High School Return of a Gangster is one of the most talked about K-dramas because of its storyline and characters. The 2024 South Korean web series premiered on May 29 on TVING and Wavve. The story follows gangster Kim Deuk-Pal (Lee Seo-Jin), whose spirit possesses Song Yi-Heon’s (Yoon Chan-Young) body, a high school student. The student decides to end his life due to relentless bullying. After learning of Yi-Heon’s life, Deuk-Pal decides to punish the bullies and builds a friendship with Choi Se-Kyung (Bong Jae-Hyun).
Bullying is a tried-and-tested theme in Korean dramas. Other popular K-dramas like High School of a Gangster include Hierarchy, All of Us Are Dead, The Glory, and more. These series not only take viewers on a thrilling ride but also send a message to society.
Hierarchy
Hierarchy is a recently concluded K-drama that premiered on June 7, 2024. The series centers around elite students of Jooshin High School, who exert power and dominance over the less privileged. However, the arrival of scholarship student Kang-Ha (Lee Chae-Min) shifts the dynamics as he enters the school to avenge his brother’s death. Meanwhile, his findings lead him to popular student Jeong Jae-Yi (Roh Jeong-Eui) and Jooshin Group heir Kim Ri-An (Kim Jae-Won). The drama is available to stream on Netflix.
All of Us Are Dead
All of Us Are Dead is a fan-favorite K-drama focusing on school students trying their best to survive amidst a zombie virus outbreak. They can either save themselves from the zombie attacks or be forced to turn into one of the infected zombies. The drama had a bullying scene in the first episode where a female student was bullied by her male seniors. The series stars Park Ji-Hu, Yoon Chan-Young, Lomon, Cho Yi-Hyun, Yoo In-Soo, and more. Owing to its popularity, it was also greenlit for Season 2. It premiered on January 28, 2022, and is available to stream on Netflix.
The Glory
The Glory is a psychological thriller that premiered on December 20, 2022. The story follows a woman named Moon Dong-Eun (Han Hyo-Joo), who drops out of school after suffering relentless bullying. She returns years laer, still fresh with the scars of the incident, but determined to seek revenge against her perpetrators, including Park Yeon-Jin (Lim Ji-Yeon). Dong-Eun also meets Joo Yeo-Jung (Lee Do-Hyun), who helps her in this mission. The drama is available to stream on Netflix.
Revenge of Others
Revenge of Others is a highly popular K-drama that follows the story of Ok Chan-Mi (Shin Ye-Eun). She hears of her twin brother’s suicide but refuses to believe the alleged narrative. Chan-Mi transfers to her brother’s school to find out the truth and unveil the perpetrators behind the same. There, she meets with Ji Soo-Heon (Lomon), who claims that he witnessed her brother’s death. When Chan-Mi begins to uncover buried secrets, she gets bullied by students in the school. However, she remains determined to punish the culprit. The drama premiered on November 9, 2022, and is available on Disney Plus and Apple TV+.
Weak Hero Class 1
Weak Hero Class 1 premiered on November 18, 2022, and earned much attention. The series follows high school student Yeon Shi-Eun (Park Ji-Hoon). He might seem physically weak, but he uses his intelligence to stand up against bullies and school violence. He also collaborates with Ahn Su-Ho (Choi Hyun-Wook) and Oh Beom-Seok (Hong Kyung) to achieve the mission. The series was so successful that it yielded a Season 2. Meanwhile, viewers can stream it on Viki, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.
These K-dramas have only grown popular over time but also earned another season. They have also yielded many popular stars and exciting storylines. Viewers can watch these shows on multiple streaming platforms.
