Oh, romance tropes. Some are problematic and some make you see yourself – workplace romances fall into both of these but they strike the perfect balance it works. So, I figured I’d put together a list of a few workplace romance webtoons that take the romance trope in unique ways. With some boss/employee romances, some of the friends-turned-co-workers-turned-lovers, and some just wholesome content along with some steamy, I’ve looked across Tapas, Lezhin, and Tappytoon to pull together my favorites.
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Now, I should point out that I tried to keep things in the 16+ age range, there is quite a bit of option to pick that version or venture into the “Mature” webtoon world. So, without further ado, here are 10 Workplace Romance Webtoons to add to your reading list:
Back to Work!
Creator: McQueen STUDIO
Status: Updates Every Thursday
Read: Tapas
“Jiyoon Cha is just trying to live her best life in spite of feeling unfulfilled by her corporate job and disillusioned with love. But what’s a woman in her 30s to do when the pressure to marry is high, her prospects are either her aloof supervisor or her juvenile, artist ex-boyfriend, and not even her perfect work friend can hold it together? Can a girl just have her chicken and beer in peace, or is that just a pipe dream?”
Oh! My Assistant
Creator: MILA & AngryMonster
Status: Completed (45 Episodes – Free episodes every 7 days)
Read: Tapas
“Seonho is an artist who draws adult webcomics. It started as an easy way to make money, but it’s caused some unexpected side effects: he hasn’t been aroused for over two years! Exhausted, he hires an assistant. It’s just that he didn’t expect him to be so cute! Muyeong is clean, talented, and apparently loaded, so… why does he want to work under Seonho? Turns out, Muyeong is Seonho’s number one fan…”
Read Here.
Read 18+ Version Here.
Taming My Boss
Creator: Banhara & Jeon Heyjin & Sunjung
Status: New Episodes Every Tuesday
Read: Lezhin
“Eun-hyeon is the promising young CEO of RedFit, a vastly successful gaming company. But while he’s got the looks and the status, he’s also a chronic workaholic with a mean mouth, and his employees are always busy avoiding him. His secretary, Ms. Han, is the only one who seems to be capable of dealing with his insensible remarks… But even she has her limits. Having had enough of his tyranny, she storms inside his office ready to quit – completely oblivious to the words that would soon come out of her irritable boss’ mouth.”
Behind the Desks
Creator: Day7, Evy
Status: Completed (60 Episodes)
Read: TappyToon
“On his first day working as a new teacher at his alma mater, Sunny Day Boys High School, Lee Taesung is welcomed by the bright and sunny smile of Seo Sunny, a warmhearted chemistry teacher. Feeling immediately drawn to Sunny, who resembles his first love from high school, Taesung tries to hold back his feelings by keeping his distance. But still, Taesung can’t help but be pulled in by Sunny’s irresistible charm… An official comic series expanding upon characters and stories from the popular Korean BL dating-sim game, Love is Addiction.”
Read Here.
Read 18+ Version Here.
A Business Proposal
Creator: Perilla, NARAK, Haehwa, & Guava Farm
Status: Completed (105 Episodes)
Read: Tapas
“Ha-ri made a deal—go on one blind date for her BFF and pretend to be a super-vixen to end all of her unwanted marriage set-ups! Unfortunately, instead of easy money, Ha-ri’s got a headache. Her date is Taemu, her company’s hot new CEO, and he’s got his own plans to get his family to back off by marrying whoever shows up on the date. Should Ha-ri accept his proposal to keep playing pretend? Nothing could go wrong with lying about your real identity while dating the boss… right??”
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim
Creator: JEONG GYEONG YUN & KIM MYEONGMI
Status: Updates Every Saturday
Read: Tapas
“Vice Chairman Lee Youngjun has everything: the looks, the brains, the money… so when his secretary of nine years, Kim Miso, tells him she wants to quit to “live her own life,” he’s taken aback. Realizing Miso is quitting with the intention of getting married, Youngjun offers what he thinks is the best option—himself. Unfortunately for him, a narcissist like Youngjun just isn’t Miso’s type. But how far is Youngjun willing to go to keep his favorite secretary by his side?”
On or Off
Creator: A1
Status: Ongoing (Current Hiatus – 78 Episodes)
Read: TappyToon
“Yiyoung is building a startup with his college friends. They get a chance to present their proposal to SJ Corporation, one of the leading companies in the country. But in the meeting room he sees Kang Daehyung, the extremely handsome company big shot that’s so very much his type, and Yiyoung’s heart starts to race…! Can pretty-faced Yiyoung win both in love and his career?”
Read Here.
Read 18+ Version Here.
Yes, My Boss!
Creator: 22kkim
Status: Completed (66 Episodes)
Read: Tapas
Although Ilene Jung is a popular webtoon artist, she needs another job. A crappy desk job to be exact, one tyrannically controlled by the meanest manager in the world: Jim Kang. He insults her work, refuses to teach her, and even makes her miss an important appointment by forcing her work late on her very first day. To make things worse, when Jim applies to become an artist’s assistant, the artist turns out to be Ilene! In a begrudging twist of fate, she accepts him and the two enter a bizarre working relationship both at home and at the office. How long can it last? Why is Ilene working a desk job? And who’s the boss here anyways?!
Sign
Creator: Ker
Status: Completed (115 Episodes)
Read: Lezhin
“There are a few unusual things about Cafe Goyo. Number one, their coffee sucks. Number two, their customers never order off the menu. And number three, Yohan, the cafe manager, is deaf. So when Soohwa joins as a part-timer, though he is not expected to learn how to make good coffee, he is asked to expand his sign language vocabulary beyond the words, “higher,” “pay,” and “please.” But when Yohan offers to give him private lessons, Soohwa is reluctant. Not because he doesn’t want to study, but because he has a “hard” time around Yohan. Like, literally. Whenever he hears Yohan’s deep, sexy voice.”
Acquainted: An Encounter Spin-Off
Creator: Perilla & PAMBA
Status: Updates Every Friday.
Read: Tapas
“What appeared to be a one-time encounter in Spain blossoms into romance when by-the-book CEO Jung Wooseok and free-thinking architect Han Yujin meet again in Korea. The two are drawn to each other, but there’s a catch: Yujin’s the winner of a high-profile architecture competition held by Wooseok’s company. When word gets out that these two are acquainted, will their love be able to survive the public’s scrutiny… and their families’ even harsher criticism?”
It’s definitely important to remember that workplace romance webtoons are just the start. With so many more romance sub-genres out there, you can find so many more to keep you reading. Plus, a few have even been adapted into live-action K-dramas. And if you’re into the spicier love stories, well you can get some great recs from the Mature sections.
Do you have any favorite workplace romance webtoons I left off the list? Let us know on social media!
Synopses for the 10 Workplace Romance Webtoons were taken from their respective platforms.
