K-drama Happiness came to us during the Covid-19 era, a drama which is about a virus spread. Hence, the drama became relatable on a lot of levels for many of us. Although the virus is shown in the drama might be unrealistic, but it’s becoming tougher by day to differentiate between reality and things we once saw as unrealistic. K-drama Happiness revolves around residents of a building who are stuck inside because of the virus that has been spreading at a speedy rate. We have our favorite Oppa Park Hyung-sik making his comeback after his military duty and all-time favorite actress Han Hyo-Joo as main leads. South Korea really does know how to get our attention and also makes dramas and movies on topics that are in popular demand among the viewers.
Happiness is set in the near future when a Covid-19 experimental drug trial goes wrong and spreads a new virus, called Rita virus or and disease. It makes the patient go feral and blood-thirsty. The patient then eventually goes into a complete zombie-like state. Park Hyung-sik plays the role of a detective who once used to be a star baseball player. Meanwhile, Han Hyo-Joo’s character is a member of the Special Operation Unit police squad. The two used to know each other since high school, and park Hyung-Sik’s character has been harboring feelings for her since then.
The K-drama Happiness hence makes for a great watch with equal amounts of thrill and romance. If you are looking for more K-dramas like it, we have a list of recommendations for the same. These dramas will have zombies (mostly), thrill, and romance, just like the K-drama Happiness. Read ahead to know more.
More K-dramas like K-drama Happiness
Kingdom
Kingdom is one of the most talked-about South Korean zombie dramas to ever exist. After all, the drama has such an intriguing, multi-layered plot that goes beyond just the typical zombie storyline. Owing to its popularity, the drama already has 2 seasons and a spin-off. Kingdom is actually based on a webtoon called Kingdom of the Gods by Kim Eun-hee and artist Yang Kyung-il. The drama is set in the Joseon period, where the king has been announced to have died of smallpox, but some sinister ploy is being created in secret. Prince Lee Chang is hell-bent on finding what conspiracy is being plotted. While he tries to find answers, he runs into an epidemic-filled village. The zombies in the drama are unique, too, since they only attack at night.
The drama is so thrilling to watch since it not just revolves around but is also a political thriller. The drama stars popular actor Ju Jin-moon as Prince Lee Chang and actress Bae Doo-na. The prequel of the drama called Ashin of the North stars Jung Ji-Hyun. Kingdom is available to watch on Netflix.
Sweet Home
Pretty much like K-drama Happiness, Sweet Home also revolves around a building and its residents who are trapped inside when monsters attack. Song Kang’s character Hyun-soo is a depressed guy who is also dealing with some trauma. He moves into an apartment called Sweet Home to eventually kill himself. But he is somehow stopped when he sees his beautiful building mate. Just after a day, Hyun-soo’s neighbor seems delirious, and he sees her turn into a monster. Hyun-soo gets infected pretty early in the drama, but it somehow seems he doesn’t turn into a monster like others. In fact that he can control the turn. Building mates are initially afraid of him, but since they realize he’s a half and half, they try to use him to their benefit, like sending him into dangerous situations. The drama is very thrilling but also very emotionally charged, as it will make you cry whenever any character dies.
The drama also stars Lee Jin-wook, Lee Si-young, Lee Do-Hyun, Go Min-si, and Park Gyu-young. Sweet Home is available to watch on Netflix.
All of us are Dead
All of us are Dead is a relatively new addition to the lot but has taken over the world quite quickly. The fact that it shows high school students fighting with zombies makes it interesting. The Hyosan High School has a teacher that seems suspicious on a lot of levels. After a girl disappears and later appears, claiming the teacher abducted her. She faints soon after and is taken to the infirmary, and the girl ends up biting one-two people. The school is soon infested with the unknown virus, and students and teachers start turning into bloodthirsty zombies. Some students manage to be unscathed and try to survive on the school rooftop with no food or water. Some bullies roam around the school too, who just don’t seem to die, no matter what. Hence some characters are shown having special abilities that they gained after getting bit. The drama is slated to have another season, hence you can still binge-watch the drama if you haven’t yet.
All of us are Dead stars Yoon Chan-young, Park Solomon, Park Ji-hoo, Cho Yi-hun, Yoo In-soo, and Lee Yoo-mi as the main leads.
Also Read: Netflix Renews ‘All Of Us Are Dead’ For Season 2
Search
Search is a military thriller drama. It’s an OCN drama who is known for its top-class thriller and horror dramas. The drama follows Jang Dong-Yoon’s character Yong Dong-jin who is to be released from his military duty. He is looking forward to the discharge but gets sent to the DMZ zone between South and North Korea, where murder seems to have taken place. It’s a bizarre murder case, and upon deeper investigation, they soon begin to realize whatever it is they are trying to find is definitely not a human. Unlike K-drama Happiness’s virus and zombies, Search is much much darker and more sinister. And sometimes, evil lurks among you and is closer to you than you think. The drama also has a beautiful romance between the main characters, played by Jang Dong-Yoon and Krystal Jung. The two are shown as ex-lovers, who still have some feelings lingering between them, and this romance becomes more clear as they save each other’s lives throughout the series. If dark-themed shows are your thing, where monsters aren’t just the only evil, Search is the one for you.
Search has 10 episodes, making it an easy watch, and is available on Rakuten Viki.
My Secret, Terrius
My Secret, Terrius especially gained momentum after Covid-19 broke out. The drama was claimed to have predicted Coronavirus. Clips of the drama went viral over the internet and soon all over the world. My Secret, Terrius, came out in 2018, and its essential theme was how diseases and viruses are used as biological weapons against the human race. Actor So Ji-sub’s character Kim Bon, a former NIS agent, discovers that his neighbor’s husband died. The death seems anything but natural. The drama then revolves around hOW Kim Bon and his neighbor Go Ae-rin (played by Jung In-sun) try to discover the truth behind her husband’s mysterious death and what sinister conspiracy has been bubbling underneath.
The drama is available on Rakuten Viki for you to watch.
Dark Hole
Dark Hole holds some similarities with the K-drama Happiness. Hence, it might be a good match for the ones who are looking for something similar to watch after Happiness. Dark Hole was released in 2021 too, and like how the vaccine Next in Happiness leads to people turning into zombies, Dark Hole involves the spread of a gas that is turning the citizens into mutants, who are bloodthirsty and are walking nightmares. The drama begins with Detective Lee Hwa-sun’s husband’s death. She tries to uncover the mystery of her husband’s murder until one day, she receives a call from the killer itself. But as fate would have it, the day she went out to meet with the killer, that is supposedly in a place called Mujishi, the place is getting contaminated with a certain gas. The gas is seen having a drastic impact on the residents, turning them into zombies. Along with a former detective in Mujishi, the duo try to find out how to save the city and also catch Hwa-sun’s husband’s killer
The drama stars Kim Ok-bin and Lee Jon-hyuk as the main leads. Dark Hole is available on Rakuten Viki.
Apart from these dramas, we have some amazing South Korean films like Train to Busan and #Alive, which are on a similar theme to the K-drama Happiness. If these drama interests you, be sure to check these movies out.
Also Read: Top 5 Horror K-Dramas To Watch On Netflix
