5 Best 2023 K-drama couples that’ll make you swoon

If there’s anything K-drama fans love more it’s a swoon-worthy couple – with 2023 giving some of the best that had sparks flying, inherent chemistry, and goosebumps raising romance.

Over the year, streaming platforms have given a plethora of worthy storylines from thrillers like Mask Girl, crime ring danger in The Worst of Evil, and heart-racing romance storylines like Destined With You. When it comes to romance, the couple makes or breaks the K-drama.

Welcome to Samdal-ri, where a chance reunion reignites a former couple’s love years after parting ways. Despite initial animosity, they rediscover their enduring connection amidst the echoes of a past breakup. K-drama couples encompass the best of the genre’s tropes from fated love, and unrelenting love, to even love that changes someone for the better.

What couples take home the prize among the many romances fans watched on screen? Here are 2023’s best K-drama couples.

5. Mi-hyun and Doo-shik (Moving)

Kang Full’s Moving focused on the budding friendship between two high school teens with superpowers as they learned the truth about their parents’ past. But fans fell head over heels for the flashback scenarios of Mi-hyun (Han Hyo-joo) and Doo-shik’s (Jo In-sung) developing romance while working for a government agency.

As the story goes, Mi-hyun was reprimanded to desk work after a failed mission. She’s given the chance to redeem herself by getting close to the agency’s top agent, Doo-shik. Fans watched their love story unfold from routine coffee machine talks to an innocent and sweet romance.

Not to mention that Doo-shik was well aware of Mi-hyun’s mission but fell for her anyway. Their romance in Moving is heartfelt as Doo-shik becomes an enemy of the state. But Mi-hyun always knew the truth Having started a family, they did whatever was necessary to protect their son, even if it meant having to leave each other.

Moving is available on Disney+.

4. Sa-rang and Gu Won (King the Land)

Netflix’s King the Land was a hit or miss among fans. While it was praised for having all the necessary romance tropes – it fell short of being worthwhile and a bit too predictable. Despite its setbacks, fans couldn’t help but agree the 2023 K-drama had one of the year’s best couples.

Their story is one that fans are often familiar with, but it all depends on the inherent chemistry between the main actors. Lee Jun-ho and Im Yoon-ah didn’t disappoint as they had sizzling and natural chemistry on and off-screen. Fans anticipated their connection after watching their performance of Camilla Cabello’s “Señorita” for a live broadcast.

King the Land had Im as Sa-rang, a bright and bubbly hotel employee known for her smile. She soon meets the hotel’s chaebol heir, Gu-won. Plagued by tragedy from his past, he refuses to smile. A once cold and enemy relationship transforms into heated love.

Gu-won and Sa-rang enthralled fans with their lustful gazes and blossoming feelings for each other, all while having to keep their relationship a secret. Let’s not forget the tantalizing kitchen kiss scene, the pool scene, and many more.

King the Land is available on Netflix.

3. Yi-joo and Do-guk (Perfect Marriage Revenge)

A secret hit in 2023 was Perfect Marriage Revenge. The K-drama focused on painter Han Yi-joo (Jung Yoo-min) who was adopted into a rich family. But she has never been treated as part of the family, especially by her younger sister Han Yoo-ra (Jin Ji-hee). Yi-joo is also married to a man who is actually in love with her younger sister.

Perfect Marriage Revenge has a twist of fate when Yi-joo gets into an accident and dies. She wakes up in the past during her engagement. Wanting revenge, she breaks it off and approaches Seo Do-guk (Sung Hoon). He’s the man her sister wants to marry. Yi-joo soon proposed a marriage contract.

Like most tropes, the fake relationship becomes real heartfelt love. Fans had heart eyes for the couple’s seemingly perfect relationship. Do-guk understood Yi-joo’s fears and trepidations created by her family. Fans can’t forget him buying prepackaged food for her to eat over her trauma of her family purposely making her sick with food.

Yi-joo and Do-guk’s romance hit all the markers and had fans grinning like a Cheshire cat as it truly was the perfect revenge tied with a happily ever after.

Perfect Marriage Revenge is available on Viki.

2. Yi-chan and Cheong-ah (Twinkling Watermelon)

The 2023 K-drama that had one of the best couples was the teen coming-of-age romance Twinkling Watermelon. Get ready for a unique yet teary story of young love and time travel. Eun-gyeol (Ryeoun) is a model student and rocker by night. He finds a music store and travels back in time to 1995 and meets his teenage father, Ha Yi-chan (Choi Hyun-wook).

There’s a dilemma, Yi-chan has a crush on a cellist, and not his real mother from the future. Hoping to ensure his future birth, he tries to set them up together but it proves difficult. Like most romance K-dramas there’s a happy ending.

Fans watch as Yi-chan battles between his feelings for his crush and Cheong-ah’s (Shin Eun-soo) secret growing feelings for him. Twinkling Watermelon develops a beautiful story of young love as Cheong-ah sees the world differently due to being deaf. But it also creates complexities in her and Yi-chan’s relationship.

Twinkling Watermelon is available on Viki.

1. Do-hee and Gu-won (My Demon)

This 2023 K-drama couple was a must and has already been awarded the Best Couple award. Netflix’s My Demon has enthralled audiences from the get-go not only because of its fantasy storyline but the romance between a demon and chaebol heir.

Gu Won has been a demon for 200 years and relishes making deals with humans. But when he meets Do-hee, his world changes. In a fateful encounter of life or death, his powers become hers. The only way not to combust out of existence is to stay by her side.

Do-hee lost her parents at a young age and was adopted by a female CEO. While not related by blood, Do-hee formed a bond with Madam Jung. She finds herself in turmoil when Madam Jung suddenly dies and enters a contract marriage with Gu Won. As danger arises, a demon begins to feel real human love.

Fans have praised the K-drama couple for their perfect balance of comedic jabs, heartfelt care for each other, their visuals, and their steamy kiss scenes that are *chef’s kiss.*

It just so happens that at the SBS Drama Awards 2023, fans cast their votes for the best couple of the year. My Demon actors Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung were honored with the award for their leading roles as Do-hee and Gu-won.

My Demon is available on Netflix.

Read more TV & Movies news here, K-drama content here, and Dexerto’s best 2023 K-dramas here.