K-Dramas To Fancy this February!

January was kind of a sleeper month for K-Drama lovers, but February releases are here to change that. Read on to check out what K-Dramas February has in store for us!

L.U.C.A.: The Beginning 

L.U.C.A. is tvN’s latest action-thriller, about an amnestic man named Jioh (Kim Raewon), who is on the run from mysterious pursuers who are after the strange powers he possesses. The only one who seems to know about his mysterious past is a violent crimes detective named Gureum (Lee Dahee), who is also after him. The two become entangled in each others’ lives and have to rely on each other to survive and find answers to the happenings around them. 

The overarching concept of L.U.C.A. is inspired by Darwin’s theory of common descent—that all species of life originated from the same ancestor. L.U.C.A. supposedly also stands for last universal common ancestor. This seems to hint at the origins of Jioh’s special abilities, and the reasons for his multiple pursuers from the Human Tech research center and other camps, who wish to tap on his abilities for their own interests.   

From the teaser, it seems that viewers can expect some impressive action scenes together with eye-catching special effects thrown in. Jioh and Guruem’s mysterious past is going to be central to this K-Drama’s plot with tons of tension and emotionally-charged scenes for us to enjoy. This is also Lee Dahee’s first K-Drama that dabbles heavily into action and fight scenes, which is definitely going to be an eye-opener for even her long-time fans. 

Acting alongside them are Kim Sungoh, Kim Sangho, Park Hyukkwon, Ahn Naesang, Jinkyung, Jung Daeun, Kim Mingwi, and Lee Joongok, who are all individuals with their vested interests in the grand scheme of things. L.U.C.A. is shaping up to be a mind-boggling and intense watch if the K-Drama delivers what they are promoting thus far.

Premieres: February 1, every Monday and Tuesday

Streaming source(s): To Be Confirmed 

River Where the Moon Rises 

Adapted from the novel Princess Pyeonggang, River Where the Moon Rises is a saeguk (historical drama) that retells the love story between Princess Pyeonggang (Kim Sohyun) and Ondal (Jisoo), who are characters in a classic Goguryeo folktale.

Pyeonggang is also known as Yeom Gajin, a princess-born and raised as a soldier. An ambitious woman who dreams of becoming the first empress to lead Goguryeo, she will stop at nothing to achieve what she desires. Ondal is the complete opposite of Pyeonggang—he is a peace-loving, pure man who later betrays his principles in order to protect Pyeonggang. 

The two meet in unlikely circumstances and fall in love. Pitted against some of the most powerful and ruthless people who are vying for the throne, Pyeonggang is forced to make decisions that might cause her to regret in the future. 

This K-Drama means serious business—the cinematography looks absolutely amazing, the sets are grand and detailed, and most importantly, the cast is just chef’s kisses. Unless you have just discovered and got into K-Drama only recently, it is unlikely you have never heard of the leads Kim Sohyun and Jisoo. Well, if you haven’t, they are rising actors whose acting abilities precede their relatively young ages in the industry, so you can have some high expectations watching this series. River Where the Moon Rises is also female-centric with main character Pyeonggang being the cunning sorts, which is a big plus for those who can’t stand ‘Mary Sue’ tropes. 

The bad-end vibes are strong with this saeguk and we are hoping it’s just us. Kang Haneul will also make a special appearance as Ondal’s father Onhyup, the chief of the Sunnobu tribe and a general for Goguryeo. If you are undecided on this, do give its premiere episodes a shot.

Premieres: February 15, every Monday and Tuesday

Streaming source(s): Viki, Viu

Dear. M 

Dear.M is a spinoff from the popular web drama Love Playlist, which occurs after an anonymous post on the university’s online community about a mysterious figure named “M.” was published. 

Ma Jooah (Park Hyesoo) is a 2nd-year student in the Business Administration Department at Seoyeon University. Despite her warm and bright demeanor, she is not interested in a romantic relationship and never had a boyfriend before. Her best friend of 12 years is Cha Minho (NCT’s Jaehyun), who accepts her as she is. Recently, she seems to have developed a crush on someone but is hesitant of changing their dynamics.

Minho is a 2nd-year student in the Computer Science Department at Seoyeon University. Not only is he talented in developing apps, but he is also bold and cheeky. He can be serious when the situation calls for it.

Seoyeon University’s resident power couple is Seo Jimin (Roh Jeongeui) and Park Haneul (Bae Hyunsung). Jimin is a member of the cheerleading team, and Haneul is an ambassador for the university. He rooms with Minho and “serial cleaner” Kim Mokjin (UP10TION’s Lee Jinhyuk).

Hwang Boyoung (Woo Davi) gives relationship advice to those who approach her and is the go-to person for both Jooah and Jimin when they encounter problems.

While the typical idol teen drama description of the K-Drama itself isn’t going to be raising any eyebrows, what begets another look is that Dear.M is an extension of the Love Playlist universe. It technically can be considered the fourth season but adapted into a full-length TV series format with a slew of new characters. The Love Playlist series and other PLAYLIST originals have been beloved both domestically and internationally—raking up to a million views and above for certain episodes. 

Also impressive is the fact that they managed to cast NCT’s Jaehyun and UP10TION’s Jinhyuk, something fans of both groups are surely anticipating. If you enjoy teen romance and high school drama like the recently concluded Live-On, then this is a must-watch. 

Premieres: February 26, every Friday and Saturday  

Streaming sources: Viki

Mouse 

In this alternate reality, humans can now identify psychopathic serial killers while they are fetuses in the mother’s womb using a DNA test. This drama will revolve around the question, “Would you give birth to a child knowing that they will be a psychopathic serial killer?”

Jung Bareum (Lee Seunggi) is a righteous rookie police officer who encounters a psychopath killer while on duty. However, he has no recollection of this encounter and gains a unique ability following this mysterious incident.

Ko Moochi (Lee Heejoon) is a veteran detective, also Bareum’s superior. He plans to exact revenge on his parents’ murderer by going to prison himself and killing the murderer with his own hands.

Not much about the series is revealed currently, but viewers can expect to be bombarded with tons of morality issues and mind-blowing moments with its current set-up. It goes without saying that Lee Seunggi is absolutely amazing when it comes to acting, but what is surprising is the child actor Kim Kanghoon, who is being heavily pushed as the face and shooting off creepy vibes in Mouse’s promotional materials, and nailing it. There’s a lot of ways tvN and the creators of Mouse can work with this suspenseful premise, and it is likely that they won’t disappoint.

Premieres: February 24, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Streaming sources: To Be Confirmed

Times

Times is a time-warp, political-mystery drama that tells the story of Seo Jungin (Lee Jooyoung), who becomes connected to reporter Lee Jinwoo (Lee Seojin) from five years in the past through a phone call. Seo Jungin discovers a dangerous truth as she tries to prevent the death of her father Seo Gitae (Kim Youngchul), who is the president.

Replacing the timeslot of OCN’s hit-series The Uncanny Counter is Times, which sounds awfully similar to MBC’s Kairos of 2020. While some might dismiss this series completely, given its obvious commonality of time-travel with other existing K-Dramas, we suggest checking it out. Although time-travel is quite the overused trope, not every series handles the concept the same or explains it well. Furthermore, Times seem to be hinting at some political power struggle in its background, so these two elements may mash well and churn out a hit. 

Premieres: February 2021

Streaming sources: To Be Confirmed

Penthouse 2 

Ah yes, everyone’s favorite makjang, high-society thriller that swept us all away in the last quarter of 2020 with its plot-twists and cliffhangers.  

Not much to say about this, as it is an established series with a decent following by now. Mark your calendars so you don’t miss season two! Also, congratulations to the three female leads, Lee Jiah, Kim Soyeon, and Eugene on receiving the SBS’s “Top Excellence Award.” Well-deserved! 

If you haven’t caught the first season, we recommend starting it now just in time for season two.

Premieres: February 12, Fridays and Saturdays

Streaming source(s): Viki, Viu, Kocowa

Sisyphus: The Myth

Han Taesul (Jo Seungwoo), a co-founder of Quantum and Time, is a genius engineer with the highest level of coding skills with outstanding good looks. Due to his innovative achievements, Quantum and Time is a world-class company, dubbed as "The Miracle of South Korea's Engineering Industry." In reality, Taesul has caused his company's stocks to constantly fluctuate after the death of his brother 10 years ago. One day, after witnessing the unbelievable truth of his brother's death, he sets off on a dangerous journey.

Kang Seohae (Park Shinhye) is a soldier who could zipline from building to building, fight big built men with her bare hands, shoot guns, and install explosives. With the survival skills that she's learned from living amongst gangsters and warlords, she sets off a dangerous path of finding Taesul. 

Sisyphus: The Myth is another time travel K-Drama, but the premise is slightly shrouded in more mystery. This K-Drama is also dubbed as JTBC’s 10th anniversary special drama, which explains the insane production value. Besides the two prolific leads, director Jin Hyuk, who previously worked on The Legend of the Blue Sea, Doctor Stranger, and Master’s Sun, is working on the series as well. We have high expectations for Sisyphus: The Myth, and are sure that it will be a great source of entertainment for many of us in the coming weeks.

Premieres: February 17, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Streaming source(s): Netflix

Beyond Evil

Beyond Evil is a psychological thriller where two upholders of justice break the rules and the law in their pursuit of a serial killer. The drama asks, “Who is the monster? Is it you? Is it me? Is it us?”

Lee Dongshik (Shin Hakyun), is a former detective in the violent crimes division who has been demoted to a sergeant at a local police station. His life is shaken up when he reencounters an old serial killer case from 20 years ago. Han Joowon (Yeo Jingoo), is an elite detective who comes down to the local police station in Manyang with a secret and becomes the partner of Dongshik.

The teaser, seemingly unassuming, dives straight to unsettling at the end—a great indicator of this series's solid plot. The theme of corruption is rather prominent, and seeing the two leads descend into madness could be quite a journey for viewers. Director Shim Nayeon, who worked on Moments of 18 and Han Yeoreum’s Memory, and scriptwriter Kim Soojin, who penned Mad Dog will also join the crew. Fans of Yeo Jingoo should not miss this.

Premieres: February 19, Fridays and Saturdays

Streaming sources: To Be Confirmed