May is a rich month for dramas! From mysterious time-travel adventures to post-apocalyptic deliverymen to childhood friends gone sideways to our favorite fox in the shape of Lee Dong Wook, there are a lot of good shows headed our way. Come see what you’ll be adding to your May watchlist very, very soon.
(As per usual, I’m doing my best with the information I can find on the very, very helpful MyDramaList.com. Changes are subject to the whims of fate and the drama gods, so plan your sacrifices accordingly.)
My Perfect Stranger
May 1, Viki, starring Kim Dong Wook (The King of Pigs), Jin Ki Joo (From Now On, Showtime!)
Yoon Hae Joon is the youngest anchor to ever work at his broadcasting station. He is calm and straightforward as a journalist and kind in his personal life. Baek Yoon Young dreamed of becoming a writer, but wound up working at a publishing company.
The two somehow travel back in time to the year 1987. There, Yoon Hae Joon tries to find the truth behind a serial murder case while Baek Yoon Young attempts to prevent her parents from marrying. They soon realize that their objectives are connected.
Love Mate
May 4, Viki, starring Cho Han Gyeol (Be My Dream Family), Cho Hyun Min (Melancholia)
Depicts Seo Yi Jun, the team leader of the So What Media Content Production Team, who went on a date with Ha Ram, a newcomer employee, for three months to find true love.
All That We Loved
May 5, Viki, starring Oh Se Hun (Dokgo Rewind), Jang Yeo Bin (A Beauty of Revenge), Jo Joon Young (Dear.M)
Depicts the solid friendship and sincere love story of 18-year-old youths who cannot give up love or friendship. The drama deals with the unique subject of cellular memory, which hypothesizes that memory is transferred to organ transplant recipients.
Go Yoo is an 18-year-old student in his second year of Hara High School. Go Yoo grows taller everyday, and he is often praised as a genius at basketball, which he originally started in order to grow taller. He’s also a charming student who manages to at least do averagely in school despite not studying. Go Yoo is too busy to date, and he’s preoccupied with protecting Joon Hee, but after he donates his kidney to Joon Hee, he becomes rivals in love with Joon Hee for the school’s No. 1 student and his first love So Yeon due to cellular memory syndrome.
Tale of the Nine-tailed 1938
May 6, Amazon Prime, starring Lee Dong Wook (Bad and Crazy), Kim So Yeon (The Penthouse), Kim Bum (Ghost Doctor), Ryu Kyung Soo (Lovestruck in the City)
An unexpected case leads Lee Yeon back in time to the year 1938 where he reencounters Ryu Hong Joo. Once a guardian spirit of the mountain in the west, she’s now the owner of a high-end restaurant in the capital city of Gyeongseong.
He also meets his younger brother Lee Rang. Meanwhile, another former guardian spirit and ex-friend Cheon Moo Young has become hostile. Lee Yeon struggles to return to the present, to his loved one.
Race
May 10, Disney+ Hotstar/Hulu, starring Lee Yun Hee (The Game: Towards Zero), Hong Jong Hyun (Stock Struck), Moon So Ri (Queenmaker), U-Know (Meloholic)
Office politics take center stage for marketer Park Yoon Jo, whose lack of an academic background won’t deter his dedication to his work, and the smart and just Ryu Jae Min, who lacks any expectations towards their company.
Black Knight
May 12, Netflix, starring Kim Woo Bin (Alienoid), Song Seung Heon (Dinner Mate), Kang Yoo Seok (Payback), Esom (Taxi Driver)
In 2071, toxic air pollution had devastated the world, leaving only 1% of the population alive. People rarely leave their homes without gas masks, and delivery drivers known as knights protect and deliver packages. One legendary knight, Knight 5-8, meets a young refugee named Sa Wol who dreams of becoming a knight. With the help of Seol A, an officer in the Defense Intelligence Command, Knight 5-8 trains and mentors Sa Wol, helping him achieve his dream in a dangerous and harsh world.
Oh! Youngsimi
May 15, Viki, starring Song Ha Yoon (Please Don’t Date Him), Lee Dong Hae (Panda and Hedgehog), Lee Min Jae (Crash Course in Romance), Jung Woo Yeon ()
Oh Young Sim is single and in her 30’s. She has worked as a TV variety show PD for 8 years. She wants to make people laugh with her TV shows, but they were always cancelled due to low popularity ratings. Her career is now in a crisis. She has a chance to produce a love entertainment show as a pilot program. For the show, Oh Young Sim casts famous start-up founder Mark Wang as a guest. She is surprised that Mark Wang is Wang Kyung Tae. When they were little, Wang Kyung Tae had a crush on Oh Young Sim and he always let her know how he felt about her. Oh Young Sim did not feel the same way towards Wang Kyung Tae at the time. He then suddenly moved to the United States with his family. They lost contact with each other afterwards.
Now, 20 years after they were last together, Wang Kyung Tae appears in front of her as CEO Mark Wang. Meanwhile, PD Lee Chae Dong works with PD Oh Young Sim in the same variety show department. He is always on her side. Also around Oh Young Sim is her friend Goo Wol Sook. She runs the popular YouTube video channel “Ku’s Date.”
Star Struck
May 18, iQIYI, starring Zuho (The Birth of a Nation), Kim In Sung, Park Tae In (Racket Boys)
When love is kept for a long time…will that feeling blossom?
Seo Han Joon has been in love with his childhood friend, Jo Yoo Jae, for a long time. He knew his feelings wouldn’t be reciprocated, and it didn’t matter because he never even dreamed of confessing to him. But this time, he wanted to express his love…
One Day Off
May 24, KOCOWA, starring Lee Na Young (Romance is a Bonus Book)
Set in the 1990’s, Park Ha Kyung teaches Korean literature at a high school. To escape her ordinary days, Park Ha Kyung decides to take one day trips on Saturdays. During her one day trip, she walks around, eats different foods, and meets various people. She realizes she receives comfort and empathy through her travels.
Delightfully Deceitful
May 29, starring Chun Woo Hee (Money Game), Kim Dong Wook (The King of Pigs), Yoon Park (Fanletter, Please), Park So Jin (Alchemy of Souls)
A revenge drama about a con artist who lacks empathy and an attorney who is excessively empathetic by nature. In order to battle evil, these two polar opposites team up to form an unlikely alliance.
Happiness Battle
May 31, starring Lee El (My Liberation Notes), Jin Seo Yun (One the Woman), Cha Ye Ryun (Perfume), Park Hyo Joo (Racket Boys), Woo Jeong Won (Under the Queen’s Umbrella)
A suspense drama depicting mothers engaged in a fierce social media battle to destroy each others’ happiness for their own, to free themselves from oppression, hurt, and secrets, and regain their true selves.
Bitch X Rich
May 31, starring Lee Eun Saem (Cheer Up), Yeri (Blue Birthday), Lee Jong Hyuk (Our Dating Sim), Yoo Jung Hoo (New Love Playlist)
Baek Je Na is a third-generation conglomerate and a gold spoon of the highest class at Cheongdam International High School. Kim Hye In grew up in poverty and is offered a chance to study at the Cheongdam International High School in exchange for her silence on a murder she witnessed. Cheongdam International High School is a homicide mystery that follows Je Na’s rivalry with Kim Hye In as they are pitted against each other in mental warfare.
Tale of the Nine-tailed 1938, Black Knight, and My Perfect Stranger are all calling to me! What about you, drama fans? What are you looking forward to watching in the merry merry month of May?
The Fangirls
Dramas with a Side of Kimchi