This Korean drama focuses on truth, lies, and journalism. It’s on the list because the male lead is played by Lee Jong-Suk, who also starred in “I Hear Your Voice”. Technically, it’s not “supernatural”. The Pinocchio Effect is real, but not in the way Pinocchio’s nose grows when he lies. It refers to measurable physiological changes, especially in nose temperature, that occur when a person tells a lie.
This K-drama introduces viewers to the syndrome known as The Pinocchio Effect, where lying triggers hiccups, an affliction that the female lead, Choi In-ha, lives with. Her mother, a celebrated reporter, built her career on manipulated stories ~ lying. Her lies ruined an innocent family and tore two young brothers apart. Unaware of her mother’s past, Choi In-ha idolizes her and dreams of becoming a reporter herself. Though everyone insists a “Pinocchio” can’t survive in journalism, she persists and lands a job, thanks to her mother’s hidden agenda.
Ki Ha-myung was one of the brothers destroyed by that scandal. Rescued and adopted, he grows up as Choi Dal-po, Choi In-ha’s “uncle” and classmate. Determined to expose Choi In-ha’s mother, he becomes a reporter too. It’s complicated, as he is also struggling with his love for Choi In-ha. When he reunites with his real brother, the moment is bittersweet, forcing both men to confront grief, injustice, and ultimately, healing.
This Korean drama blends law, fantasy, and romance. Characters can foresee future events, adding suspense. Nam Hong-Joo suffers from prophetic nightmares that always come true. After losing her father to a dream she couldn’t change, she panics when she foresees her mother’s death. Her new neighbor, rookie prosecutor Jung Jae-Chan, brushes her off at first, but he secretly has the same ability and refuses to accept its burden. When he dreams of a deadly car accident that will kill Nam Hong-Joo, he intervenes, altering fate and saving several lives. She is the only one who believes his bizarre explanation.
Their dreams soon overlap, including one predicting Jung Jae-Chan’s brother being framed for murder. Working together, they manage to change the outcome. Meanwhile, police officer Han Woo-Tak, whose life Jung Jae-Chan saved in the accident, discovers he can also see the future. As the three connect their visions, they strive to prevent tragedies before they happen, though the question remains: can fate always be rewritten?
A supernatural twist where a girl sees smells after an accident and helps a detective solve crimes. A serial killer is on the loose. Choi Moo-Gak has experienced a tragic loss; his sister was murdered. Oh Cho-Rim / Choi Eun-Seol has experienced a similar tragedy. Her parents were murdered, and she was hit by a car while trying to run away from the killer. Both the detective and the young woman were in a coma for 6 months.
They both regained consciousness. When the detective woke up, he had lost his ability to taste, smell, and feel pain. When the woman woke up, she had lost her memories; however, she now had a peculiar supernatural gift: she could see smells. They have no past history with each other, but when they meet, they develop a close relationship. Oh Cho-Rim / Choi Eun-Seol uses her gift to help Choi Moo-Gak solve crimes.
Detective Park Kwang-ho chases a serial killer through a tunnel in 1986, only to wake up in 2016 with no idea how he got there or how to return home. Believing fate has a purpose, he searches for answers while mourning the wife and life he left behind. The killer he pursued marked victims with black dots, and Kwang-ho fears the murders have continued in his absence.
Unable to explain his time jump, he assumes the identity of a rookie officer who coincidentally shares his name, though that younger Park Kwang-ho is mysteriously missing. His sudden appearance baffles Chief Jeon Sung-sik, who recognizes him from the past, and tensions rise with his new partner, Lieutenant Kim Sun-jae. Along with criminal psychologist Shin Jae-yi, the reluctant trio investigates a new string of murders that mirror the old cases. As clues emerge, Kwang-ho realizes finding the missing officer may be the key to returning to 1986.
This Korean drama explores lucid dreaming taken to a terrifying extreme. After participating in a sleep-drug trial, Hong Hwa discovers she can enter other people’s dreams. She isn’t sure whether the drug caused this ability, but when her friend goes missing, it becomes her only hope. Convinced she saw the abductor’s face in a dream, she reports it to the police, only to be dismissed by an exhausted detective hunting a serial killer. Determined, she secretly takes a pill at the station and enters the detective’s dream, leaving him a clue that pushes him to reconsider her claims.
As Hong Hwa continues dream-walking, she encounters the serial killer Jae In inside a dream. Shockingly, he is also a dream-walker. He taunts her, urges her to embrace her anger, and tries to manipulate her into killing within the dream world. Hong Hwa refuses, and races against time to save her friend before Jae In strikes again.
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Sarankita Dramas. “Top 10 BEST Supernatural Korean Dramas With Action-Packed.” YouTube, 5 Aug. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6htNE8W6h8.
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