Have You Ever Wished You Could Fall in Love Across Time?
Okay, real talk — if you’ve ever stayed up until 3am sobbing over a fantasy K-drama where the male lead literally bends the laws of time and space just to find the woman he loves, then you are exactly who this post is for. Welcome. Pull up a blanket. Cancel whatever plans you had this weekend.
Fantasy K-dramas with time travel and supernatural elements are honestly a whole different tier of storytelling. We’re not just talking about will-they-won’t-they tension (though yes, there’s plenty of that). We’re talking about heroes who can stop time, heroines who stumble 300 years into the past, and love stories so cosmically tragic that the OST alone will ruin you for regular music. If you’ve been searching for the best fantasy K-dramas to watch next, you are in the right place.
I’ve watched — and rewatched, and rewatched again — more Korean dramas in this genre than I care to admit. Here are the ones that genuinely hit different.
Queen In-hyun’s Man (2012): The Time Travel Romance That Started It All
Here’s the thing about Queen In-hyun’s Man (available on Viki): it aired in 2012 and it still holds up better than half the fantasy dramas released last year. Ji Hyun-woo plays Kim Boong-do, a Joseon-era scholar who accidentally time-travels to modern-day Seoul via a mysterious talisman, where he meets a struggling actress named Choi Hee-jin (Yoo In-na). What makes this drama so special isn’t just the time travel mechanic — it’s how smart the writing is. Boong-do doesn’t stumble around confused by smartphones. He adapts, he analyzes, he thinks. And the chemistry between Ji Hyun-woo and Yoo In-na? Absolutely unhinged. I’m talking heart-fluttering stares through car windows and my hands literally shaking during episode eight.
Hot take: this drama has better-written time travel logic than most Hollywood sci-fi films. Fight me.
Nine: Nine Time Travels (2013) — The One That Will Break Your Brain (And Your Heart)
If Queen In-hyun’s Man is the warm, romantic entry point into time-travel K-dramas, then Nine: Nine Time Travels is the one that grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go. Lee Jin-wook stars as a news anchor who discovers nine incense sticks that each send him exactly 30 years into the past for 30 minutes. The consequences ripple outward in ways the story tracks meticulously, and every episode ends on a cliffhanger so devastating I had to take stress walks between episodes.
Also streaming on Viki, this one’s a little older and criminally underrated. The supernatural element is understated — no glowing portals, no dramatic transformation sequences, just a burning stick of incense and the clock ticking down. It’s somehow scarier that way. The OST is hauntingly beautiful, too.
Goblin (2016): The Drama That Broke Streaming Records and My Entire Emotional Stability
Okay but seriously, if you haven’t watched Goblin: The Lonely and Great God yet, what are you even doing? Gong Yoo plays Kim Shin, a 939-year-old goblin (a.k.a. an immortal warrior cursed to stay alive until his bride pulls the sword from his chest), and Lee Dong-wook plays his reluctant roommate, the Grim Reaper. I literally cried in the first episode. Then again in the second. By episode nine I had given up pretending to be okay.
Available on Netflix and Viki, Goblin sits at a 9.0 on MyDramaList and is widely considered one of the greatest K-dramas ever made. The supernatural worldbuilding is gorgeous — goblins, reapers, divine intervention, past lives, and a love story that spans centuries. The OST (featuring “Stay With Me” by Chanyeol and Punch) is permanently embedded in my soul. Second lead syndrome is also very real here, and you’ll know exactly what I mean about 40 minutes in.
Why Goblin Still Hits in 2025
Beyond the romance, what makes Goblin stand out in the fantasy K-drama space is its treatment of grief and immortality. Kim Shin has watched everyone he’s ever loved die. He’s exhausted by eternity. That weight — that bone-deep loneliness — makes every soft moment with Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun) feel earned in a way that’s genuinely rare in television, Korean or otherwise.
W: Two Worlds Apart (2016) — When the Manhwa Hero Falls for His Creator’s Daughter
Now let’s talk about W: Two Worlds Apart, which has one of the most bonkers, original premises in K-drama history. Han Hyo-joo plays a doctor who keeps getting pulled into the world of a popular webtoon — where the fictional hero Kang Chul (Lee Jong-suk) becomes very, very real. The supernatural element here isn’t just time travel but dimensional travel, and the story plays with the idea of narrative agency in ways that are genuinely meta and fascinating.
It’s on Netflix, it aired in 2016, and the first four episodes are some of the best K-drama television I’ve ever seen. (The back half gets chaotic, but honestly? That’s part of the charm.) Lee Jong-suk in a suit solving mysteries about his own fictional existence while falling in love with his creator’s daughter is the kind of plot that should not work and yet works completely.
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) — The One That Makes You Question Everything You Thought You Knew About Pain
[SPOILER WARNING for later paragraphs]
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is a time travel historical fantasy where a modern woman (IU) gets transported back to the Goryeo Dynasty and entangled in a brutal royal succession war — and the romantic lives of multiple princes, one of whom is played by Lee Jun-ki. Available on Netflix, this drama is notorious in the K-drama community for its ending, which is either poetically devastating or unforgivably cruel depending on your pain tolerance.
The supernatural element is layered beautifully into the historical setting — eclipse imagery, mystical water, dreams that blur timelines. And IU and Lee Jun-ki have the kind of chemistry that makes you want to throw your phone across the room because you know it’s going to end badly and you can’t stop watching anyway. Second lead syndrome is practically a medical emergency in this drama.
Unpopular opinion: the original Chinese version (Bu Bu Jing Xin) is also excellent, but the Korean adaptation has better costume design and Lee Jun-ki’s performance as Wang So is one of the finest pieces of acting in the entire genre. I will not be taking criticism at this time.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and The King: Eternal Monarch — Two Very Different Supernatural Bets
Wait, hear me out — I know Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha isn’t a fantasy drama, but I’m including it in spirit because the contrast with The King: Eternal Monarch (Netflix, 2020) tells you a lot about what works and what doesn’t in supernatural K-drama storytelling.
The King: Eternal Monarch, written by Kim Eun-sook and starring Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun, involves a parallel universe, a magical flute, and a modern king trying to protect both his world and the detective he loves across dimensions. The concept is genuinely thrilling, the cinematography is stunning, and the production budget was clearly enormous. But — and this is a hot take — the plot logic gets wobbly enough in the middle stretch that you really have to lean into the emotional spectacle rather than interrogate the mechanics. If you approach it as a grand romantic fantasy rather than a tight sci-fi thriller, you’ll have a wonderful time. Lee Min-ho has never looked more regal, and that’s saying something for a man who spent four seasons of Boys Over Flowers looking like he owned every room he walked into.
Tomorrow (2022) and Bulgasal: Immortal Souls (2021) — The Underrated Gems You Need Right Now
Let me tell you about two fantasy Korean dramas that didn’t get nearly enough attention.
Tomorrow (Netflix, 2022) stars Rowoon as a Grim Reaper working for a supernatural crisis intervention team that helps souls on the brink of suicide. It sounds heavy — and it is — but it’s also surprisingly warm, funny, and hopeful. The supernatural framework is used to explore real, human struggles with extraordinary care. Rowoon is magnetic in the role, and if you’re looking for a fantasy K-drama that will make you feel genuinely better about being alive, this is it.
Bulgasal: Immortal Souls (Netflix, 2021-2022) is darker — a fantasy thriller about a man cursed to live for over a thousand years in search of the woman whose soul he believes wronged him centuries ago. Lee Jin-wook (yes, him again — the man clearly has a type when it comes to supernatural roles) is mesmerizing as a creature who has forgotten how to be human. The timelines weave across multiple eras in ways that are genuinely complex, and the supernatural mythology is rich enough to support a full rewatch just to catch everything you missed.
Bonus: My Love From the Star (2013) and Signal (2016)
No list of fantasy K-dramas would be complete without mentioning My Love From the Star (Viki/Netflix, 2013-2014), in which Kim Soo-hyun plays an alien who has been stranded on Earth for 400 years and falls in love with a top actress played by Jun Ji-hyun. It’s funny, romantic, and has one of the best male leads in K-drama history — Do Min-joon is essentially perfect, which is both the joke and the point of the character. The aegyo moments are iconic. The snowflake scenes are iconic. Everything about it is iconic.
And then there’s Signal (Netflix, 2016) — technically a crime thriller, but the supernatural element (a walkie-talkie that connects investigators across time) is so central and so brilliantly executed that it absolutely counts. It’s not a romance. It’s better than a romance. It’s a story about justice and the weight of the past, and it will haunt you in the best possible way. Jo Jin-woong, Lee Je-hoon, and Kim Hye-soo give performances that belong in any conversation about the best acting in Korean television, full stop.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fantasy K-Dramas With Time Travel
What is the best K-drama with time travel for beginners?
If you’re just getting into fantasy K-dramas with time travel, start with Queen In-hyun’s Man on Viki or Goblin on Netflix. Both are highly accessible, emotionally satisfying, and give you a great feel for how Korean dramas handle supernatural romance. Queen In-hyun’s Man is shorter (16 episodes) and a bit lighter, while Goblin is the full cinematic experience.
Where can I watch fantasy K-dramas with supernatural elements?
Most major fantasy K-dramas are available on Netflix, Viki, or Disney+. Netflix carries Goblin, The King: Eternal Monarch, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Tomorrow, Bulgasal, Signal, and My Love From the Star. Viki has Queen In-hyun’s Man, Nine: Nine Time Travels, and W: Two Worlds Apart. Always check regional availability, as libraries vary by country.
Are there any fantasy K-dramas with female leads who have supernatural powers?
Yes! While many fantasy K-dramas center supernatural male leads, there are great options with powered heroines. My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (Viki) features a nine-tailed fox female lead. Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter stars a fairy who’s been living as a human. And Hotel Del Luna (Netflix, 2019) gives IU a spectacular turn as the imperious, centuries-old owner of a hotel for ghosts.
What makes Korean fantasy dramas different from Western fantasy shows?
Fantasy K-dramas tend to center romance and emotional intimacy far more than Western fantasy, which often prioritizes world-building and action. The supernatural elements in Korean dramas usually exist to explore themes of fate, reincarnation, and whether love can transcend time or death — deeply rooted in East Asian spiritual and philosophical concepts. The result tends to be more emotionally devastating in the best possible way.
Is there a fantasy K-drama with both time travel and reincarnation?
Several! Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo features both time travel and reincarnated souls. Goblin heavily involves past lives and the concept of fated reincarnation. Bulgasal: Immortal Souls weaves reincarnation across multiple timelines spanning centuries. If you love the idea of souls finding each other across lifetimes, all three are essential viewing.
So, Which One Are You Watching First?
Whether you’re a longtime K-drama fan who’s somehow never gotten around to Goblin (please fix that immediately) or a newcomer looking for your first supernatural Korean series, I genuinely believe this genre offers some of the most emotionally rich, imaginatively bold storytelling on television right now. The fantasy K-drama world has something for every kind of viewer — whether you want your heart warmed, broken, or both at the same time at 2am while eating cereal directly from the box.
My personal starting recommendation? Goblin if you want the full cinematic fantasy experience, Queen In-hyun’s Man if you want something tighter and just as romantic, and Signal if you want your mind absolutely blown by what a walkie-talkie can do to your emotions.
I’d love to know — which fantasy K-drama lives rent-free in your head? Drop it in the comments below, and if there’s a supernatural Korean drama gem I haven’t mentioned that you think deserves more love, please tell me. My watchlist is never full enough, and my sleep schedule has already been sacrificed to this cause.
