My Golden Life
A young woman is handed a chance to climb into a higher social class, only to find herself sinking into deep trouble instead. Alongside her story is a man who is searching for his own happiness, and who hopes to find it with her.
Completed K-dramas & movies: Rich and poor
111 titles, most popular first
Theme: Rich and poor
Romance Town
Noh Soon-geum, a spunky young woman from a poor family, works as a housemaid just like her mother and grandmother did. Her life changes when she wins a 14-billion-won lottery prize. Worried her irresponsible father will grab the cash, she stays in her job and hides her fortune from her wealthy neighborhood, including her boss's grumpy son Kang Gun-woo, who shares a past with her.
Secret Affair
Oh Hye-won, 40, is the elegant, highly capable planning director of the Seohan Arts Foundation and believes her life is complete. Then she meets Lee Sun-jae, a poor 20-year-old delivery worker with a piano gift he doesn't recognize, and for the first time she truly falls in love. It is a romance they must keep hidden.
The Impossible Heir
Kang In-ha leaves a life of poverty behind after learning he is the illegitimate son of a conglomerate's owner. Rejected by his new family, he teams up with his childhood friend Han Tae-oh on a plan to take over the company and claim a place at the top of society.
The Rebel
In Joseon under the tyrant King Yeonsangun, Hong Gil-dong is the son of a slave, which leaves him with no legal standing despite his brilliance. Shut out of honest work, he becomes the leader of a band of smugglers who take from the rich and give to the poor, while the king's favored concubine, Jang Nok-su, secretly still loves him.
The Return of Iljimae
Iljimae is born to a high-ranking nobleman and a lowly servant, and is abandoned as a baby under a tree to protect his father's family name. Raised by a family in the Qing Kingdom, he returns to Joseon only to be rejected by his father once more. Hiding behind a mask, he takes on the ruling class to fight injustice for ordinary people.
War of Money
Geum Na-ra is a top investment banker until loan sharks hound his debt-ridden father to his death and his own life collapses. Fired from his job and unable to save his mother, he comes to see money as the root of all evil. To fight it, he becomes a ruthless debt collector for loan shark Ma Dong-po, learning the trade from veteran Dokgo Chul.
When My Love Blooms
Han Jae-hyun and Yoon Ji-soo fell in love as university students. Twenty years later their paths cross again, but their lives could hardly be more different: he is a successful businessman chasing wealth and status, while she is a mother working on contract and struggling to get by.
A Hundred Year Legacy
Min Chae-won is the eldest granddaughter of a family that has run a noodle factory on the edge of Seoul for three generations. Married into the wealthy family behind Golden Dragon Food, she has endured years of hostility from a mother-in-law who never accepted her, and when her husband cheats, she decides to leave him.
All About Eve
College student Jin Sun-mi lives happily with her widowed father, with her best friend Kim Woo-jin always by her side. Her life changes when her father takes in Heo Young-mi, a poor, ambitious girl her age whose father died working for his company. Young-mi soon envies everything Sun-mi has, and the two become rivals chasing careers as TV news anchors.
At a Distance, Spring Is Green
At Myeong-il University, charming and wealthy freshman Yeo Jun is popular with everyone. A group project pairs him with Nam Su-hyeon, an awkward third-year from a poor family who only cares about earning credits and money, and Kim So-bin, a struggling, ordinary student, and the three form an unlikely trio.
Chunhyang
Told through pansori singing, this film retells a classic Korean folktale set in 18th-century Korea. Mongryong, a governor's son, falls in love with and secretly marries Chunhyang, the daughter of a courtesan, but when his father is posted to Seoul he must leave her behind, promising to return once he passes the state exam.
Heard It Through the Grapevine
This black comedy pokes fun at Korea's powerful upper class. Han Jeong-ho and Choi Yeon-hee are a wealthy couple from a prestigious family whose image is thrown into turmoil when their teenage son In-sang gets his girlfriend Seo Bom, who comes from an ordinary family, pregnant. Bom is determined to endure for her child's sake.
Mine
This drama looks into the lives of the wealthy Hyowon Group family and the staff who serve them. Seo Hi-soo, a former top actress who is now the family's second daughter-in-law, and Jung Seo-hyun, the eldest daughter-in-law, are both strong women searching for what is truly their own.
My Tutor Friend
Choi Su-wan, a 21-year-old university student whose family sells fried chicken, takes a well-paid job tutoring Kim Ji-hoon, a rich troublemaker her own age who is repeating his last year of high school. If his grades don't improve, his father will send him back to America, but Ji-hoon cares far more about fighting than studying.
Seoul 1945
Four young people who grow up together are swept up in Korea's upheaval, from the last days of Japanese rule to the split between North and South. Choi Woon-hyuk is a gifted son of poor miners, Kim Hae-kyung comes from a family of tenant farmers, Lee Dong-woo is heir to a powerful family, and Moon Suk-kyung is the only child of an influential pro-Japanese politician.
Seoyoung, My Daughter
Twins Lee Seo-young and Lee Sang-woo grow up in hardship because of their father Sam-jae's bad money decisions, working odd jobs while she studies law and he studies medicine. After their mother dies, Seo-young blames her father and cuts him out of her life, moving in with the wealthy Kang family as a live-in tutor.
When a Man Falls in Love
Han Tae-sang is a cold, driven businessman who was once forced into gangster work for the very loan shark that ruined his family, and has fought his way to success. A routine collection job leads him to Seo Mi-do, the ambitious daughter of a modest bookstore owner who longs to escape her poor past, and he finds himself drawn to her.
A Millionaire's First Love
Kang Jae-kyung is an arrogant rich kid who drives flashy cars and rides his motorcycle through the school halls. To inherit his grandfather's fortune when he turns 18, he must first transfer to a school in rural Gangwon Province and graduate, with his penthouse and credit cards cut off until he does.
Ballad of Seodong
Seodong is a commoner, a technician raised at Taehaksa, Baekje's leading institute of science and technology. He falls for Princess Seonhwa, who belongs to the enemy kingdom of Silla, a love that ignores rank and class. He also hides something that could change Baekje's future, while his rival Sataek Giru schemes with Buyeo Seon to ruin his plans.
Cheese in the Trap
Hong Seol is an ordinary university student juggling part-time jobs to cover her tuition and living costs. Yoo Jung, her senior, seems flawless: rich, kind and handsome, yet something about him makes her uneasy. When he suddenly asks her out, the two begin an awkward relationship.
Cheongdam-dong Alice
Aspiring fashion designer Han Se-kyung has always believed hard work is her strength. But after her father's bakery closes, her boyfriend runs off with her savings, and her new job turns out to mean serving her old high school rival, she gives up on effort and sets out to marry into wealthy Cheongdam-dong instead.
Green Rose
Lee Jung-hyun and Oh Soo-ah are a happy couple until he learns she is the daughter of the chairman of SR Electronics, the company where he works. One night at the chairman's vacation house, Jung-hyun is wrongly blamed for a deadly attack and sentenced to life in prison, forcing him to run for his life.
Miss Ripley
Jang Mi-ri works at a karaoke bar in Fukuoka, Japan, to pay off her father's debts and save enough to return to Korea and find her birth mother. A chance car accident brings her to hotel president Jang Myung-hoon, who hires her for her fluent Japanese without knowing her university credentials are fake.
The Snow Queen
Han Tae-woong is a quiet 17-year-old math genius who enters an elite high school, where a rivalry with fellow prodigy Kim Jung-kyu grows into a close friendship. Years later, now living a very different life as an unknown boxer carrying a painful past, he is hired as a driver for Bo-ra, the cold daughter of a wealthy businessman.
Bad Guy
Gun-wook loses everything in a single night when the wealthy Hong family takes him in as President Hong's illegitimate son, then throws him onto the streets once they realize they were wrong. Years later he returns to bring down the Hongs and their Haeshin corporation piece by piece, using the family's children as pawns, until he meets the sharp and ambitious Jae-in.
Big Man
Kim Ji-hyuk grew up an orphan with nothing and is now working himself hard, hoping one day to open his own restaurant. His life changes when he is drawn into a scheme around Kang Dong-seok, a chaebol heir in need of a heart transplant, and is told he is Dong-seok's older brother, opening the door to a life of luxury.
Glass Slippers
After losing their father, young sisters Tae-hee and Yoon-hee set out to find their wealthy grandfather, who had cut ties with the family. At the train station, robbers split them up: Tae-hee is helped by a boy named Jae-hyuk, while Yoon-hee is struck by a truck, loses her memory and is taken in by another family.
May Queen
Chun Hae-joo grows up in deep poverty in Ulsan, unaware of the secrets surrounding her real parents. At school she grows close to Park Chang-hui, a butler's son facing his own hardships, and meets Kang San, the cheerful heir to a rival shipping group, against the backdrop of Korea's shipbuilding boom.
New Tales of Gisaeng
In a modern Korea where gisaeng, traditional entertainers skilled in dance, music and poetry, still exist, Dan Sa-ran is a proud, graceful classical dance student from a humble home. Her talent and beauty win her a place at Buyonggak, the country's only traditional gisaeng house for VIP guests. There she catches the eye of Ah Da-mo, a cocky chaebol heir who usually ignores women.
Night Light
Three people driven by greed fight their way toward wealth and power. Seo Yi-kyung is a cold, ambitious woman who will do anything to get ahead; Park Gun-woo is a warm, principled company heir she betrayed twelve years ago; and Lee Se-jin, orphaned young and raised poor, is desperate to escape her life.
One Fine Day
Seo Gun and Seo Ha-neul became siblings through their parents' marriage, not by blood, and were split up when different families adopted them from an orphanage. Fifteen years later, Ha-neul feels smothered by her wealthy adoptive family in Korea, while Gun, a small-time swindler raised in poverty in Australia, comes back hoping to con her out of money.
Phoenix
Jang Sae-hoon is a poor, hardworking college student on a scholarship who pumps gas part-time. Lee Ji-eun is the impulsive, strong-willed daughter of a textile company CEO, and she falls for him and pursues him despite her family's fierce opposition and his own doubts about how different their backgrounds are.
Red Swan
Born into a poor family, Oh Wan-soo becomes a world-class golfer and marries Kim Yong-kook, heir to the Hwain Group, partly to pay off her mother's debts, then learns of his affair. Over a decade later, as a goodwill ambassador in Manila, she narrowly survives a terrorist attack thanks to Seo Do-yoon, who then becomes her bodyguard.
Secret Love
A wealthy young man with a bad-boy streak falls for an innocent but determined woman who went to prison over a deadly hit-and-run involving her boyfriend. As their story moves forward, long-hidden secrets slowly begin to come to the surface.
Something Happened in Bali
Lee Soo-jung, an orphan guiding tourists in Bali, struggles to get by and dreams of a rich man rescuing her. Her path crosses with Jung Jae-min, the careless playboy heir of a wealthy group, his fiancée Choi Young-joo, and Young-joo's former boyfriend, the hardworking but guarded Kang In-wook.
Star's Lover
Lee Ma-ri is one of the biggest celebrities in Asia, and her agency boss wants to reshape her public image. Kim Chul-soo, a broke university lecturer who needs money to pay back his ex-girlfriend, is hired to secretly write a travel book in her name, and their work together in Japan draws them close.
Temptation
Cha Seok-hoon, a hardworking man from a poor rural family, shares a loving marriage with his wife Hong-joo until a failed business leaves him buried in debt. On a trip to Hong Kong, they meet Yoo Se-young, a cool, work-driven hotel heiress, who offers to pay off his debts in exchange for three days with him.
The Duo
In the late Joseon era, two boys born at the same moment are swapped as babies. Chun-doong, a nobleman's son, grows up among beggars and joins the peasants' uprisings, while Gwi-dong, a beggar's son raised as a noble, becomes a police official who stands up to corruption, and the two men love the same woman.
The Surrogate Woman
In the Joseon era, nobleman Shin has no male heir, so his wife allows him to find a surrogate to bear one. He chooses Ok-nyo, a poor but spirited 17-year-old servant who says she will do anything for money, and she is kept hidden away under strict rules as she tries to give the family a son.
Young Lady and Gentleman
Fed up with her family after her stepbrother loses their home and money in a scam, Park Dan-dan leaves home. On a mountain, she runs into Lee Young-guk, a capable company chairman and widower with three children. She becomes the kids' live-in tutor, and soon other members of her family end up living in his house too.
A Happy Woman
Lee Ji-yeon is a cheerful, driven accessory designer who is often looked down on for her modest schooling and family background. Married to a wealthy husband, she is drawn into a love triangle with a lonely detective, as the story explores how she defines happiness across love, work and family life.
Becoming a Billionaire
Choi Seok-bong, a bellboy at a luxury hotel, is convinced he is the secret son of a billionaire and trains himself to act like an heir for the day they finally meet. When he is diagnosed with a serious illness he cannot afford to treat, he turns to Lee Shin-mi, a famously stingy heiress, for help finding his father.
Don't Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus
Han Yi-soo's father, chauffeur to the family that owns Gaya Hotel Group, is killed after backing out of taking the blame for a hit-and-run caused by the family's son. When high schooler Yi-soo digs for the truth, he barely survives an attempt on his life and vanishes. Twelve years later he returns under a new Japanese-Korean identity, while his first love, Jo Hae-woo, has become a prosecutor.
Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale
A young woman who openly hopes to become a modern-day Cinderella meets a man who seems like a prince but has no faith in love. Faced with a reality that is hard to escape, the two end up both helping and tormenting each other in this playful twist on a fairy tale.
First Love of a Royal Prince
Kim Yu-bin, a cheerful sandwich delivery girl, has a crush on polished electronics manager Cha Seung-hyun. On a trip to a ski resort in Japan, she crosses paths with Choi Gun-hee, a spoiled heir secretly skipping school abroad, and the bickering pair end up spending a whole day together.
High-End Crush
A man who has everything he could want falls in love for the first time in his life. The woman who wins his heart has lived a life that is the exact opposite of his, and their romance unfolds with sincere, innocent feeling.
Midas
Kim Do-hyun, a bright man from a modest background, is the top student at one of the country's best law schools. While job hunting, he is hired as an attorney for a wealthy family whose real fortune may be far larger than anyone imagined, and an offer he cannot turn down upends his hopes for a quiet life with his girlfriend.