girlfriend.
One day, she goes in place of her friend on a blind date with plans to shock the man so bad he’ll never call back but turns out her date is Kang Tae Mu, the CEO of her company.
And he delivers the shock the next day by proposing they get married, and when he finds out her real identity, he convinces her to keep up the ruse so he can take a break from his grandfather’s matchmaking.
If you haven’t watched Business Proposal, this is the sign you’ve been waiting for.
There were lots of cheesy, swoony, and heart-melting moments in this fake relationship Kdrama, and you’ll love it if you like your romance sweet and cute.
Also see: 20 Kdramas to watch if you loved Business Proposal!
8. Ending Again
Cha In Young is an art museum intern who has big dreams, but her life crumbles when her long-time boyfriend breaks up with her and goes abroad.
After this, she decides to give up on men and marriage and focus on herself and her career.
But when she learns she has been cheated by a bad real estate deal and risks losing her home if she doesn’t do something, she agrees to pretend to be in a relationship with one of her college juniors, Do Yoon Soo, who is an art management major who also needs money, and they get married to receive government aid for newlyweds.
This is another interesting contract marriage Kdrama that will both thrill and surprise you with the genuine romance between the leads.
9. Marriage Not Dating
Gong Ki Tae is a rich and happy plastic surgeon who loves being single. He thinks his life is perfect and he doesn’t want to get married, but his family keeps nagging him to find a wife.
To make them stop, Ki Tae brings Joo Jang Mi home as his girlfriend, hoping they’ll hate her. While they’re not the friendliest to her at first, they eventually warm up to her, and all the while a romance was blooming between Ki Tae and Jang Mi.
I really liked this drama for two things: the leads and the execution of the plot. I won’t say much, but everything in this fake dating Kdrama made a statement – from the very first episode.
10. Prime Minister and I
In this charming Kdrama, Prime Minister Kwon Yool is a hard-working single father trying to balance his responsibilities as a leader and a parent, while Reporter Nam Da Jung is passionate about her job at Scandal News and is always on the hunt for the next big story.
When fate brings them together due to an ill-timed viral photo and they enter into a fake relationship to protect Kwon Yool’s career and fulfill her father’s last wish, they find themselves developing genuine feelings for each other.
Their differences made for such a unique and engaging dynamic, and I was absolutely rooting for this unlikely couple as they navigated the challenges of their fake relationship.
11. Coffee Prince
Han Gyul is a coffee lover and a spoiled grandson who only has eyes for Yoo Joo, his childhood crush, and he hates working and being set up on dates, while Eun Chan is a brave girl who dresses like a boy, and she lost her dad when she was young and now she takes care of her family.
When they bump into each other and Han Gyul thinks Eun Chan is a guy, he decides to hire her to act as his gay partner in the hope that he can escape his grandma’s pressure.
This Kdrama is pretty old, so you’ll probably notice that it follows a well-worn template that was quite popular a few years ago – a girl pretending to be a boy.
Gong Yoo was absolutely brilliant in this drama, and if you’re in the mood for a fake dating Kdrama with a very unlikely romance, you’ll enjoy this one.
12. Noble, My Love
Hoon is a wealthy and attractive CEO who has a successful company in Seoul. He survives a kidnapping and runs away, but he collapses near a rural animal hospital.
Seo is a kind vet who rescues him and heals him, but she refuses to take any money from him, and he repays her by buying her hospital and relocating her to Seoul.
Eventually, he hires her to be his pretend girlfriend to dodge his family’s blind dates, and while he treats her like she’s beneath him, he can’t get her out of his mind. Soon enough, she’s clashing with old and new friends and foes in Seoul.
This is another somewhat old Kdrama about fake relationships that will have you in your feelings.
If you’re in the mood for a sweet drama that’s chockfull of romance and conflict, you’re going to enjoy this one.
13. Be My Boyfriend
Seungmin is a regular guy who has no special talents. He dreams of Jina, the most popular girl in school and a future idol star, but one day, Jina surprises him by asking him to be her fake lover.
Unlike the other recommendations on this post, this one is a high school fake dating Kdrama.
Aside from the nostalgia and all that, the romance in this Kdrama was sweet and so uplifting.
Also see: 24 Heartwarming High School Korean Dramas That You Should Watch Today!
14. Fluttering Warning
Woo Hyun is a charming dermatologist who attracts many women, but he isn’t interested in dating, while Yo Jung is a famous actress, who has been single since rumors destroyed her romance 15 years ago.
By luck, they decide to make a contract in which they act like they are dating and in love with each other. This is another oldie that’s still just as good, and you’re absolutely going to enjoy watching it.
15. My Husband, Oh Jak Doo
Han Seung Joo is happy on her own. She has no interest in marriage or romance, but things change when she faces some challenges and fears, and she also has to deal with social expectations to tie the knot.
So, she comes up with a plan: hire Oh Jak Doo, a kind and naive man, to act as her husband. As they live together, she learns the true value of love and joy.
My favourite thing about the fake relationship trope in Korean dramas is when they both realise they’re each other’s families and the love blooms in this achingly sweet way.
This drama legit had me in tears at some points (good and bad ones), and it was frankly so beautiful to watch.
16. That Fool
Goo Dong Baek is a kind and loyal postman who admires Han Ji Soo, a star actress, but he knows there can’t be a future between them.
One day, he gets the chance to be with her for six months, and it’s like a dream come true.
And, as they stay together, Dong Baek finds his feelings only increasing every day and he feels alone in his love.
He really wants to tell her how he feels, but he believes their love adventure is only beginning.
This Korean drama about a fake relationship really showed unrequited love at its finest, and I do not doubt that you’ll enjoy this if you want a fluffy and simple watch this weekend.
17. Lie To Me
Gong Ah Jung, a culture official, pretends to be married to Hyun Ki Joon, a handsome hotel manager from a wealthy family, but her lie sparks a fire of passion when they decide to start a fake relationship and they start to fall for each other.
But, their journey to happily ever after is far from starting as Ki Joon’s ex-fiance and his brother’s crush, Oh Yoon Joo, soon return to his life.
If this trope is one of your favourite and you haven’t watched the dramas on this list, this is the best time to get started.
Whether you’re looking for some drama or some fluff, there’s definitely something that’s going to be to your liking!
So sit back and watch these dramas. You’ll enjoy them!
Want more recommendations? Here are a few posts you might enjoy:
■ 17 Kdramas and Movies About the Japanese Occupation You Need to Watch
■ 18 Fluffy Romantic Kdramas That Will Make You Cry and Smile with Glee
■ 15 Legal Websites to Watch & Download Kdramas for Free!
■ 7 Unforgettable Enemies To Lovers Kdramas That Will Melt Your Heart
