New month, new K-Dramas. You know what you’re here for, so let’s cut to the chase. 

The Spies Who Loved Me

As its name and key visual suggest, MBC’s The Spies Who Loved Me is a K-Drama that is going to revolve around spies, espionage, and romance. 

Kang Areum (Yoo Inna) is a wedding dress designer who unknowingly gets tangled in the world of espionage. Jeon Jihoon (Eric) is Areum’s ex-husband who is actually an Interpol secret agent under the guise of a travel writer. The two divorced without Areum learning about Eric’s dual life.  

In the present, Areum is happily married to Derek Hyun (Lim Juhwan), who works as a diplomat and has a warm and gentle personality. Unbeknownst to her, Derek is also an industrial spy. Despite Derek’s genuine affection for Areum, he is selective in the sides of himself he chooses to share with her. One day, Jihoon reappears in Areum and Derek’s seemingly perfect life.

This series is actually a rom-com despite the emphasis on spies and espionage. The leads—Yoon Inna and Jeon Jihoon—are extremely prolific and have various representative works in this genre specifically. There is no doubt that they will be able to bring their characters to life, which makes The Spies Who Loved Me worth checking out if you have enjoyed their previous works.

Accompanying them is director Lee Jaejin (The Banker, Sisters-in-Law) and highly acclaimed screenwriter Lee Jimin (Forbidden Dream). With their inputs, the K-Drama is looking to be promising and hopefully a cut above the rest. 

Premieres: October 21, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Streaming source(s): To be confirmed

Tale of the Nine-Tailed

To replace tvN’s Flower of Evil’s Wednesday-Thursday time slot is Tale of the Nine-Tailed. Lee Dongwook will be competing with his former Touch Your Heart co-star in the battle of ratings.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed is an urban fantasy series that tells the story of a male gumiho (a mythical nine-tailed fox) named Yiyeon (Lee Dongwook) who has settled in and goes about doing his duties as a higher being in the city. Meanwhile, Nam Jiah (Jo Boah) is a television producer of an urban-myth program. She discovers Yiyeon and is determined to feature him in her program, marking the start of their unique relationship. 

Yi-rang (Ki Bum), a half-gumiho and human, is also Yiyeon’s brother. However, he is extremely hostile and volatile and harbors an evil intent to bring about conflict in the city. 

If you are getting some serious Goblin vibes from the whole premise, it is probably an indication of the series’s potential to become a big hit. While the series retains the eerie and dark mood that tvN is rather fond of recently, it manages to be lighthearted when it comes to the romance segments. The action scenes as shown in the promotional materials look polished and intense, and viewers can definitely have some high expectations tuning into this series. 

This is also Ki Bum’s first project following his release from military service earlier this year and it is absolutely amazing that he is challenging the role of the antagonist. His twisted expressions and chemistry with Lee Dongwook in the series would be another key anticipation point. 

K-Dramas that deal with myths and legends are a dime a dozen, but we are certain that Tale of the Nine-Tailed will be one to look out for this October. (Just look at Lee Dongwook…)

Premieres: Oct 7, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Streaming source(s): Viki, iQiyi, WeTV

Start-Up

Start-Up is set in South Korea’s fictional Silicon Valley, called Sandbox, and tells the stories of the very different unique individuals in the world of startup companies.

Seo Dalmi (Bae Suzy) has big dreams of becoming Korea’s Steve Jobs. Dalmi doesn’t have a fancy background but she’s passionate about her work. She also has experience in a wide range of part-time jobs and is a person of great vitality. 

Nam Dosan (Nam Joohyuk) is the founder of Samsan Tech. A “math genius” as a young boy, Dosan was once the pride of his family but became their shame now, as his business has been on the decline for the past two years. He finds out that Dalmi mistakenly remembers him as her first love, so he decides to work his way up in hopes of turning that misunderstanding into reality.

Han Jipyeong (Kim Seonho) is a senior investment manager at a venture capital company. His astonishing investment skills and sharp tongue earn him the nickname “the Gordon Ramsay of investments.” 

Last but not least, Won Injae (Kang Hanna) is a second-generation chaebol CEO who has everything people desire—good education, beauty, and money. But her background seems to be working against her in the startup world, as she struggles to be acknowledged for her own merits and achievements. 

Start-Up is directed by Oh Choonghwan (Hotel del Luna, While You Were Sleeping) and written by popular writer Park Hyeryun (Dream High, I Can Hear Your Voice).

Start-Up offers a unique combination of the harsh reality of the corporate world together with heartwarming romance. The teasers do not reveal much at the moment and it seems that Start-Up is kind of a wild-card. Misaeng is another amazing K-Drama of the office-politics genre and it is hard to tell if Start-Up will fare well against it. However, viewers can rest assured that the director and writer have produced multiple quality series before and should give this K-Drama’s premiere episodes a watch.

Premieres: October 17, Saturdays and Sundays 

Streaming source(s): Netflix 

Search (2020)

Search is a mystery thriller of a specialized search party that is tasked to uncover the truth behind mysterious disappearances and murders in the demilitarized zone. It stars Jang Dongyoon, f(x)’s Krystal, Moon Junghee, Lee Hyunwook, and Yoon Park.

Dubbed as a “military-thriller” by the production team, Search is going to be an intense and suspenseful watch for viewers. It is also the fourth project to join OCN’s “dramatic cinema” series, with its predecessors being Trap, Strangers from Hell, and Team Bulldog: Off-duty Investigation. This means that viewers can expect movie-like production quality and visuals while watching this series.

Another standout of Search is perhaps the lack of contrived romance forced in. Although promotional materials hint that Yong Dongjin (Jang Dongyoon) and Son Yerim (Krystal) might have a history, it does not seem that their romance will be a central plot point. This is great for K-Drama lovers who aren’t exactly fans of how mainstream K-Dramas’ plots are usually driven by romance. If you’re tired of all the sickly sweet romance K-Dramas on-air this October, consider giving Search a try. 

Premieres: October 17, Saturdays and Sundays

Streaming source(s): Viki

Kairos

Kairos is described as a time-crossing thriller with an impeccable cast of Shin Sungrok, Lee Seyoung, Ahn Bohyun, and Nam Gyuri.

Kim Seojin (Shin Sungrok) is a success-driven man and is the youngest executive at his company. His wife, Kang Hyunchae (Nam Gyuri), is a beautiful violinist, and they have a daughter together. His happy days come to an end when his young daughter is kidnapped, causing him to fall into despair. To change the past, he contacts student Han Aeri (Lee Seyoung) approximately one month in the past, to alter events surrounding his daughter’s kidnapping. 

Seo Dogyun (Ahn Bohyun) is Kim Seojin’s right-hand man. With amazing visuals and skills, he easily earns Seojin’s strong trust. He becomes the first to notice the cracks in Seojin’s project, and he will light an unexpected fire to the story.

This series looks absolutely dark and grim, and its premise awfully similar to Signal. While Signal spans across a series of connected crimes, Kairos looks to be focused solely on the kidnapping incident. With a total of 32 episodes, there seems to be more than what meets the eye currently, especially with the description of Dogyun and Kairos (Greek word for the right, critical, or opportune moment) as the title name. 

Although nothing about Kairos seems to be particularly eye-catching from this list of dramas, Shin Sungrok is an amazing actor and it would not surprise us if he ends up hard-carrying Kairos because he is that good.  

Premieres: October 26, Mondays and Tuesdays

Streaming source(s): To be confirmed

Bonus: BLACKPINK: LIGHT UP THE SKY

If you’re a BLINK, then you should keep your eyes peeled for this.

Record-breaking Korean girl group BLACKPINK tell their story—and detail the hard-fought journey of the dreams and trials behind their meteoric rise in the docuseries BLACKPINK: LIGHT UP THE SKY. 

Never-before-seen footage of the girls’ trainee days, their recording process of their follow-up album, and their historic 2019 Coachella performance will be unveiled in this Netflix docuseries. Even if you are not an avid fan of BLACKPINK, this docuseries will definitely be an intriguing watch as we can expect to catch glimpses of the girls’ authentic interactions and organic sides that are often hidden from the public eye.

There’s really not much to go on about this—if you are curious about how the Korean entertainment scene works, then this docuseries will be a good entry point to get to know more. 

Premieres: October 14

Streaming source(s): Netflix

Conclusion

That’s it for the interesting K-Dramas that caught our eyes this October.

Also, a friendly reminder that the wait for Private Lives and Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol is over! Both series will be finally debuting this October 7.

Let us know what you think of this month’s dramas!