4 Addictive K-Dramas Like “My Lovely Liar” Where The Female Lead Has All The Power

“My Lovely Liar” is all wrapped up, so here’s are some recommendations to fill the void left in its absence. You’ve got powerful women galore in the literal and magical sense, from modern-day mysteries to fantasy sageuks. That’s not to say that the male leads aren’t equally awesome. Here’s a round-up of some seriously awesome heroes as well who stay by their partner’s side no matter what! Check out the list below!

Note: the following reviews are spoiler-free!

1. “River Where the Moon Rises”

Assassin, deposed princess, and hardened fighter, Pyeong Gang (Kim So Hyun) is a woman with only one goal: revenge. Betrayed by her family, she’s made her own way in the world at great cost. Her latest job: to assassinate the king, the very father who abandoned her. But things go awry when her plan is foiled. She’s badly injured and has to flee to the mountains. And that’s where she runs into On Dal (Na In Woo).

Some consider Dal a fool, but he’s just a man who values peace and has great regard for all life, human and animal. He lives with his people, the Sunno tribe, in hiding in the mountains. As for why? The King ordered the tribe slaughtered after believing that his wife was unfaithful to him with the tribe’s leader, Dal’s father. Many of the tribe laid down their lives that day to keep little Pyeong Gang safe, and she lives with the guilt of their sacrifice. She can’t tell if her and Dal’s meeting is good fortune or not, but vows to repay them and fix Goguryeo the only way she knows how: to assume her rightful place as heir to the throne. But Pyeong Gang’s fight is met with obstacles at every corner. And as Dal, a man who has never wanted war, is drawn into one, the price Pyeong Gang pays for power might be higher than she can pay.

Why you’ll love it: This was Na In Woo’s first lead role, and he killed it! These two gave a thoughtful study of a relationship between two very different people and how they made it work. The plot isn’t always the sturdiest but fine performances from Lee Ji Hoon and Choi Yu Hwa make this a fun watch.

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2. “Alchemy of Souls”

This one has Hwang Minhyun in his second drama role! Nak Soo (Go Yoon Jung) is the most feared assassin in the land of Daeho. She effortlessly cut through anyone in her path and has a level of mastery well beyond those at Daeho’s only school of magic: Songrim. She’s mastered the most forbidden art there is: soul-switching, where a shifter can swap souls with another body. After her parents were murdered by those at Songrim, Nak Soo was trained and raised by Cheonbugwan, an assassin group with ties to the throne that vies with Songrim for power. But on a high-rank mission, she’s forced to take the body of a servant girl named Mu Deok, (Jung So Min) and ends up working for the scion of Songrim’s most prestigious families, Jang Wook (Lee Jae Wook). And he knows her secret.

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Jang Wook has spent his life as a laughingstock. Born under a mysterious cloud of controversy, his father not only ditched him as a child but he also sealed Jang Wook’s energy so that he could never perform magic. He even decreed that no one was allowed to unseal Jang Wook’s energy. As a result, Jang Wook can only watch as his friends and the other noble families achieve mastery of skills and can never do it himself. But Nak Soo isn’t bound by Songrim’s laws and can unseal it. Jang Wook doesn’t care that she’s an assassin or Songrim’s enemy. He wants to learn from her. And she sees an opportunity to ruin Songrim. Together, they could be unstoppable. But there’s a timer on Nak Soo. Her new body won’t be able to sustain her for much longer. And she and Jang Wook are part of an old dark destiny, one they may be unwittingly fulfilling.

Why you’ll love it: From the writers of “Hotel Del Luna,” this is another smash hit fantasy you’re sure to love. The dynamic between Nak Soo and Jang Wook as they start to fall for each other is just plain fun, and the world-building and secondary characters lend to an addictive show that’ll keep your eyes glued to the screen. Also, the actors have this kind of chemistry.

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3. “Sell Your Haunted House”

There are ways of making money that go a little beyond the mortal realm, and Hong Ji Ah (Jang Nara) practices one of them. She’s a real estate broker with a twist: she exorcises properties where people have died or that have complaints of ghostly activity. She’s quite literally ice-cold when she performs an exorcism, but also lives life like an ice cube: hard on the outside but warms up when you get to know her. The trouble is that most people don’t.

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Oh In Beom (Jung Yong Hwa) is a con-artist who pretends to see ghosts and capture paranormal activity when he’s actually the one rigging it. But things get dicey when the property he’s scoping out has a real ghost, one that Ji Ah is trying to exorcise. In the process of trying to get In Beom out and without time to convince him that ghosts are real, Ji Ah discovers that In Beom has powerful psychic energy, an ability that can boost Ji Ah’s powers during an exorcism and might help her exorcise the ghost she has been living with for almost 20 years: her mother. But will In Beom willingly step into the realm of the dead? And what happens when the death of Ji Ah’s mother is connected to the murder of In Beom’s uncle?

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Why you’ll love it: This show operates on a mystery-of-the-week basis. It’s a fun, zippy watch and also romance-free if you’re just looking for two people who don’t get along well, trying to put aside their differences and get the job done despite their very different motivations. Jang Nara is always excellent, and seeing her play the ice queen is such a delight!

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4. “I Hear Your Voice”

A K-drama classic, we’ve another lie-detecting protagonist in “I Hear Your Voice,” but his powers work a little differently. Park Soo Ha (Lee Jong Suk) is a high school senior whose maturity extends far beyond that of his peers. The reason? Soo Ha has the unusual ability to read people’s minds when he looks them in the eye, a talent he gained when he witnessed his father’s murder 10 years ago at the hands of Min Joong Kook (Jung Woong In). The murder was initially dismissed as an accident until Jang Hye Seong (a young Kim So Hyun in a memorable cameo), a high school girl at the time, bravely stepped forward despite Min Joong Kook’s threats and testified to witnessing the murder. Min Joong Kook is locked away, screaming his revenge as young Soo Ha vows to protect Hye Seong from Min Joong Kook’s inevitable vengeance.

As Min Joong Kook’s release date approaches, Soo Ha continues to search for Hye Seong, only for a chance meeting to push them together. The thing is Hye Seong (Lee Bo Young) is no longer the girl he remembers but a jaded public defender who cares more about getting a paycheck than the plight of those she represents. Soo Ha may have a superpower but it’s Hye Seong who has all the real-world power. She finds Soo Ha unbearably naive and hates herself for even having testified all those years ago because it made her a target. Disappointed in who she’s become, Soo Ha nevertheless upholds his vow to protect her. But Min Joong Kook has had 10 years to plot his vengeance, and no one, not even Soo Ha, might be able to predict what’s coming.

Why you’ll love it: 

Every inch of this show is honestly fantastic from the plot, the side characters, to everyone getting satisfying character arcs, and the villain’s motivation. Plus, “I Hear Your Voice” handles the romance department incredibly deftly with Lee Bo Young and Lee Jong Seok’s incredible chemistry showing just why Soo Ha and Hye Seong work. It’s impossible not to root for them. Lee Bo Young won a Daesang for her incredible portrayal of Hye Seong, and it’s easy to see why!

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cr: Soompi