This drama takes the concept literally. Jang Sun-gyeol runs a cleaning company and is a wealthy germaphobe. Gil O-sol is a cheerful woman who works a variety of part-time jobs and isn't exactly the tidiest person.
Recent dramas have tried to subvert the trope, making the "poor woman" less of a damsel and the "rich man" more toxic—or vice versa.
This drama adds a supernatural twist to the wealth gap trope. Ha Ji-won plays Gil Ra-im, a poor stuntwoman who lives hand-to-mouth, while Hyun Bin plays Kim Joo-won, a pompous department store CEO. Their worlds collide in a bizarre body-swapping accident. rich man poor woman k drama list
: A hardworking woman pretends to be a man to secure a job at a cafe owned by a wealthy, carefree heir.
This is perhaps the most refined version of the trope. Lee Young-joon is a narcissist vice-chairman who realizes he cannot function without his capable secretary, Kim Mi-so. While Mi-so isn't destitute, the class and power dynamic is stark. This drama takes the concept literally
Recent hits have updated the formula with more humor and evolving character dynamics:
Here’s a curated guide to the K-drama — including the original Korean version, the Japanese original it’s based on, and other K-dramas with the same rich CEO + poor but brilliant woman dynamic. Recent dramas have tried to subvert the trope,
: Follows a narcissistic vice-chairman who realizes he cannot function without his highly competent secretary after she resigns.
Also known as: Rich Man, Poor Woman (Korean remake)