K-Dramas Where Characters Switch Bodies [Updated 2022]
Soul swap story trope is never not interesting! Fantasy dramas are enjoyable without exception, but it's often way different and more entertaining to watch the characters switching bodies and seeing them disoriented and panicking.
From "Please Come Back Mister" to the OG "Secret Garden," let's take a look at these body swap stories that made us laugh to bits or cry buckets!
'Please Come Back Mister'
The drama, starring Rain, Oh Yeon Seo and Lee Min Jung, features both body- and gender-swapping. Based on a Japanese novel "Tsubakiyama Kacho no Nanokakan," it's a story about individuals who are given a second chance to make things right.
Rain, Oh Yoen Seo | Please Come Back Mister still
READ ALSO: Rain Details What He Loves About Kim Tae Hee
The drama features two body swaps. There's a man, who worked himself to death, played by Kim In Kwon. Upon his death he temporarily returns in the body of a more attractive man, played by Rain.
Oh Yeon Seo's character is a beautiful woman but her body is actually possessed by the spirit of a tough guy, played by Kim Soo Ro.
The two souls who get a second chance, cannot reveal their true identifies, act in revenge or engage in human affairs - or their second chance evaporates.
'Oh My Ghostess'
This list wouldn't be complete without the Jo Jung Suk and Park Bo Young-led fantasy drama!
Oh My Ghostess
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In "Oh My Ghostess," Na Bong Sun is a shy girl who suddenly started seducing her boss, the ill-tempered chef Kang Sun Woo, after a virgin yet raunchy ghost Shin Soo Ae takes over her body.
With the cast lineup and their exceptional acting, the K-drama remains a go-to when in need of a full-on entertainment seven years after it concluded.
'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'
Despite the imminet heartache in the end, we can't help but envy Hae Soo (IU) inadvertently traveling back in time, waking up in the body of a Goryeo lady and suddenly finding herself in a reverse harem situation!
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The makeup artist, now surrounded by handsome princes, initially aims to find her way back to her world but ends up falling in love with the 4th prince and marrying another.
"Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo" takes viewers on a roller-coaster ride, which starts off as light and fun until it goes south.
Eight years after its conclusion, Moon Lovers fans remain hopeful for a season.
'Secret Garden'
Another example of a body-swapping and gender-swapping drama is "Secret Garden." The characters, played by Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin, are dating when some magic mixes up their spirits and bodies.
It's not the most comfortable dating situation. And it's not merely a question of getting used to different body parts or the embarrassment of that special someone seeing you at your naked worst.
She's a stuntwoman and he's not even adept at somersaults. The swap could sideline her career!
'Abyss'
Ahn Hyo Seop, Park Bo Young | Abyss poster
In this 2019 romantic-comedy K-drama, Go Se Yeon is a beautiful prosecutor while her childhood friend Cha Min is a wealthy yet unattractive successor to a cosmetics company. The two encounter mishap and woke up into different bodies (Park Bo Young and Ahn Hyo Seop).
The twist? Cha Min becomes handsome while Go Se Yeon is now in a dull and unattractive woman's body.
As they both find the reason behind their deaths, they develop feelings for each other.
'Big'
"Please Come Back Mister" is not Lee Min Jung's first body-swap drama. She also appeared in "Big, and here, she was dating a man in another body. Her character was engaged to Gong Yoo's character and they were on course for wedding bells.
A month before the wedding, she meets a transfer student from the U.S., played by Shin Won Ho. He and Gong Yoo's character get into a car accident.
Shin Won Ho's character winds up in Gong Yoo's body, while his body remains in a coma. So, the man Lee Min Jung's character is about to marry is really an 18-year-old student. Who does she love exactly?
'Mr. Queen'
Shin Hye Sun and Kim Jung Hyun's soul-swapping story is the latest addition to the list. Apart from it being a soul- and gender-switching trope, the characters are also from different times!
READ ALSO: Shin Hye Sun & Kim Jung Hyun's 'Mr. Queen' is Trending in Japan - Here's Why
Mr. Queen
The drama begins with a male chef who travels to olden days then takes over the body of the queen from the Joseon era. The amusing part comes in when the king falls in love with the queen.
"Mr. Queen" is so messy yet hilarious, which is why it isn't surprising it still receives the recognition it deserves. Released in 2020, the drama belatedly trended in Japan!
'49 Days'
Shin Ji Hyun, played by Nam Gyu Ri, has it all, wealthy parents, friends, friends and a fiance, played by Bae Soo Bin.
Song Yi Kyung, played by Lee Yo Won, has very little. She's heartbroken about her boyfriend's recent death and considers suicide.
The attempt to prevent her suicide causes a car accident that sends Shin Ji Hyun into a coma and into Song Yi Kyung's body for 49 days.
Shin is given a chance to recover from her coma by gathering three teardrops of pure love from people who are not related to her. But it's not as easy as she thinks it is.
'Two Cops'
Another Jo Jung Suk-led drama right here! What's more? In the feel-good drama "Two Cops," the actor starred alongside heartthrob Kim Seon Ho!
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Jo Jung Suk, Kim Seon Ho | Two Cops still
In this drama, Jo Jung Suk portrays the role of a workaholic detective, Cha Dong Tak, who hitchhiked someone else's body - and it's none other than a sordid conman (Kim Seon Ho). With their contrasting personalities, the K-drama becomes even funnier, messier and has loads of bromance!
'Please Come Back Soon Ae'
In this 2006 drama, two women, played by Shim Hye Jin and Park Jin Hee, switch bodies.
Heo Soon Ae is a 40-year-old homemaker devoted to her pilot husband, who she discovers has been cheating on her with a 28-year-old flight attendant, Han Cho Eun. The women drive to the airport where they plan to ask Soon Ae's husband who he wants to be with.
Because of a supernatural plot twist, they swap bodies. Since they can't swap back, they literally have to walk a mile in each other's shoes.
Do you know other K-dramas with body-switching genre? Tell us in the comments!
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