Friendly Rivalry and 4 Other New K-Dramas About School
TV series about love triangles, betrayal, bullying, psychological games, real (and not so real) friendship.
One of the favorite topics of K-drama fans is schools, within whose walls first loves are formed, true friends are found, and psychological traumas are inflicted that force characters to rethink their lives.
1. Girl's High School Mystery Class, 2021-...
A school for girls, a very ordinary class. According to the list – 21 students, but in reality – only 20. It seems to be a simple mistake that the teacher noticed by chance.
But that same evening, something pushes the teacher and he loses his memory. Strange things begin to happen: eerie noises, disappearance of food. Is there a ghost among the students?
The miniseries will make you suspect everyone, because one of them might not be from the world of the living. It remains to find out who, until the poltergeist harms someone else.
2. Friendly Rivalry, 2025
The story of an outcast girl who transferred to a new school and met a guy who wasn't afraid to stand up for her is common. In Friendly Rivalry, there will be bullying and a former victim who ended up in an elite girls' school.
But it won't be the local handsome boy who will help her out, but the most popular girl at the school, Yoo Jae-i. But why does she try to befriend an orphan that everyone hates?
In fact, Yoo Jae-i is not so simple: she has mastered the art of manipulation. The classmates she once chose as friends have become outcasts and are now suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
3. Pyramid Game, 2024
A drama about bullying, in which a brutal struggle for survival is waged between schoolgirls. The Baekyeon Girls' High School has inhumane rules: every month, the girls hold a secret vote to choose a new target for bullying.
The students divide themselves into criminals, victims and witnesses, playing a kind of pyramid game in which there are no winners, only losers. All because next month anyone can end up in a different group.
4. Falling High School Girl and Irresponsible Teacher, 2023-2024
A conversation between a young physics teacher and a high school girl starts on the roof, from which Mikoto tries to jump because of unrequited love. Instead of stopping her, Jin starts telling her how long the fall will take.
He also decides that now is the best time to confess, since he has liked Mikoto for a long time.
As a result, Jin's logical arguments and his confession force the girl to temporarily refuse to end her life. The man suggests that Mikoto try to fall in love with him before making a final decision.
5. True Beauty, 2020-2021
High school student Lim Ju-kyung is unsure of herself and her appearance. She was bullied at school because of her facial features, which do not meet Korean beauty standards.
The girl transferred to a new school and learned how to apply makeup. Cosmetics hid all her flaws and made her a beauty. But self-hatred and the fear that her peers would see her "real" face drove the girl crazy.
One day, the most popular classmate, Lee Su-ho, ran into Ju-kyung without makeup, but didn't recognize her. It turned out that he was much more happy to communicate with the real her – a vulnerable manga fan. Moreover, he himself is hiding a painful secret, which caused him to break off communication with his best friend.