Cover In K-drama ‘Move to Heaven’, Cho Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon) runs a trauma cleaning service that goes far beyond sanitation. (Photo: Netflix)
In K-drama ‘Move to Heaven’, Cho Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon) runs a trauma cleaning service that goes far beyond sanitation. (Photo: Netflix)
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These K-dramas prove that even the strangest jobs, noodle-making warriors included, can deliver gripping, unforgettable stories
Gone are the days when every K-drama protagonist was either a chaebol heir or a brilliant surgeon. Today’s Korean dramas are embracing the wonderfully weird, showcasing careers so outlandish they blur the line between reality and fantasy. From exorcist estate agents to demon-hunting noodle chefs, these series prove that the most compelling stories often emerge from the most unexpected professions. Below, discover the K-drama jobs you never knew existed—and might secretly want to try.
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‘Sell Your Haunted House’ (2021)
Above In ‘Sell Your Haunted House’, the protagonist transforms cursed properties into desirable investments through supernatural intervention.
Hong Ji-ah (Jang Na-ra) isn’t your average estate agent. In Sell Your Haunted House, the licensed property broker specialises in stigmatised properties, but her unique selling point goes far beyond competitive pricing. Before listing any haunted house, she performs full exorcisms to cleanse vengeful spirits, merging ancient spiritual rituals into her business practice. Partnered with a con artist-turned-psychic Oh In-beom (Jung Yong-hwa), she transforms cursed properties into desirable investments through supernatural intervention.
‘W: Two Worlds’ (2016)
Above The fictional work of a webtoon artist becomes a sentient universe in ‘W: Two Worlds’.
In W: Two Worlds Oh Seong-moo (Kim Eui-sung) faces every artist’s worst nightmare: his creation has turned against him. The acclaimed webtoon artist discovers that his fictional comic world has become a sentient parallel universe, with protagonist Kang Cheol (Lee Jong-suk) able to physically drag people—including the artist’s daughter Oh Yeon-joo (Han Hyo-joo)—into the story through a magical graphics tablet. His profession transforms from creative outlet to literal battle for survival against his imagination.
‘Tomorrow’ (2022)
Above In ‘Tomorrow’, death gods work as suicide prevention specialists.
Forget soul-collecting. The grim reapers in Tomorrow have been reassigned to crisis intervention. Choi Jun-woong (Rowoon) joins Jumadeung, a vast afterlife corporation where death gods work as suicide prevention specialists. Instead of guiding souls to the afterlife, this Crisis Management Team functions as supernatural social workers, intervening in cases involving bullying, trauma and despair to convince vulnerable humans to choose life over death.
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‘The Uncanny Counter’ (2020)
Above The staff at Eonni’s Noodles battle evil spirits that have escaped from the afterlife in ‘The Uncanny Counter’.
The friendly staff at Eonni’s Noodles serve more than just comfort food in The Uncanny Counter. So Mun (Jo Byeong-gyu) and his colleagues are demon hunters known as Counters, granted superhuman abilities to battle evil spirits that have escaped from the afterlife. Their bustling noodle shop provides the perfect cover for their supernatural headquarters, allowing them to blend in with the community while secretly protecting it from soul-devouring demons.
‘Move to Heaven’ (2021)
Above In ‘Move to Heaven’, a cleaning crew pieces together the deceased’s life story through belongings left behind.
In Move to Heaven, Han Geu-ru (Tang Jun-sang) and uncle Cho Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon) run a trauma cleaning service that goes far beyond sanitation. Their company cleans residences of people who died alone, but their true mission involves piecing together the deceased’s life story through belongings left behind. Geu-ru’s Asperger syndrome becomes a professional superpower, allowing him to uncover final messages and deliver closure to grieving families.
‘Her Private Life’ (2019)
Above A curator has a secret second career as the operator of a K-pop fansite in ‘Her Private Life’.
Sung Deok-mi (Park Min-young) excels as chief curator at Cheum Museum of Art, but in Her Private Life—that is, her secret second career—proves equally demanding. By day, she manages high-stakes exhibitions and art auctions; by night, she operates the most popular fansite for K-pop idol Cha Si-an. Her dual existence requires professional-level photography, content management and military-precision scheduling to keep her sophisticated art world career separate from her all-consuming fangirl obsession.
‘Another Miss Oh’ (2016)
Above In ‘Another Miss Oh’, a foley artist’s heightened perception gives him glimpses that feel almost psychic.
Park Do-kyung (Eric Mun) is a sound director whose keen auditory skills take on an uncanny dimension in Another Miss Oh. As a meticulous foley artist, he crafts emotional soundscapes for films, using his exceptional sensitivity to subtle sounds. This heightened perception begins to blur the line between reality and intuition, giving him glimpses that feel almost psychic. His mastery of sound becomes a metaphor for his struggle to connect with the mysterious Oh Hae-young (Seo Hyun-jin), whose presence challenges his perception of both sound and fate.
‘Brewing Love’ (2024)
Above In ‘Brewing Love’, a brewmaster creates artisanal, small-batch beverages infused with emotion.
In Brewing Love, Yoon Min-ju (Kim Se-jeong) possesses the rare gift of crafting perfect beer while sensing the emotions of others. This reclusive brewmaster creates artisanal, small-batch beverages infused with emotional resonance drawn from her empathic abilities. Her sensitive, artistic world collides with commerce when sales specialist Chae Young-ju (Lee Jong-won) attempts to recruit her, forcing Yoon Min-ju to choose between protecting her craft and embracing commercial success.
After more than a decade in lifestyle media, Clifford has mastered the art of writing seriously about things that are fun—and writing fun things about people who take themselves very seriously. At Tatler Asia, he helped steer its flagship lists, Tatler’s Most Influential and Asia’s Most Stylish. And today, he leads T-Labs, Tatler Asia’s content innovation hub, where he continues the noble pursuit of lifestyle storytelling, spinning stories on wealth, entertainment, necessary style, Hallyu, Hollywood, beauty and more for audiences across Asia.
