Hooked on K-drama: How a single episode becomes 10 and sleep is a distant memory

It starts innocently enough. A friend raves about a series, your teenager begs you to watch “just one episode”, and suddenly you're wide awake at midnight on a Tuesday, heart racing over a fictional couple who’ve barely even touched hands. 

Welcome to the world of Korean drama - aka K-drama, where the plots are gripping, the people impossibly beautiful, and emotional investment is guaranteed.

From Seoul to Sandton, women around the world are being swept off their feet by Korean dramas- and now I can speak from personal experience.

Many of my friends (and my young teenage daughter) had been watching them for a few years, and they were completely hooked.

I just couldn’t understand it. The subtitles, the slow pace, the overly emotional scenes - what was the appeal?

Then one night, I gave in. I figured I’d watch a few minutes of “Crash Landing on You” to see what the fuss was about. Seven nights later, I was still watching… until midnight. Every night.

I still don’t fully understand how it happened. Maybe it was the slow-burn romances that build with tension. Or the impossibly beautiful people with skin so flawless they barely look real - like living Instagram filters. 

The men are often sensitive, brooding, and impeccably dressed. The women are strong, elegant, and always have perfect hair, even after a dramatic sob session in the rain.

Add sweeping scenery, dramatic music, and plenty of cliffhangers, and you’ve got a recipe for obsession.

K-dramas somehow manage to be sweet, funny, tragic, and completely addictive - all in one neat package.

For teens, they offer a dreamy escape. For grown women, they're a break from the chaos of daily life. It’s storytelling with style, and it speaks to something deeply universal: the need to feel, to root for love, and to be swept away (preferably by someone with great cheekbones and a tragic past).

I did eventually manage to pull myself away, barely, but many of my friends haven’t looked back. Me? I’ve promised myself I’ll only watch on weekends.

IOL Entertainment