In real life, stars tend to marry stars. So the stories with the romance between someone famous and someone average (or at least not trying to break into some kind of fame-producing industry) feel like a Cinderella fairy tale, which, let's face it, we all love to some degree.
If the trope intrigues you, here are seven fan-recommended K-dramas based on it.
20th Century Boy and Girl (2017)
IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Where to stream: Viki, Kocowa
Sa Jin-jin is a top actress who lives a normal life with her family and two lifelong friends when she's not working. Despite her popularity, she has never dated. Gong Ji-won is an investment banker and someone Jin-jin knew in high school. When he moves into her building, the romance begins.
Doona! (2023)
IMDb rating: 7.2/10
Where to stream: Netflix
To the surprise of everyone and the dismay of her fans, Lee Doo-na leaves her wildly successful pop idol career behind and moves into a shared house, where she meets Lee Won-jun, a college student and probably the only person in Korea who doesn't know Doo-na.
The Beauty Inside (2018)
IMDb rating: 7.3/10
Where to stream: Netflix, Viki
Han Se-gye is a top actress and model who suffers from a strange supernatural condition: every month, she becomes a different person for one week. Her secret is in jeopardy when one of Se-gye's clients discovers it with the help of his face blindness.
Touch Your Heart (2019)
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Where to stream: Prime Video, Viki
Oh Jin-shim is a popular actress who gets into a scandal and loses the love of her fans. To get her career back on track, Jin-shim needs to land a promising legal project. To do so, she decides to gain practical experience in law by posing as a workaholic lawyer's secretary.
Queen In Hyun's Man (2012)
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
Where to stream: Prime Video, Tubi
This K-drama combines the celebrity/non-celebrity trope with time travel. Choi Hee-jin is an actress who gets her big break when she lands the role of Queen In-hyun. Kim Bung-do is a 17th-century scholar and real-life collaborator of Queen In-hyun who travels to 2012 via a magical talisman and falls in love with Hee-jin.
To My Star (2021-2022)
IMDb rating: 8.0/10
Where to stream: Viki, Tubi, WeTV
For fans of BL, To My Star suggests an emotional journey of a once wildly successful star who meets and falls in love with a young, charming chef. Though generally fluffy, the story has a serious thread woven throughout with the protagonists' traumatic pasts and a believable antagonist.
It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)
IMDb rating: 8.6/10
Where to stream: Netflix
Ko Moon-young is a famous children's book author. Her personality, however, is anything but child-friendly. She suffers from an antisocial disorder. One day, after meeting a kind psychiatric nurse, she becomes romantically obsessed with him and their mutual healing journey begins.