The Best of Rags-to-Riches

Vote for your favorite Rags-to-Riches titles! Rags-to-riches is a genre where a poor lead character becomes wealthy.

Skye-N-Rain Dec 11, 2019
41 Titles Loves
0% Watched
93 Voters Report
  • Goong

    1. Goong

    Korean Drama - 2006, 24 episodes
    7.8
    3,227 points by 33 voters
    Feisty, bubbly, and no-nonsense, Chae Gyeong is an ordinary high school student. Until one day when she receives some unexpected news. Because of her grandfather's will, she must marry the unendurable Crown ...more
  • Empress Ki

    2. Empress Ki

    Korean Drama - 2013, 51 episodes
    8.6
    2,053 points by 21 voters
    Genghis Khan built an empire that spanned vast regions in East Asia and East Europe. And there was one woman who held immense power in the Yuan Dynasty, which Genghis Khan founded, ...more
  • The Innocent Man

    3. The Innocent Man

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes
    8.0
    1,757 points by 18 voters
    The drama is a melodrama which depicts the story of a man, Kang Ma Roo who has been betrayed by the love of his life, Han Jae Hee. Years after the incident, ...more
  • That Winter, the Wind Blows

    4. That Winter, the Wind Blows

    Korean Drama - 2013, 16 episodes
    7.9
    1,558 points by 16 voters
    Abandoned by his mother as a child and raised by the Park family, Oh Soo is a notorious gambler in the neighborhood of Cheongdam. After the death of his first love, he ...more
  • My Princess

    5. My Princess

    Korean Drama - 2011, 16 episodes
    7.5
    1,551 points by 16 voters
    An ordinary college student, Lee Seol, finds out she's a princess. The grandson of Daehan Group, Park Hae Young, is put in charge of educating Seol on proper etiquette. However, Hae Young ...more
  • Mr. Sunshine

    6. Mr. Sunshine

    Korean Drama - 2018, 24 episodes
    8.9
    1,383 points by 14 voters
    Mr. Sunshine centers on a young boy born into a house servant's family who travels to the United States during the 1871 Shinmiyangyo (U.S. expedition to Korea). He returns to his homeland ...more
  • Cunning Single Lady

    7. Cunning Single Lady

    Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes
    7.8
    1,334 points by 14 voters
    Na Ae Ra is the prettiest girl in her town. Many guys around her try to win her heart but she dreams of marrying a civil servant. One day, she meets dorky ...more
  • Shining Inheritance

    8. Shining Inheritance

    Korean Drama - 2009, 28 episodes
    7.9
    1,281 points by 13 voters
    Go Eun Sung's life is similar to Cinderella's. After her father died, her step-mother, Baek Sung Hee, took away all of her assets and her younger brother, Eun Woo, suddenly disappears without ...more
  • Doctor Stranger

    9. Doctor Stranger

    Korean Drama - 2014, 20 episodes
    7.9
    1,244 points by 13 voters
    As a child, Park Hoon and his father were kidnapped by North Korea. In North Korea, he was trained to become a doctor by his father who was already a doctor. Park ...more
  • Mask

    10. Mask

    Korean Drama - 2015, 20 episodes
    8.1
    1,172 points by 12 voters
    Byun Ji Sook has always had a hard life with her father constantly going into debt and being chased by loan sharks. She desperately wants to know what life is like if ...more
  • SKY Castle

    11. SKY Castle

    Korean Drama - 2018, 20 episodes
    8.8
    1,075 points by 11 voters
    Han Seo Jin, Noh Seung Hye, Jin Jin Hee, and Lee Myung Joo all live with their families in SKY Castle, a luxury private neighborhood hosting wealthy doctors and professors. All of ...more
  • Jewel in the Palace

    12. Jewel in the Palace

    Korean Drama - 2003, 54 episodes
    8.7
    1,071 points by 11 voters
    About 500 years ago during the time of Chosun Dynasty, Korea boasted a rigidly hierarchical and male dominated social structure. Based on a true story about a legendary girl, Jang Geum, who ...more
  • Bride of the Century

    13. Bride of the Century

    Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes
    7.9
    963 points by 10 voters
    Taeyang Group is the largest conglomerate in South Korea but the Choi family, who runs Taeyang, has supposedly been under a hundred-year-curse - the first bride of the eldest son will always ...more
  • Bread, Love and Dreams

    14. Bread, Love and Dreams

    Korean Drama - 2010, 30 episodes
    8.1
    790 points by 8 voters
    Kim Tak Goo is the eldest son of Goo In Jong, the president of Geosung Enterprise, a legend in the baking industry. Although he is an extremely talented baker and seemed destined ...more
  • The Crowned Clown

    15. The Crowned Clown

    Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
    8.4
    697 points by 7 voters
    Joseon is in a state of disorder due to uprisings and a power struggle surrounding King Lee Hun. To avoid assassination, a clown named Ha Sun is brought to the palace to ...more
  • Cruel City

    16. Cruel City

    Korean Drama - 2013, 20 episodes
    8.5
    682 points by 7 voters
    It portrays the cruel life of the drug cartels and the story of revenge for a loved one. Jung Shi Hyun is a newly appointed under-boss of the drug cartel. He lives ...more
  • Jang Ok Jung

    17. Jang Ok Jung

    Korean Drama - 2013, 24 episodes
    7.8
    577 points by 6 voters
    This drama tells the story of Jang Hee Bin, one of the most famous royal concubines in the Joseon Dynasty who was behind the deposition of King Sook Jong’s wife, Queen In ...more
  • Doctors

    18. Doctors

    Korean Drama - 2016, 20 episodes
    7.9
    485 points by 5 voters
    Yoo Hye Jung was a tough bully in school with a prickly personality and always goes wayward. She had many scars from her childhood and through self-preservation, Hye Jung keeps her heart ...more
  • Cheongdamdong Alice

    19. Cheongdamdong Alice

    Korean Drama - 2012, 16 episodes
    7.2
    470 points by 5 voters
    Han Se Kyung is a young woman with a very positive character. Her motto is "effort will take me as far as I want to go". She wins many designing contests and ...more
  • Dong Yi

    20. Dong Yi

    Korean Drama - 2010, 60 episodes
    8.5
    460 points by 5 voters
    "Dong Yi" is a historical drama based on the life of Dong Yi later known as Choi Suk Bin. She worked in the royal palace as a lowly water maid. King Sok ...more
  • Something About 1 Percent

    21. Something About 1 Percent

    Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
    8.2
    394 points by 4 voters
    Growing up in a wealthy family, Lee Jae In had the best of everything. As an adult he was smart, good looking, had a well-paying job, in short, it seemed like he ...more
  • Her Legend

    22. Her Legend

    Korean Drama - 2013, 20 episodes
    7.0
    386 points by 4 voters
    Jung Soo lost her mother at a young age and lived with her maternal uncle, who treated her poorly. She had a chance to be adopted by a wealthy lady who pitied ...more
  • History of the Salaryman

    23. History of the Salaryman

    Korean Drama - 2012, 22 episodes
    8.2
    378 points by 4 voters
    Part melodrama, part comedy, this series takes its cues from the epic legend "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms." One night, Yoo Bang enters a dark, mysterious villa with nothing but a ...more
  • Cinderella's Sister

    24. Cinderella's Sister

    Korean Drama - 2010, 20 episodes
    7.1
    362 points by 4 voters
    A modern day adaptation of Cinderella with a twist as our Cinderella, Goo Hyo Sun, is loved by everyone whereas her stepsister, Eun Jo, has a dark past and struggles with the ...more
  • Rich Man

    25. Rich Man

    Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
    7.3
    287 points by 3 voters
    A man suffering from prosopagnosia meets a woman who is unforgettable. Lee Yoo Chan is the founder and CEO of the IT company "Next In", which has become the most desirable places ...more
  • Stairway to Heaven

    26. Stairway to Heaven

    Korean Drama - 2003, 20 episodes
    7.9
    283 points by 3 voters
    The relationship of childhood sweethearts Cha Song Joo and Hang Jung Suh becomes complicated when Jung Suh's father remarries. Along with a new stepmother, Jung Suh also has a new introverted stepbrother, ...more
  • My Golden Life

    27. My Golden Life

    Korean Drama - 2017, 52 episodes
    7.9
    278 points by 3 voters
    25 years ago, the Haesung Group lost their granddaughter Choi Eun Seok. The girl was found and raised by Seo Tae Soo as one of his twin daughters, Seo Ji Ahn and ...more
  • Shark

    28. Shark

    Korean Drama - 2013, 20 episodes
    7.7
    272 points by 3 voters
    After being left for dead and witnessing the death of his father, Han Yi Soo / Yoshimura Junichiro returns to Korea from Japan after changing his looks and identity to take revenge ...more
  • Queen of Ambition

    29. Queen of Ambition

    Korean Drama - 2013, 24 episodes
    7.6
    265 points by 3 voters
    When you grow up in extreme poverty, the experience can instill a steely resolve to succeed at all costs. Joo Da Hae is determined to leave her life of poverty behind and ...more
  • My Girl

    30. My Girl

    Korean Drama - 2005, 16 episodes
    7.8
    194 points by 2 voters
    When Gong Chan meets the lively and beautiful Yoo Rin, he finds out that she has connections to his missing cousin, whom his grandfather has been searching for. He asks Yoo Rin ...more
  • May Queen

    31. May Queen

    Korean Drama - 2012, 38 episodes
    7.5
    190 points by 2 voters
    The heroine Hae Joo begins life in utter poverty. But despite being burdened with the secret past of her parents, she navigates treacherous waters and overcomes obstacles to achieve her dreams. Her ...more
  • Fashion King

    32. Fashion King

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes
    5.8
    181 points by 2 voters
    Great fashion has to start somewhere. And for aspiring designer Kang Young Gul, that somewhere is in a humble stall at the Dongdaemun Market, a crowded fashion district in Seoul known for ...more
  • Becoming a Billionaire

    33. Becoming a Billionaire

    Korean Drama - 2010, 20 episodes
    6.9
    178 points by 2 voters
    The drama follows the story of a man, Choi Suk Bong, who believes that he is actually the son of a rich father and heir to a chaebol group. He meets Lee ...more
  • Lovers in Paris

    34. Lovers in Paris

    Korean Drama - 2004, 20 episodes
    7.4
    176 points by 2 voters
    Tae Young lives in Paris and is working on a screenplay, she meets Gi Ju while working at a friend's stall and Soo Hyuk, when her bicycle breaks down. Soo Hyuk and ...more
  • Five Fingers

    35. Five Fingers

    Korean Drama - 2012, 30 episodes
    7.4
    175 points by 2 voters
    In Ha is the son of a talented pianist and dreams of taking over his family's business. But when one day, his father brings home an illegitimate son, Ji Ho, and declares ...more
  • Time

    36. Time

    Korean Drama - 2018, 32 episodes
    7.7
    100 points by 1 voters
    This is the story of two polar opposite people that come together in tragedy. One remains stuck in time, whilst the other only has a limited amount of time left to live. ...more
  • Big Man

    37. Big Man

    Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes
    7.2
    99 points by 1 voters
    Kim Ji Hyuk is a poor orphan who has no money or connections in the world, that is until he suddenly discovers that he is the chaebol of a rich family, the ...more
  • 1% of Anything

    38. 1% of Anything

    Korean Drama - 2003, 26 episodes
    6.9
    98 points by 1 voters
    Kim Jung Hwa is a young and sincere middle school teacher, who has little interest in money. She is also extremely warm-hearted and loves to help other people. When she helps carry ...more
  • Golden Empire

    39. Golden Empire

    Korean Drama - 2013, 24 episodes
    7.4
    97 points by 1 voters
    A power struggle between three people in one chaebol empire for 20 years from the turbulent era of Korean finance in the early 1990s to 2010s. Jang Tae Joo is a young ...more
  • Cinderella Man

    40. Cinderella Man

    Korean Drama - 2009, 16 episodes
    6.7
    95 points by 1 voters
    When brash, street-smart orphan Oh Dae San, who makes his living copying designer fashions, and the apathetic grandson of the fashion empire Lee Joon Hee meet by chance one day, the two ...more
  • My Woman

    41. My Woman

    Korean Drama - 2008, 24 episodes
    6.7
    94 points by 1 voters
    Se Ra and Hyun Min were lovers who have known each other since childhood. Tae Hee, a divorcee, worked for her father who was the head of a ship building conglomerate. She ...more

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