'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQG/8QAIBAAAQMEAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAAFERIGByFBYf/EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT/xAAZEQACAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgEDEVH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMbx22QL9NsMBuK1HacQ+p/KN8pVsUj6RqfJqWV2LEYkust2ySlDayhIErAABwPVKUFK14Ltadw//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lee Byung-hun might be terrifying everyone in Squid Game as the Front Man, but before that, he also made us ugly cry in his hit K-drama Mr. Sunshine. A tragic tale of love and the fight for freedom of one’s country, Mr. Sunshine ranks at the top in all of these themes. Lee Byung-hun plays the character of Eugene, who grew up in the US and comes back to Korea in the late 19th century.
He falls in love with Kim Tae-ri’s Ae-shin and gets involved in the fight of Joseon’s people against the Japanese invasion. Growing up in the US meant he was emotionally cut off from his native country’s struggle against freedom, but while spending his time back in the country, he learned to love his country again and became one of the freedom fighters joining Ae-shin.
Other than the struggle for freedom, Mr. Sunshine also had Eugene and Ae-shin’s tragic love story at heart. From belonging to different classes of society to participating in a fight that will most likely result in death was one of the most tragic parts of the K-drama. When it comes to romance and heartbreaking love stories, K-dramas will surely make you cry by making their characters go through unimaginable pain, from terminal illness to unavoidable, cruel twists of fate.
Here is a list of 10 K-dramas that will make you cry your heart out just like Mr. Sunshine did.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers and the writer's opinion. Readers’ discretion is advised.
10 K-dramas that will make you cry your hearts out just like Mr. Sunshine
10) Stairway to Heaven
This classic K-drama is one of the most beloved dramas among many people. Just like Mr. Sunshine, Stairway to Heaven has a beautiful but tragic love story of Song-joo and Jeong-seo. They were destined to be together and were fond of each other since they were children.
However, as adults, their reunion was delayed due to cruel efforts put by Jeong-seo’s stepmother and sister’s attempts, which also made Jeong-seo suffer from amnesia and forget about Song-joo altogether. It is the story of unforgettable love, forgiveness, and sacrifices that will make you cry in almost every episode, so make sure to grab your tissues.
9) I’m Sorry, I Love You
When we talk about tragic love stories like Mr. Sunshine, we cannot skip I’m Sorry, I Love You which will surely make you ugly cry with its tragic ending. It narrates the story of Moo-hyuk, who goes back to Korea to take revenge on his birth mother who abandoned him. However, he finds out there’s more to the story than he knows.
He falls in love with Eun-chae, a fashion co-ordinator of Choi Yoon, who is supposed to be his brother, and now wants to bring both his brother and his mother down as he discovers that they are popular actors in Korea. His revenge plot and his love story both are left incomplete due to various reasons, all of which are as devastating as it gets, with Moo-hyuk losing his life at the end, just like Mr. Sunshine.
8) Uncontrollably Fond
Another Kdrama that will make you cry uncontrollably at the end like Mr. Sunshine. Uncontrollably Fond brings back two childhood friends, but tragedy strikes, and the male lead, Jonn-young (Kim Woo-bin), is revealed to have cancer and not much time to live.
He successfully wins Bae-suzy’s No-eul back, but does not have enough time to spend together. Just like Ae-shin is left after Eugene’s death in Mr. Sunshine. Apart from the story, the performance of the actors will make your heart break for the couple as they spend happy times together, and later, one of them is gone.
7) Hotel Del Luna
This supernatural Kdrama starring IU is another drama with a similar ending to Mr. Sunshine. IU plays the character of Man-wol, the owner of Hotel Del Luna, where ghosts come and stay to fulfill their incomplete deeds before they pass on to the afterlife. She falls in love with Yeo Jin-goo’s Chan-sung, who becomes the general manager of the hotel, fulfilling a promise made by his father 20 years ago.
However, with other difficulties like their contrasting personalities, Man-wol and Chan-sung’s love story has another, more grievous problem: Chan-sung is human while Man-wol is a ghost. Therefore, their being together in this life is out of question. The ending, where Man-wol finally fulfills her incomplete work and has to go to the afterlife, is one of the most heartbreaking moments, just like the death of Eugene in Mr. Sunshine.
6) Autumn in My Heart
This Korean melodrama starring Song Hye-kyo has every element from beginning to end to make you cry, just like Mr. Sunshine. A story that began with the unintentional switching of babies at the hospital, but they were returned to their biological families as teenagers. The twists don’t end here as Hye-kyo’s Eun-suh and Joon-suh, from the family Eun-suh grew up thinking of as her own until her teenage years, fall in love as adults.
However, no one accepts their relationship. More tragedy is introduced when Eun-suh is diagnosed with Leukemia and is too ill to be saved. Just like Mr. Sunshine, Autumn in My Heart is also regarded as one of the tearjerker K-dramas.
5) Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
Starring IU, this is another drama where you’ll find yourself crying your heart out. An eclipse sends IU’s Ha-jin in the year 941, in the Goryeo period, into a noblewoman, Hae Soo’s body. She falls for a good hearted prince named Wang Wook but then her affection shifts toward another prince, Wang So, who is not liked by many due to his aloof nature.
Other than falling in love with a deeply pained Wang So and becoming his support to finding herself in the midst of that period’s politics, greed, and the fight for the throne among the numerous princes. The drama has a sad ending as Hae Soo dies while giving birth to her and Wang So’s daughter and finds herself in her own body in the present time. The drama has several heartbreaking and tearjerking moments with the deaths of some beloved characters and the grief of the ones that are alive.
4) Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin)
When we talk about ill-fated love stories, it surely reminds us of Kim Shin and Eun-tak’s story. After spending so many years on the earth waiting for the Goblin’s bride, Gong Yoo’s Kim Shin finally meets a high school student, named Eun-tak, who is supposed to be his bride as she can see the sword stuck in his chest and only she can pull it out. Sounds easy, but what if they fall in love and she doesn’t want to pull the sword? That’s what happens as they do fall in love and have to pull the sword in a very dramatic situation, resulting in him vanishing.
Save your tears as the drama doesn’t end here and has more twists and longing ahead as their love story is marred with long waiting for their love to either be born again or appear in front of them. Goblin has numerous scenes that will make you sob uncontrollably.
3) Snowdrop
Taking place during a difficult phase in Korea in 1987, Snowdrop is similar to several themes in Mr. Sunshine. Snowdrop takes place during the widespread protests taking place in Korea for democratic elections. During the time of turmoil in the country, Yeong-ro, played by Blackpink’s Jisoo, encounters a student named Soo-ho and hides him from the authorities.
It turns out Soo-ho is a North Korean Spy, making their love story forbidden. You already get the gist, the drama is a love story between these two individuals who are not meant to be together. Don’t forget to keep a box of tissues with you, as it has a similar tragic ending to Mr. Sunshine.
2) Youth of May
Another Kdrama revolving around the themes of freedom, like Mr. Sunshine and also carries a heartbreaking love story amid the struggles. Youth of May tells the story of how Hee-tae and Myung-hee met and fell in love.
Set against the backdrop of military oppression and cries of democracy, the love story appears to be innocent and pure, reminding us that this was how the lives of people should have been, but now they are caught in this fight and are bound to lose so much. As the struggles of the Uprising increase, our lead couple find themselves amid it, where the fate of one of them has a tragic ending, like the historical drama, Mr. Sunshine.
1) Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Starring Mr. Sunshine’s Kim Tae-ri, Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a story about ordinary people and their ordinary lives, in which they have to go through some unfavorable situations. Tae-ri’s Hee-do and Nam Joo-hyuk’s Yi-jin find themselves at the lowest points of their lives. While together, they help each other grow and face situations.
But just like life, their relationship also ends as our lead couple doesn’t end up together. While it is one of the most realistic Kdramas that focuses on falling in love, but also shows that some stories don’t have a happy ending, even when no supernatural activities or evil twists were involved. Since it is too close to reality, it might leave you scarred for a time as you rethink the story more.
Trending
Keep reading SoapCentral for more such stories.
Also Read: Law and the City cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the upcoming K-drama
Reply
