In love with The First Night with the Duke? From Destined With You to Mr. Queen, K-dramas with magical world-switches

Time of India

16-07-2025

K-dramas have a special way of pulling characters - and viewers - into extraordinary adventures that defy the limits of reality. Whether it's time travel, reincarnation, or slipping through magical portals, these stories thrive on twists of fate. When ordinary lives are thrown into unfamiliar worlds, romance, danger, and destiny unfold in unexpected ways.
One standout example is the ongoing series The First Night with the Duke, where Girls' Generation's Seohyun plays a college student who suddenly wakes up inside her favorite novel as Lady Cha Sun Chaek - a background character engaged to the dashing Prince Yi Beon (2PM's Taecyeon). With modern knowledge and a sharp wit, she tries to avoid him - but the prince has other plans. As feelings grow, she just might change the entire plot.
If you're loving the genre-blending magic of The First Night with the Duke, here are more K-dramas where characters break free from the ordinary and enter fantastical new worlds.
Destined With You
Where to watch: Netflix
Lee Hong Jo (Jo Bo Ah), a hardworking but often overlooked civil servant, quietly endures a life filled with complaints and solitude. Her routine takes a turn when she discovers an ancient wooden chest - along with the key to breaking a powerful curse.
Jang Sin Yu (Ro Woon), a brilliant and charming lawyer, has long battled a strange illness linked to a generations-old family curse. As his symptoms grow more severe, his search for a cure leads him straight to Hong Jo. What begins as a desperate attempt to survive soon sparks an unexpected bond between them.
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
Where to watch: Viki, SBS VOD, Wavve
During a rare solar eclipse, modern-day woman Go Ha Jin (IU) is unexpectedly thrust back in time to the early Goryeo Dynasty, awakening in the body of Hae Soo, a 16-year-old noblewoman. Now living in the home of the gentle 8th Prince Wang Wook (Kang Ha Neul), who is married to her cousin, Hae Soo is forced to adapt to court life and unfamiliar customs.
As she navigates palace politics, she grows close to several princes, including the feared and misunderstood 4th Prince Wang So (Lee Joon Gi). Despite her desire to stay uninvolved, Hae Soo is swept into the dangerous power struggles over the royal throne. Love, loyalty, and betrayal blur as history unfolds - and Hae Soo becomes entangled in a destiny far greater than she imagined.
Mr. Queen
Where to watch: Netflix, Viki, Hulu
After a freak accident, Jang Bong Hwan, a cocky chef from modern-day Seoul, wakes up in the most unexpected place—inside the body of Queen Kim So Yong (Shin Hye Sun) in the Joseon era. Trapped in a royal court full of deception, he must navigate palace life while inhabiting the body of a queen married to King Cheol Jong (Kim Jung Hyun), a ruler in name only. Behind the throne, real power rests with Queen Sun Won (Bae Jong Ok) and her scheming brother, Kim Jwa Geun (Kim Tae Woo).
But things aren't as simple as they seem. As Queen So Yong, Jang Bong Hwan begins to see past Cheol Jong's mild façade - and discovers that the king has secrets of his own. What starts as a chaotic body swap turns into a dangerous game of politics, mystery, and unexpected romance.
W
Where to watch: Netflix, Apple TV, Viki, WeTV, iflix
When renowned webtoon artist O Seong Mu (Kim Eui Sung) vanishes while finishing the final chapter of his hit series W, his daughter, O Yeon Ju (Han Hyo Joo), a skilled cardiothoracic surgeon, sets out to find him. But reality takes a surreal turn when a hand reaches out from his computer monitor and pulls her into another world.
Yeon Ju wakes up on a rooftop beside a gravely injured man - and instinctively saves his life. That man is Kang Cheol (Lee Jong Suk), the protagonist of her father's webtoon. Trapped between fiction and reality, Yeon Ju soon learns that her ability to enter and exit the webtoon hinges entirely on Kang Cheol's emotions. As she becomes entangled in his world, the lines between creator, character, and reader begin to blur - and the story may no longer be hers to control.
The Heavenly Idol
Where to watch: Viki
Pontifex Rembrary, a high priest with divine powers, is in the midst of a battle with a devil when he's suddenly transported to modern-day Korea. He wakes up in the body of Woo Yeon Woo (Kim Min Gue), a struggling idol from the boy group Wild Animal. After a chaotic live broadcast where he declares himself a high priest, his odd behavior goes viral. With unexpected charm and stage presence, he helps the group's popularity soar.
But fame brings new dangers. As Rembrary adjusts to idol life, echoes of his past return - mysterious cults, supernatural threats, and the devil he thought he left behind. Caught between two worlds, he must protect his new life while confronting the darkness that followed him.
A Time Called You
Where to watch: Netflix
Han Jun Hee (Jeon Yeo Been) is still grieving the loss of her boyfriend, Koo Yeon Jun (Ahn Hyo Seop), who died a year ago. Struggling to move on, her life takes a surreal turn when she's suddenly transported back to 1998 - into the body of a high school student named Kwon Min Joo.
In this unfamiliar time, she meets Nam Si Heon, a charming and popular student who looks exactly like her late boyfriend. As she tries to make sense of the time slip and her emotions, Si Heon's best friend, Jung In Kyu (Kang Hoon), begins to fall for Min Joo, unaware of who she truly is. Caught between past and present, Jun Hee must navigate friendship, first love, and the mysteries of fate.
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