There’s something weirdly comforting about a K-drama lead who can see the dead. Maybe it’s because ghosts, with all their unfinished business and lingering regrets, often just want what the living do: to be heard, understood, and remembered. And somehow, the people who can see them become the ones who help them find that closure. From lawyers and cops to magicians and heiresses, K-dramas have given us plenty of characters who cross into the world of the dead and discover that seeing ghosts can be less of a curse and more of a calling. From cult classics to this year’s buzziest releases, here are the K-dramas that make the otherworldly feel surprisingly human.

“The Master’s Sun”

Kong Hyo Jin plays Tae Gong Sil, an insomniac who has been able to see ghosts since a mysterious accident. Her outwardly companions constantly pester her and make her do things for them, from settling scores, bringing justice, and helping them tie up unfinished business. The only time she finds respite from the spirits trailing her is when she touches the cold, aloof CEO Joo Jong Won (So Ji Sub).

What starts as a strange physical necessity turns into one of the genre’s most beloved slow-burn romances, with a ghost-of-the-week structure that never lets the scares outweigh the heart.

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“Oh My Ghost”

Na Bong Sun (Park Bo Young) is a timid chef who has this uncanny knack of seeing ghosts, which haunts her and makes her very self-conscious. When she allows the spirit of a young woman who died under mysterious circumstances to possess her body, things get hilariously complicated. This is especially true when Chef Kang Sun Woo (Cho Jung Seok) falls for Bong Sun and the spirit also falls for the chef, making it a strangely tingly triangle.

As chaotic and funny as the premise sounds, it also has a deeply touching and haunting story at its heart, as the spirit tries to uncover the truth behind her death and is helped in seeking justice. Plus Park Bo Young and Cho Jung Seok give us the romance as well as the laughs.

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“Sell Your Haunted House”

When your real estate business involves properties where people have died, closing a deal can get a little complicated. Hong Ji Ah (Jang Nara) is a real estate broker who specializes in properties where people have died or where paranormal activity has been reported. She is forced into an uneasy partnership with Oh In Beom (Jung Yong Hwa), a con artist posing as a shaman. Ji Ah soon discovers that In Beom has a psychic ability that can amplify her powers.

This show is a zippy watch, as the two hustle together for their own vested interests while dealing with ghosts who have unfinished business.

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“Oh My Ghost Clients”

Noh Mu Jin (Jung Kyung Ho) is a broke, self-absorbed labor attorney who signs away his life to survive a near-death accident, only to find himself representing ghosts with unresolved workplace grievances. Along with his sister-in-law, Na Hee Ju (Seol In Ah), and a YouTuber, Go Hyeon Woo (Cha Hak Yeon), they form “Team Mujins” to represent the grudges of their ghost clients.

“Oh My Ghost Clients” is a socially conscious spin on the ghost-seeing-lawyer trope, with real anger about workplace injustice underneath all the comedy.

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“Hotel Del Luna”

IU plays Jang Man Wol, the imperious, immortal owner of a hotel that exists only for spirits passing through on their way to the next world. Man Wol is a thousand-year-old spirit that can only get the window to release herself from the mortal world when she finds a new owner for the hotel. Goo Chan Sung (Yeo Jin Goo), the very human manager, gets roped into running it alongside her. She finally has hope, but love is certainly not part of the memo.

Equal parts fantasy, tragedy, and romance, this drama remains one of the genre’s most visually sumptuous entries.

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“Phantom Lawyer”

Shin I Rang (Yoo Yeon Seok), a passionate lawyer, has a heart of gold. But professional success evades him, and he’s had no luck landing a single interview with any law firm. Things change when he rents an office space in a former shaman’s shop and starts attracting ghost clients instead. He’s occasionally possessed by the spirits he represents, borrowing their courage to win cases for the dead—much to the disbelief of his cutthroat rival attorney (Esom).

A feel-good legal drama with a touch of spookiness, “Phantom Lawyer” makes you laugh and shed a few tears as well as give you the thrills and twists, which make this genre so entertaining.

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“Spooky in Love”

Cheon Yeo Ri (Park Eun Bin) is a hotel heiress who has been able to see ghosts all her life. It’s an ability that has made her wary of getting close to people. Ma Kang Wook (Yang Se Jong) is a sharp prosecutor whose life takes an unexpected turn when he encounters Yeo Ri. When the two discover that her supernatural ability can help him solve mysterious cases, they form an unlikely partnership, with ghosts, murder investigations, and an unexpected romance thrown into the mix.

The drama blends supernatural mystery, comedy, and romance while the ghost stories add an emotional layer to what begins as an unusual love story.

“The East Palace”

Gu Cheon (Nam Joo Hyuk) is a spirit slayer who can cross between the human world and the realm of ghosts, while Saeng Gang (Roh Yoon Seo) is a court lady who has been able to hear the voices of the dead since childhood. When the King summons them to investigate a mysterious curse haunting the East Palace, the unlikely pair are drawn into a dangerous world of restless spirits, royal secrets, and a curse threatening the royal family.

With its atmospheric palace setting, supernatural mystery, and dark fantasy elements, this show is a striking departure from the usual historical drama.

“From Now On, Showtime!“

Cha Cha Woong (Park Hae Jin) is a popular but rather arrogant magician whose spectacular tricks have an unusual secret: he employs a group of ghosts as his assistants. When he crosses paths with passionate police officer Go Seul Hae (Jin Ki Joo), who discovers his supernatural secret, the unlikely pair begin working together to solve crimes with the help of his ghostly crew.

What starts as a quirky supernatural comedy gradually becomes a touching story about unfinished business, justice, and the bonds between the living and the dead.

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Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.