The strong Gu Group’s CEO, Gu Nanzhou, is cold-hearted and successful. He’s recognized for his aggressive commercial techniques and ability to overcome obstacles. When he meets Eleanor Lee’s happy and optimistic Li Xia, his life changes.
The youthful Li Xia becomes Gu Nanzhou’s housekeeper after a series of calamities. As the characters engage more, their connection evolves. Li Xia falls for the mysterious CEO after Gu Nanzhou sees life through her eyes.
Following are 18 suggestions for dramas that are similar to “Hello Mr. Gu” that include aspects of romance, humor, and drama.
Also Read: 41 Martial Arts Chinese Drama To Watch Right Now
18 Drama Like Hello Mr. Gu
1. My ID is Gangnam Beauty
Kang Mi-rae is a young lady who has suffered from self-esteem and body image as a result of being taunted and harassed for her looks. She receives substantial cosmetic surgery during summer vacation before college to start new and acquire confidence. She becomes a stunning, conventionally gorgeous lady.
After moving to college, Mi-rae enjoys the attention and favorable comments from friends and strangers. However, she must now deal with society’s beauty standards and expectations based on her new appearance.
She meets her middle school classmate Do Kyung-seok in university, a gorgeous and compassionate student. Mi-rae’s doubts and self-worth continue despite her beauty.
Also Read: KDrama of the Day: My ID is Gangnam Beauty Review, Cast, OST, and Plot
2. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim
Park Seo-Joon plays Lee Young-Joon, a prosperous and narcissistic vice chairman of the Yoomyung Group. Kim Mi-so has been his dedicated and skilled secretary for years, arranging his personal and professional concerns.
Kim Mi-so resigns as Young-joon’s secretary, surprising everyone at the firm. Young-joon, who relies on her, is shocked by her sudden choice. Despite losing his loyal secretary, Young-Joon is determined to find out why she resigned and encourages her to remain.
The drama uncovers Kim Mi-so’s mysterious departure and her motives for leaving. Young-Joon and Kim Mi-so’s intricate friendship reveals previous secrets and extends beyond work.
3. Her Private Life
Park Min-young plays Seoul art gallery director Sung Duk-mi. Her art expertise and show curation talents are legendary. Duk-mi operates a big fansite for White Ocean’s Shi-an (ONE), a member she keeps a secret from her coworkers and friends.
When Ryan Gold, a famous American art gallery director, enters Duk-mi’s gallery, her life changes. Ryan is noted for his art and aloofness. Duk-mi’s new employer has misconceptions and fights with him.
Ryan learns about Duk-mi’s hidden existence as a fangirl and fansite manager as the tale progresses. He’s fascinated by her double existence and promises to maintain her secret. This odd partnership brings them closer and ultimately to romance.
Also Read: Meet The Talented Cast Of The K-Drama ‘Her Private Life’
4. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Park Bo-young plays Do Bong-soon, a young lady with supernatural power. Despite her extraordinary athletic ability, she is polite and compassionate and wants to be a game developer. She has a typical life until she meets two people who transform everything.
Park Hyung-sik plays Ainsoft CEO Ahn Min-hyuk. He employs Bong-soon as his bodyguard after seeing her power out of worry for his safety. The eccentric, easygoing, and charming Min-hyuk falls for Bong-soon.
A female-targeted serial kidnapper is also loose in their area. Bong-soon uses her talents to apprehend the culprit because she wants to serve others and crushes on her childhood buddy Gook-doo, a police officer.
Bong-soon balances her role as Min-hyuk’s bodyguard, her search for the kidnapper, and her increasing affection for him in the drama. Bong-soon learns to use her power wisely and be herself as she faces these obstacles.
Also Read: How To Watch Strong Woman Do Bong Soon? The Iconic Show!
5. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo
The plot follows weightlifter and Hanwool College of Physical Education student Kim Bok-joo. Bok-joo is smart and motivated, but her participation in a male-dominated sport makes her unusual.
Bok-joo’s life changes when she meets college student Jung Joon-hyung, a brilliant swimmer. Joon-hyung is easygoing and naughty. He’s drawn to Bok-joo’s power and charisma.
They get closer as Bok-joo and Joon-hyung become friends and spend more time together. Bok-joo first hides her weightlifting identity from Joon-hyung, believing it would ruin their relationship. Despite his challenges, Joon-hyung reconciles with his competitive swimming history.
6. Love O2O
Two college students, Bei Weiwei and Xiao Nai, meet and fall in love. Weiwei is a top-ranked player noted for her beauty and brains, while Xiao Nai is a gorgeous, talented guild leader.
Despite their virtual conversations, neither knows the other’s real-world identity. Fate draws them together since they attend the same institution. Computer science major Weiwei and computer engineering major Xiao Nai. Weiwei didn’t realize that Xiao Nai was her classmate and in-game spouse.
As they spend more time together in real and virtual worlds, their emotions develop, and they become a pair. Their love journey had ups and downs, hardships, and misunderstandings, yet it keeps becoming stronger.
7. Touch Your Heart
Popular actress Yoo In-na plays Oh Yoon-seo, a beauty and charmer. After a controversy, she struggles to get roles owing to her reputation. Yoon-seo becomes a law office secretary to recover and develop her acting. As a secretary, she aims to gather experience and insight for future acting opportunities.
Lee Dong-wook plays careful and introverted law firm lawyer Kwon Jung-rok. Professionalism and rule-following are his hallmarks. Yoon-seo’s lack of legal knowledge causes miscommunication and conflict when she begins working as his secretary.
Yoon-seo adapts to her new position and improves her talents in the legal company. Jung-rok, who first disliked Yoon-seo, grows to like her honesty and persistence.
Yoon-Seo and Jung-rok’s work connection becomes amorous as the drama continues. They begin to comprehend and support one another’s goals.
8. Healer
Ji Chang-wook plays Seo Jung-hoo, a mysterious and competent underground messenger known as “Healer.” While hiding his identity, he does surveillance, investigation, and retrieval.
When Jung-hoo is recruited by Chae Young-shin (Park Min-young), an inquisitive and determined young journalist, his life changes. Young-shin, writing as “Choco,” wants to learn the truth about a decades-old family event. She seeks Healer’s help in her quest for justice.
Jung-hoo learns that their destinies are entwined while prosecuting Young-shin. The mystery surrounding Young-shin’s family includes strong and dangerous people, including renowned journalist Kim Moon-ho, who wants to find out.
Jung-hoo’s life grows more challenging as he balances his roles as a Healer and intriguing young man. He falls for Young-shin but must defend her from life-threatening forces.
The drama reveals secondary individuals that are crucial to the mystery. Park Sang-myun plays Moon-ho’s brother, Kim Moon-sik, who has secrets, and Do Ji-won plays Jung-hoo’s former figure Min-ja.
The heart of “Healer” is atonement and truth. The characters try to make atonement for their past sins while facing decades of falsehoods and corruption. The play emphasizes journalism’s role in justice and accountability.
9. Suspicious Partner
The plot follows attorneys Noh Ji-wook and Eun Bong-hee. Noh Ji-wook, a competent prosecutor who is dedicated to justice, gets disillusioned with his career after a horrific event. He quits and starts a private legal practice.
Eun Bong-hee, however, is a driven young lady who wants to be a prosecutor. She becomes the lead suspect in a murder case, changing her life. Ji-Wook, a defense attorney, represents her.
After investigating Bong-hee’s case, Ji-wook feels persuaded of her innocence and vows to clear her reputation. They investigate the murder and find the perpetrator. Despite Ji-wook’s initial hesitation, their professional connection becomes amorous.
“Suspicious Partner” addresses the protagonists’ personal lives and histories as well as their legal practice. Ji-Wook and Bong-hee must face their secrets and traumas while managing their professions and relationships.
Also Read: Suspicious Partner Cast: The Most Amazing Chemistry You Will Ever See
10. Fight for My Way
Ko Dong-man is a gifted taekwondo athlete who gave up on becoming a professional fighter. He is unsatisfied with his life as a pest control contract worker.
Choi Ae-ra Dong-man’s childhood buddy Ae-ra wants to be an announcer. Kim Joo-man. Dong-man’s close buddy, Joo-man, works at the same pest control firm. He struggles in his personal life despite his long-term partner.
The girlfriend of Joo-man and a close friend of Ae-ra is Seol-hee. She helps Joo-man in his job and life as a pharmacist.
The drama follows four friends as they pursue their aspirations and face maturity. Dong-man returns to taekwondo to fight, while Ae-ra strives to become an announcer. Their path is fraught with obstacles and personal development.
As the story progresses, Dong-man and Ae-ra, longtime closest friends, develop love sentiments. The drama depicts their changing connection and the complexity of friendship and love among the four major characters.
11. Because This Is My First Life
The plot follows gifted and diligent writer Yoon Ji-ho, who struggles to earn a livelihood. Ji-ho is in her early 30s and struggling with finances, job uncertainty, and social demands to marry.
Nam Se-hee, an introverted, fastidious software designer in his late 30s who owns a home, is lonely and poor. He offers Ji-ho a novel solution: She may rent a spare room in his home and assist her with her housing dilemma.
Ji-ho and Se-hee commit to a contractual, non-romantic partnership as roommates. Their lives grow more interwoven as they live together and help one another through their struggles.
Woo Soo-ji, Ji-ho’s close friend and television producer, is the third character in the drama. Soo-ji and her partner, Ma Sang-goo, confront hardships in their long-term relationship.
12. Extraordinary You
The plot follows high school student Eun Dan-oh, who realizes she lives in a webcomic. She understands that she is a “supporting character” in the comic, meaning the creator controls her life and deeds. Dan-oh realizes her life is repetitious and clichéd and is dissatisfied by her lack of power.
She meets a weird, rebellious kid called Ha-ro, who appears to be the only one with free choice in this comic universe. Dan-oh is lured to Ha-ro’s independence and joins him in his attempt to alter their fortunes and escape the comic’s storyline.
Dan-oh and Ha-ro violate the author’s plot and forge their own webcomic routes. They learn truths about Baek Kyung, the comic’s major male protagonist, and Yeo Joo-da, the female lead.
13. Business Proposal
After replacing her friend Jin Young-seo, whose father organized it, Shin Ha-ri goes on a blind date. Ha-ri’s date is Go Food CEO Kang Tae-moo, which goes wrong.
After Ha-ri’s identity is revealed, Young-seo lures her into seeing Tae-moo at his request. Ha-ri lies and claims her true name is Shin Geum-hui, the same as the female protagonist in the hit TV show Be Strong, to conceal her employment.
The pair starts off chilly but becomes closer until Tae-moo discovers Ha-ri’s true identity. Despite feeling misled, Tae-moo still loves Ha-ri, and they marry when he reveals her true identity.
14. The Tale of Nokdu
The narrative starts with Jeon Nok-du, a youthful martial artist in the Joseon Dynasty. Nok-du unwittingly gets involved in a political murder attempt and hides. He disguises himself as a lady and enters the distant Widow Village.
The Widow Village is a hidden hamlet of widows protected by a deep river and lush woodlands. Nok-du disguises himself as “Dong Dong-ju” and a widow to evade discovery.
Dong Dong-ju, a lively young lady who wants to know her family’s history, encounters Nok-du in the countryside. Initially distrustful of Nok-du, Dong-ju becomes his close buddy and confidant.
Nok-du gets enmeshed in the Widow Village’s mysteries and secrets, including its mysterious leader, Lady Kim, and its solitary existence. Nok-du and Dong-ju become closer and develop love sentiments.
15. Reply 1988
“Reply 1988” is a renowned South Korean drama that transports viewers to the late 1980s with a touching and engaging story that transcends generations. The series beautifully portrays a period and explores the lives, hopes, and relationships of Seoul citizens. In this story, we go into “Reply 1988″‘s complicated plot, major characters, and cultural context.
The tale takes place in 1988 in Haeundae, Seoul, with five families and their children. More than proximity, the inhabitants have a lifelong relationship. Our fascinating protagonist, Sung Duk-seon (Lee Hye-ri), leads the Sung family. High school student Duk-Seon is energetic and alive, yet she struggles academically. She is recognized for her lively personality and close childhood buddies.
Kim Jung-hwan, Park Bo-gum, Ryu Dong-ryong, and Sung Sun-woo are Duk-seon’s closest friends and relatives, along with the Sungs. Each buddy adds their own personality to the group, making it fascinating and accessible.
Jung-hwan, Duk-seon’s neighbor and boyhood buddy, is distant and stoic. He loves Duk-seon, which is one of the series’ main romantic storylines, despite his demeanor.
However, Taek is a Baduk genius. His intelligence is unique, yet his social peculiarities are lovable. As the situation develops, his function as the “flower boy” and group emotional anchor becomes clear.
Dong-ryong, a quirky musician, brings humor to the ensemble. He shares his friends’ goals of becoming a great singer.
Duk-seon’s elder brother, Sun-woo, a college student, protects the family and friends. His character has the responsibility and commitment of elder siblings.
“Reply 1988” masterfully examines childhood and adolescence, touching on friendship, family, and first love. As Duk-Seon and her friends struggle with scholastic expectations, job goals, and the common obstacles of growing up, their tales connect with viewers.
A unique characteristic of “Reply 1988” is its capacity to take viewers back in time. The drama skillfully recreates the late 1980s with a rich historical and cultural tapestry. From the apparel and home products to the pop culture and social standards of the time, every aspect seems well-studied and interwoven.
Duk-seon’s future marriage is a mystery in “Reply 1988” despite adolescent struggles. The drama teases the guy who will win Duk-seon’s heart in each episode. This major mystery engages viewers and sparks fan curiosity.
Beyond the sexual drama, “Reply 1988” explores the neighborhood parents’ lives and friendships. The sacrifices and hopes of a generation that went through difficult times in South Korea are explored. The parents’ experiences provide an intergenerational perspective on life, love, and time.
Also Read: Reply 1988 Review: A Nostalgic And Heartfelt Coming Of Age Story
16. The K2
Former elite soldier Kim Je-ha becomes a fugitive after being framed for a crime he didn’t commit. The moniker “K2” symbolizes his calm, solitary existence.
When Choi Yoo-jin, the powerful wife of presidential candidate Jang Se-joon, hires Je-ha as a bodyguard, his life changes drastically. Yoo-jin is manipulative and would do everything to help her husband succeed politically.
K2 meets Go An-na (Im Yoon-ah), Jang Se-joon’s hidden daughter who has been hiding in Spain to avoid her turbulent family while working as Yoo-jin’s bodyguard. Kind and vulnerable, An-na is emotionally damaged by her past.
K2 becomes involved in politics, where conspiracies, betrayals, and power battles abound. He also has a troubled connection with An-na, who wants to escape her family.
17. Familiar Wife
Ji Sung plays middle-aged salaryman Cha Joo-hyuk, who lives a boring and unfulfilling existence. His college love, Han Ji-min’s Seo Woo-jin, has lost its spark in their marriage. Joo-hyuk is unhappy at work, stressed out, and undervalued in his family.
Joo-hyuk contemplates his previous decisions while going about his everyday routine. He frequently wonders what might have occurred if he had made other love-life choices. His marriage to Woo-jin, once passionate, has become ordinary and tense.
Joo-hyuk meets a strange, otherworldly entity who provides him the chance to alter his history via magic. He receives a mystical subway token from this person to change his life. With this token, Joo-hyuk must decide whether to ride the subway back to his childhood and make alternative choices or stay on his current route.
18. Thirty But Seventeen
Woo Seo-ri, a promising violinist, starts the narrative. A horrible tragedy at 17 puts her in a coma for 13 years. The world changes around her, but she stays stuck.
Thus, Seo-ri wakes up in her 30s with a 17-year-old mental and emotional maturity. She feels puzzled and unable to accept that she missed almost a decade of her life. She has no recall of the accident, making things worse.
The reclusive and eccentric former musician Gong Woo-jin lives in Seo-ri’s family’s house. Woo-jin is emotionally shut off after a tragic event from his past. He is a lone set designer. Seo-ri and Woo-jin heal and find themselves as their lives overlap.
Woo-jin first resents Seo-ri but eventually warms to her young optimism. They create a special affinity and take comfort in one another. They fall in love as they assist one another in overcoming old traumas and worries.
The drama also has colorful and appealing supporting characters like Seo-ri’s high school classmate Kim Hyung-tae (Yoon Sun-woo) and Woo-jin’s wacky coworkers.
“Thirty But Seventeen” examines love, healing, resilience, and human connection. It shows the difficulties of recreating one’s life after a lengthy absence and the value of following one’s hobbies.
Also Read: 34 Korean Dramas Like 18 Again To Watch
