Who could possibly resist Nam Joo-hyuk? Back in the day, several of his K-dramas were absolute hits, earning him a massive fanbase — especially among Chinese fans. Whenever he stars in a new drama, everyone tunes in without hesitation.
Today, let’s talk about one of his older works. Though it’s not his latest drama, it remains one of my personal favorites among all his performances: The Bride of Habaek.
Besides Nam Joo-hyuk, Krystal Jung also stars in the series. The screenwriter clearly knew how to grab the audience’s attention — the show is adapted from the Korean romance manhwa Bride of the Water God and tells the story of Habaek, the water god who accidentally falls to Earth and ends up in a strange, romantic entanglement with So-ah, a psychiatrist. Just when So-ah thought she was living a peaceful life, everything changes — and the story unfolds from there.
However, some viewers said the drama itself wasn’t that great — it relied heavily on the cast’s visuals to carry the plot. Many have even admitted, “If my boyfriend (Nam Joo-hyuk) weren’t the lead, I probably wouldn’t have watched it.” The special effects were also criticized as being quite low-budget, which made the storyline feel rough around the edges. What do you think?
Sure, the effects do sometimes feel like they were made with five bucks, but honestly, I willingly bow down again for the cast’s good looks.
That said, the kissing scenes in the drama are definitely worth watching. Nam Joo-hyuk’s kiss scenes? Absolutely top-tier! The sweet romance comes in fast, and the intimate scenes make viewers’ hearts race and cheeks blush! There’s already a steamy kiss in Episode 1, clearly breaking the usual “Episode 8 kiss” rule most K-dramas follow.