K-dramas often invent convoluted conflicts for their main characters, but the twin twist is a universal source of tension. Having an actor portray multiple identical characters is a familiar trick, but how a series uses its doppelgänger characters can determine whether a K-drama is good or great. There are endless possibilities for innovative twin plots, regardless of the K-drama’s sub-genre.
Twins can be embedded into the plot, or a risky K-drama plot twist can reveal doppelgängers, adding instant intrigue to the storyline. Whether it’s a villain with a tragic backstory, an unwitting protagonist discovering a family secret, or a simple tool to bolster a sci-fi dystopia, twins and doppelgängers are a common K-drama trope that can still be wildly effective.
Cinderella Man
2009
As the title suggests, Cinderella Man is a rags-to-riches story following Oh Dae-san and Lee Joon-hee (both played by Kwon Sang-woo), two identical strangers who miraculously cross paths. Dae-san is a con artist who sells high-fashion knockoffs, while Joon-hee is the heir apparent to the family business: a renowned fashion empire.
Like most series that premiered pre-2010, Cinderella Man is oftentimes a melodramatic K-drama that feels similar to a soap opera. Nevertheless, the unique take on a fairy tale that sees Dae-san take over Joon-hee’s role at the fashion company is a classic, feel-good plot.
I’m Not A Robot
2017
Kim Min-kyu (Yoo Seung-ho) is a genius with a rare allergy to human touch who tragically lost his parents at a young age. As a result, his only companion is a humanoid robot called Aji 3 — unknowingly modeled after Jo Ji-ah (Chae Soo-bin). After her robotic doppelgänger is damaged, however, Jo Ji-ah has to take its place.
From the K-drama’s complex male lead to its surprisingly nuanced exploration of grief and longing for connection, I’m Not a Robot is a quirky rom-com with a sci-fi edge that makes it one of a kind.
Penthouse
2020
Across its three seasons, Penthouse (also known as The Penthouse: War in Life) focused on a variety of affluent characters who, despite seeming well-off, are all harboring secrets. Within the ensemble K-drama is the Joo family, with multiple children including “twins” Joo Seok-hoon (Kim Young-dae) and Joo Seok-kyung (Han Ji-hyun).
Though the pair are introduced as non-identical twins, the truth of the Joo family’s complicated web of paternity reveals that none of the children share the same two parents — and the so-called twins actually aren’t related at all. Yet, in a sea of betrayal, guilt, and shame, the duo heartwarmingly choose to continue loving each other as siblings.
My Wonderful Life
2020
In some cases, twins don’t have to automatically equate swapped identities or a dramatic plot twist. In My Wonderful Life, Park Bok-hee (Shim Yi-Young) is the mother of two twins named Ki Eun-soo (Choi Seung-Hoon) and Ki Eun-ha (Kwon Ji-Min). While the twins don’t have a grand reveal that shakes the family to its core, Park Bok-hee ironically does.
After spending decades working herself to the bone to support her children and cheating husband, Park Bok-hee uncovers the truth that she’s a chaebol heiress. As her life turns upside down, Bok-hee remains dedicated to giving her twins a better life, making My Wonderful Life a touching family-focused K-drama.
Kill Me, Heal Me
2015
Kill Me, Heal Me takes a nuanced approach to themes of identity, including life as a twin. Cha Do-hyun (Ji Sung) is a successful executive who seeks help for his dissociative identity disorder (DID). With seven clashing identities in one body, Do-hyun slowly unravels the significance behind each of his alters.
He turns to Oh Ri-jin (Hwang Jung-eum), a budding psychiatrist, for help — unaware that her twin brother, Oh Ri-on (Park Seo-joon), has a penchant for digging into wealthy citizens with skeletons in their closets. Twists and turns may send the viewer reeling, but Kill Me, Heal Me comes to a satisfying ending nonetheless.
Queen: Love And War
2019
Unlike most female leads who are swept up in a whirlwind romance or helplessly marred by a tragic past, Kang Eun-bo (Jin Se-yeon) leads Queen: Love and War with a vengeance. The revenge-based K-drama, set in the Joseon era, follows the reign of King Lee Kyung (Kim Min-kyu) after he and Kang Eun-Ki are shot and presumed dead.
Eun-bo, devoted to revealing the truth regarding her twin sister’s mysterious passing, enters a competitive selection process to be the king’s next queen. She delves into dangerous palace politics as she attempts to infiltrate the monarchy and take the king down from the inside, but everything changes when Eun-bo actually gets to know her one-sided nemesis.
Alice
2020
There are countless K-dramas about time travel, but Alice is one of the most unique. The sci-fi thriller focuses on Park Jin-gyeom (Joo Won), a detective born with alexithymia, which prevents him from feeling emotions. After inadvertently discovering a band of time-travelers — who work for the titular agency, Alice — Jin-gyeom meets a physicist who looks exactly like his deceased mother.
Despite being introduced as a different person entirely, the genius scientist, Yoon Tae-yi (Kim Hee-sun), is eventually revealed to be Jin-gyeom’s mother. In a confounding twist of fate, Tae-yi traveled back in time to give birth, living as an adult parallel to her younger self. Consequently, a second Tae-yi grew to adulthood with no knowledge of her child.
School 2015
2015
School 2015 (also known as Who Are You: School 2015) takes a typical teen drama and ups the ante by focusing on identical twins Go Eun-byul and Lee Eun-bi (Kim So-hyun). After being separated in childhood, Eun-byul and Eun-bi grew to have very different lives — while Eun-byul is a popular star student, Eun-bi suffers from bullying in an orphanage.
When Eun-bi develops temporary amnesia, she takes her twin sister’s place at the central high school. From there, an underlying mystery cuts through typical tropes, like the K-drama’s love triangle. In the end, the sisters both get precisely what they deserve.
Arthdal Chronicles
2019
Arthdal Chronicles is a highly stylized fantasy K-drama that amassed a cult following, even being extended for a second season and MMORPG spinoff. At the heart of the drama is Eun-seom (Song Joong-ki), a powerful but lonely member of the main tribe who has the uncanny ability to master any move after seeing it once.
Unbeknownst to Eun-seom and his allies, however, he had a twin: the vengeful Saya. The two unexpectedly cross paths and end up in a power struggle over their mutual love interest, Tan-ya (Kim Ji-won). Despite being polar opposites, the twins have a shared fate that Arthdal Chronicles treats as a full-blown prophecy.
Are You Human?
2018
Are You Human? takes the same central idea of I’m Not a Robot — an AI robot modeled after a real person — but adds a thrilling, devastating twist. Oh Laura (Kim Sung-ryung) designed the humanoid robots (Nam Shin I, II, and III) after being separated from her son, the real Nam Shin (Seo Kang-joon).
When an attempt on his life leaves Nam Shin comatose, however, Oh Laura sends in Nam Shin III to take her son’s place and protect his inheritance as a chaebol heir. Even for a robot, however, danger begins lurking around every corner as Nam Shin’s enemies try to finish him off for good.
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