25 Short Kdramas with Less Than 10 Episodes to Watch in One Weekend!
There’s nothing I love more than getting lost in a good Kdrama, but this gets even better when I get the full experience – cast, storyline, and feels – in half the time. Short Kdramas take the cake every time, as they’re easily bingeable, always pack a punch, and are still as engaging as a 20-episode drama
In this post, I have compiled a list of my favorite short Kdramas with less than ten episodes, and I’m sure you’ll love each one just as much as I did.
Sit back and relax with these short and stellar Kdramas that will keep you glued to your screen!
1. Romance Written Differently
Episodes: 8
Starring: Hwang Chan Sung as Hwang Chan sung and Jang Seo Kyung as Jang Seo Kyung.
Plot: Taking on different perspectives regarding love, this story rotates around the two main characters and how they each remember certain moments and memories from a man’s point of view and a woman’s point of view.
With a decidedly unique take and chock-full of various sweet moments, this drama makes the perfect filler for anyone recovering from an intensive Kdrama or looking for their next big show. It’s short, utterly delectable, and one of those bingeable Kdramas that will leave you wanting more.
2. Squid Game
Episodes: 9
Starring: Lee Jung Jae as Seong Gi Hoon, Park Hae Soo as Cho Sang Woo, and Jung Ho Yeon as Kang Sae Byeok.
Plot: Chauffeur Seong Gi Hun faces financial difficulties due to his gambling addiction. When faced with his daughter leaving the country and debt collectors knocking on his door, Seong Gi Hun takes a random stranger’s offer to play children’s games against 455 other players with ₩45.6 billion as the winning prize.
However, with such a big prize comes a deadly risk, and losing has lethal consequences. Squid Game is perhaps one of the most popular Kdramas of 2022, and with good reason. It delivers despite being on the shorter side episode-wise (less than ten episodes), and we see the characters being thrown into a high-stake life-or-death situation.
3. Kissable Lips
Episodes: 8
Starring: Kim Ji Woong as Kim Jun Ho, Yoon Seo Bin as Choi Min Hyun, and Moon Ji Hoo as Kwon Hae Soo.
Plot: A vampire and a human with pure blood cross paths. Jun Ho is a vampire who is on the verge of death. In order to become a human, he will need to drink some pure blood, and then he happens to meet Min Hyun. However, another vampire arrives, causing Jun Ho to face past traumas, protect Min Hyun, and make tough decisions.
4. Nevertheless
Episodes: 10
Starring: Han So Bee as Yoo Na Bi, Song Kang as Park Jae Eon, and Chae Jong Hyeop as Yang Do Hyuk.
Plot: How does one go about dating a player? Park Jae Eon enjoys the game but not the commitment, and with his charisma and looks, his motto hasn’t failed him thus far. He firmly believes in keeping himself closed off to anyone and everyone who comes across his path. However, once he meets Yoo Na Bi, everything he knows about life, love, and trust starts to change.
Yoo Na Bi, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with love in her dating life after a traumatic experience in the past. Yet as she comes across Park Jae Eon, her decisions get challenged. What follows is a romantic story that other watchers have rightly termed “swoon-worthy.”
5. Splash Splash Love
Episodes: 2
Starring: Yoon Doo Joon as King Sejong Yi Do, Kim Seul Gi as Jang Dan Bi, and Jin Ki Joo as Queen So Heon.
Plot: Short, sweet, and thoroughly engaging, this is a story about a young girl that gets taken back more than 100 years into the past and lands during a mysterious, magical rainstorm. Dan Bi finds her true love in the past and discovers luck with King Sejong. We all know that Saeguks(historical Kdramas) can be a little long-winded, but Splash Splash Love breaks the norm and is one of the extremely rare short historical Kdramas.
6. Sweet Home
Episodes: 10
Starring: Song Kang as Cha Hyun Soo, Lee Jin Wook as Pyeon Sang Wook, and Lee Si Young as Seo Yi Kyung.
Plot: Solitary Cha Hyun decides to move to a new apartment after the death of his family. Soon, Korea is plagued with various strange occurrences, and it becomes a fight for survival, with people struggling to stay alive and avoid turning into monsters.
7. My Name
Episodes: 8
Starring: Han So Hee as Yoon Ji Woo, Park Hee Soon as Choi Moo Jin, and Ahn Bo Hyun as Jeon Pil Do.
Plot: Yoon Ji Woo is a member of an organized crime ring. In search of revenge after her father was murdered, she goes undercover as a police officer with the guidance of a powerful crime boss — Choi Moo Jin.
Jeon Pil Do is a detective from the Drug Investigation Unit and a man of the law. He works under Cha Gi Ho, who wants to dismantle the crime ring of Choi Moo Jin before he retires. Yoon Ji Woo and Jeon Pil Do become partners, raising the tension considerably. The game of revenge is at play: loyalties will be tested, and blood shed.
Action-packed with a strong female lead that will leave you wanting more, My Name is one Kdrama you won’t regret watching.
8. Tracer
Episodes: 8
Starring: Im Si Wang as Hwang Dong Joo, Son Hyun Joo as Tae Joon, and Go Ah Sung as Seo Hye Yung.
Plot: Hwang Dong Joo specializes in tracing money that has been hidden from the tax service. He takes over a lazy team, putting his sights on keeping criminals accountable and tracking down any illegal money. However, many will get in his way, and his job will become infinitely challenging as corruption is rife within the department heads.
Tracer is filled with plot twists and turns; you will struggle to predict the next turn this tale will throw at you! If you fancy a fast-paced thriller Kdrama with less than ten episodes, then you definitely want to watch this.
9. Trap
Episodes: 7
Starring: Lee Seo Jin as Kang Woo Hyun, Sung Dong II as Go Dong Kook, and Im Hwa Young as Yoon Seo Yeong.
Plot: Tragedy strikes Kang Woo Hyun’s seemingly perfect life, and he’s thrown into an abyss of despair. As a reputable anchor at a broadcasting station and member of a loving family, he is the definition of having his life put together. A trip with his family turns his entire life upside down. Detective Go Dong Kook, an expert in his field, decides to take on his case. But the secrets are buried deep, and danger lurks in the distance.
10. Adult Trainee
Episodes: 7
Starring: Ryu Eui Hyun as Seo Jae Min, Cho Mi Yeon as Park Ye Kyung, and Jo Yoo Jung as Ban Yu Ra.
Plot: Adult Trainee depicts in raw and careful detail, the love, worries, and anxieties of 18-year-olds. In exploring several “taboo topics,” this drama certainly takes on a more realistic depiction of teenagers. Short but poignant, Adult Trainee is one Korean drama with less than 10 episodes that packs a punch, and you’ll definitely enjoy watching.
11. Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding
Episodes: 8
Starring: Kang In Soo as Ryu Ho Sun, Han Se Jin as Choi Ki Wan, and Jang Eui Soo as Kim Tae Hyung.
Plot: Right off the bat, things go awry when Ryo Ho Seon’s beautiful bride turns out to be a man — Choi Ki wan. Ho Seon had married Choi Hwa Jin, the brother of the bride, when the latter, who loathed political marriages, had decided to disappear right before the ceremony.
Although Ho Seon wants the marriage annulled, his mother refuses, as the public humiliation would be too much to deal with. They decide to stick to their roles and keep the reality of the marriage a secret.
But in a twist of events, they find themselves in complicated positions, and Hwa Jin decides to return in the middle of a convoluted mess.
12. Peach of Time
Episodes: 10
Starring: Choi Jae Hyun as Yoon Oh, Jimmy Karn Krits as Peach, and Tommy Sottichok as Mario.
Plot: Peach decides to journey from Thailand to Korea and visit his friend Yun Oh. They had first met at Phuket – the restaurant that Peach’s parents owned.
But things get complicated, and Yun Oh’s mother, Sung Suk, is not fond of Peach. Peach notices that mother and son have a strained relationship and decides to improve Yun Oh’s and Sung Suk’s relationship. But things become even more twisted when Peach starts to deal with feelings he didn’t know he had. Peach of Time is one incredibly moving short Korean drama that I believe everybody should watch at least twice: once for pleasure and the second time for a more immersive experience.
13. Pachinko
Episodes: 8
Starring: Kim Min Ha as Kim Sun Ja, Lee Min Ho as Ko Han Su, and Youn Yuh Jung as Kim Sun Ja.
Plot: A story not for the faint of heart, Pachinko chronicles the story of an immigrant family across four generations, both leaving their home with the goal to live, love, survive, and thrive. Kim Sun-Ja, in the early 20th century, grew up in Busan under Japanese rule. Falling in love with Joh Han-Su, Kim Sun-Ja is blissfully ignorant of his background.
Meanwhile, Baek Solomon wants to succeed within the corporate world of New York in 1989. His company wants to build a hotel in Tokyo, but a Korean woman does not want to sell her land. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, Baek Solomon volunteers to persuade the woman and visit his family.
14. Rumour
Episodes: 8
Starring: Kim Da Ye as Shin Hye, Chase Jong Hyeop as Park Seon Jae, and Bae Jung Hwa as Kwak Min Jung.
Plot: This Kdrama sheds light on the much-ignored issue of office bullying. Rumor follows the tragic life of the heroine, whose job has cost her life due to the rumors, absurd expectations of the company, and never-ending bullying. A grimmer look at the savage nature of the corporate workplace people have to face in everyday corporate life and one woman’s efforts to stay afloat in the sinking sand of bureaucracy.
15. Lily Fever
Episodes: 9
Starring: Kim Hye Joon as Kim Kyung Ju, Jung Yeon Joo as Jang Se Rang, and Park Hee Bon as Buchi Jae Gal.
Episodes: 10
Plot: Having lost her passport, Kyung Ju decides to visit her friend’s house, where she believes that she forgot it. However, her friend is leaving just as she arrives and immediately tells her to be mindful of a guest staying there. The guest turns out to be Se Rang, and what follows is a story about their growing relationship. This is one comedy that will keep you smiling.
16. One Fine Week
Episodes: 10
Starring: Seo Ji Soo as Jung Da Eun, Shin Jun Seop as Han Jung Woo, and Park Geon II as Yoo Ji Han.
Plot: Byul has been singing ever since she was a little girl, and she has plans to make a career in the entertainment industry. However, after spending time with the celebrity Jung Woo, she starts to see both the glamorous and dark sides of living a life of luxury. Slowly, she discovers the value of the little things in everyday life as she works part-time in a cafe alongside Ari and Ji Han.
17. The Silent Sea
Episodes: 8
Starring: Gong Yoo as Han Yun Jae, Bae Doo Na As Song Ji An, and Lee Joon as Ryu Tae Suk.
Plot: Set in the dystopian future, the earth is doomed – lacking in simple but vital resources such as water and food because of desertification.
In a desperate attempt to find a solution, Yoon Jae, a soldier for the space agency, and his newly selected team are sent to the moon to recover unknown samples from the lunar space station. However, years ago, a tragic accident took place in that space station, wiping everyone on board, including Ji An’s (a member of the team) sister.
18. Strangers from Hell
Episodes: 10
Starring: Im Si Wan as Yoon Jong Woo, Lee Dong Wook as Seo Moon Jo, and Lee Jung Eun as Eom Bok Soon.
Plot: After moving to the countryside and accepting a job from his friend Jae Ho, all Yoon Jong Woo needs is a place to stay. He chooses a cheap hostel called Eden Gosiwon, where he will share the kitchen and bathroom with his fellow residents.
Although he isn’t keen on the quality of the place and the strangeness of his neighbors, he decides to remain there and save up for a better home. However, with different strange incidents that keep occurring within the walls of the apartments, Jong Woo discovers that he might have reason to be afraid of them all. Strangers From Hell became a global sensation despite having less than 10 episodes, because of its incredible storyline and engaging characters.
19. One Ordinary Day
Episodes: 8
Starring: Kim Soo Hyun as Kim Hyun Soo, Cha Seun Won as Shin Joong Han, and Lee Seol as Seo Soo Jin.
Plot: This drama revolves around the murder of a woman and the search for her killer. Hyun Soo, a college student, is the prime suspect. With the help of Shin Joong Han, the only lawyer willing to help him, both of their lives change as they search for answers and fight for fairness within the justice system.
20. Search
Episodes: 10
Starring: Jang Dong Yoon as Yoon Dong Jin, Krystal Jung as Son Ye Rim, and Yoon Park as Song Min Gyu.
Plot: One month away from being discharged, Yong Dong Jin, a conscripted sergeant, is tossed into a complicated and unexplainable web of murder and mystery. Enlisting the help of his keen-nosed dogs, Yong Dong Jin slowly realizes that the killer might not be human after all.
21. Grid
Episodes: 10
Starring: Seo Kang Joon as Kim Sae Ha, Kim Ah Joong as Jung Sae Byeok, and Kim Mu Yeol as Song Eo Jin.
Plot: The earth is under the protection of the grid, a defense shield for the planet that keeps off solar winds. Within this world, a murder occurs, and Kim Sae Ha crosses paths with the murderer.
Detective Jung Sae Byeok is assigned to arrest the killer, but she’s pressed for time, and with the mounting heap of clues, she has no idea where to start. She soon realizes that there is far more to this tale than what meets the eye, and when a ghost from the past appears, she discovers that what she knows about the Grid might be insufficient.
22. The Killer’s Shopping List
Episodes: 8
Starring: Lee Kwang Soo as Ahn Dae Seong, Kim Seol Hyun as Do A Hee, and Jin Hee Kyung as Jung Myung Sook.
Plot: Ahn Dae Sung has taken the exam three times for three years, yet flopped every time, despite his photographic memory. Discouraged, he draws strength from both his mother and his girlfriend, who believe he won’t fail the next time around.
But, Dae Sung’s life takes a turn when someone is killed in an apartment near the convenience store he works in. Ah Hee, Dae Sung’s girlfriend, takes on the case to solve the murder and uncovers a receipt from Myung Sook’s store, which drags both Dae Sung and his mother into the mystery.
23. Glitch
Episodes: 10
Starring: Jeon Yeo Been as Hong Ji Hyo, Nana As Heo Bo Ra, and Lee Dong Hwi as Lee Si Guk.
Plot: After her boyfriend disappears, Hong Ji Hyo decides to find him at all costs, and Heo Bo Ra, an upcoming Twitch streamer and Youtuber who spends her days within the UFO watcher community, might have some answers. This Kdrama promises and delivers on multiple incredibly high-stake situations and a story that will have you on the edge of your seat.
24. You Raise Me Up
Episodes: 8
Starring: Yoon Shi Yoon as Do Yong Shik, Ahn Hee Yeon as Lee Ru Da, and Park Ki Woong as Do Ji Hyuk.
Plot: Do Yong Shik reunites with his first love Lee Ru Da, who is now his urologist. This comedy-drama will keep you chuckling at the messy situations in their lives, and you might shed a few tears over how in-tune the male and female leads are. I’m a sucker for anything Yoon Shi Yoon, so I don’t have much to say except: Watch this! If you’re in the mood for a completely bingeable Korean drama with less than 10 episodes so that time flies by quickly, then you definitely don’t want to miss this drama.
25. A Model Family
Starring: Jung Woo as Park Dong Ha, Park Hee Soon as Ma Kwang Chul, and Yoon Jin Seo as Kang Eun Joo.
Plot: When a family gets dragged into bankruptcy and feuds within a bloodthirsty drug ring, the level of danger and risks brings them together, and they stand against the drug ring that now threatens everything they have and hold dear.
If you’d like some other very, very similar recommendations, here’s a list with 25 Korean dramas with less than 16 episodes. If you’re in the mood for something more niche, consider checking out my list of some of the best rich boy and poor girl Korean dramas.
