Sometimes you can’t stand them, but you can’t live without them! Families are often an important part of many K-dramas. One of the most fun and heart-warming family dynamics featured are between siblings. Siblings know exactly how to get under each other’s skin, but they would also do anything for their sibling out of love.
While there are dramas with antagonistic sibling relationships, here are some warmer sibling relationships that’ll remind you to appreciate your siblings or sibling-like people in your life.
1. “Start-Up”
The once inseparable sisters of “Start-Up” grew up separately after their parents divorce. Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) chooses to stay with her father while Won In-jae (Kang Han-na) chooses to live with her mother who ends up remarrying. While the sisters had a close relationship prior to the divorce, they end up as rivals when met again as adults. Although each sister thinks she chose the right parent to live with, they can’t deny that they’re curious about one another and missed each other. Their relationship will surely change as “Start-Up” tells their stories.
2. “Record of Youth”
The brothers of “Record of Youth”, on the other hand, start out not having a close relationship. In the beginning, Sa Hye-jun (Park Bo-gum) is compared to his book-smart older brother Sa Gyeong-jun (Lee Jae-won). While Hye-jun feels that their father loves his older brother more, Gyeong-jun is envious of Hye-jun’s good looks. While they’re not the best of friends, they don’t hesitate to help each other during difficult situations in life. Hye-jun cheers up Gyeong-jun when he becomes the victim of fraud and Gyeong-jun stands up for Hye-jun when malicious commenters defame him.
3. “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”
The brotherly love in “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” may induce tears. Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun) grew up taking care of his older brother Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se) who is on the autism spectrum. While they deeply care for each other, they deal with unaddressed resentment and trauma from the past. As they start growing individually, they begin to shed their codependent relationship into a healthier one where they both happily flourish.
4. “Reply 1988”
“Reply 1988” features a variety of relatable sibling relationships. Deok-sun (Lee Hye-ri) embodies middle child problems and gets compared to her smarter, older sister. Jung-hwan (Ryu Jun-yeol) has an endearing older brother who has failed the college entrance exam multiple times. Sun-woo (Ko Kyung-pyo) is a doting older brother to his baby sister Jin-joo and helps out his single mother dutifully. Taek (Park Bo-gum) is an only child, but is able to experience sibling-like relationships with and through his friends. Even if your family situation might be a bit different, you’ll be able to relate to the characters’ highs and lows.
5. “My Mister”
“My Mister” features middle-aged three brothers who have plenty of struggles, but also have each other’s backs. Eldest brother Park Sang-hoon (Park Ho-san) ends up living with their mother after getting fired and failing at two businesses. The youngest brother, Park Ki-hoon (Song Sae-byeok), is also unemployed and living with their mother due to being unable to make it big as a movie director. Middle brother Park Dong-hoon (Lee Sun-kyun) has a job, but his company’s CEO is having an affair with his wife. Despite the heaviness of life and their issues, the brothers support and encourage one another as they move forward.
6. “The King 2 Hearts”
“The King 2 Hearts” is set in an alternate reality with a constitutional monarchy. Prince Lee Jae-ha (Lee Seung-gi) experiences great emotional turmoil when his older brother King Lee Jae-kang (Lee Sung-min) is assassinated and his younger sister Princess Lee Jae-shin (Lee Yoon-ji) becomes paralyzed from the waist down. Once arrogant and irresponsible, Jae-ha transforms into a strong leader that would make his siblings proud. He becomes determined to fight against those responsible for his brother’s death and to protect his remaining family members.
Which siblings dynamic do you love the most? Check out all of these fun dramas and more on Netflix!
