Best Romance Webtoons for Beginners

If you've been watching K-dramas and someone mentions the webtoon it was based on, you might be curious — but also a little overwhelmed. Thousands of titles, three or four different apps, art styles that swing from soft watercolour to glossy and cinematic. Where do you even begin? I get this question constantly from friends abroad, and my answer is always the same.

Start with romance. It's the most popular genre for a reason — emotionally satisfying, visually gorgeous, and so easy to fall into that you'll look up and realise it's 2am and you've read forty episodes. I've been reading webtoons since the early Naver days, back when half the good ones weren't translated yet, and romance is still the corner I go back to when I want comfort. There's a specific feeling a good romance webtoon gives you on the morning commute — a little flutter, a cliffhanger you carry around all day — that nothing else quite replicates.

So this is my honest beginner's list. Not the most prestigious titles, not the ones critics rank highest, but the ones I'd actually hand to a friend who's never scrolled a single panel and say, "Trust me, just read the first three episodes." Every one of them is easy to start, hard to put down, and available in English. A few became K-dramas you might already know.

Why romance is the perfect place to start

Here's the thing about romance as an entry genre: it asks nothing of you. You don't need to learn a magic system or keep track of fifteen political factions. Two people, some tension, a slow walk toward each other — your brain already knows this shape, so all your attention goes to the characters and the feeling. That's why it's the gentlest on-ramp into the whole medium.

It's also where webtoon artists tend to show off. Romance lives and dies on small moments — a glance held a beat too long, a hand that almost touches and then doesn't — and the vertical-scroll format is weirdly perfect for that. A good artist will stretch a single quiet beat across an entire screen-height of empty space so you feel the pause as you scroll. You can't do that in a printed comic. The first time it happens to you, you'll understand why people are so obsessed with this format. One honest warning before you start: webtoon romance runs on the slow burn. If you need the leads kissing by episode two, you may get impatient. The payoff is the point — but the wait is real.

The best romance webtoons to start with

How to choose by mood

Twelve is a lot, I know. Here's the shortcut I'd give you over coffee, sorted by the kind of evening you're having.

• Brand new and want the safest possible start? → True Beauty. Light, funny, gorgeous, done.
• Want to actually cry? → Something About Us or See You in My 19th Life.
• Want to laugh more than swoon? → Let's Play or A Good Day to Be a Dog.
• Want characters who feel like real, messy people? → I Love Yoo.
• Want romance with a thriller edge that keeps you guessing? → Cheese in the Trap.
• Want palaces, gowns, and slow-burn tension? → My Dear Cold-Blooded King or Suitor Swap.
• Want familiar mythology and stunning art? → Lore Olympus.
• Just want something cosy and stress-free for a bad day? → Age Matters.

Where to read these webtoons

Most of the titles above live on Webtoon (also called LINE Webtoon outside Korea) — it's the biggest English platform, it's free to start, and it's where I'd send any beginner first. A handful of titles, especially the more mature or licensed ones, live on other apps instead. Tapas carries a lot of romance and is the same company as Webtoon now. Tappytoon and Lezhin specialise in licensed Korean romance, including spicier titles, usually on a buy-by-the-episode model. KakaoPage is huge in Korea and the original home of many series before they get translated elsewhere.

One honest caveat: licensing shifts constantly, and a title can move between apps or pause its English release entirely. So if a webtoon isn't where I said it is, just search the title inside one or two of those apps — it's usually findable. If you only download one app to start, make it Webtoon. For a fuller breakdown, we have a whole guide on where to read webtoons in English.

Frequently asked questions

Are webtoons free to read? Mostly, yes — especially on Webtoon and Tapas, where you can read older episodes for free and sometimes wait or pay a little to unlock the newest ones. Apps like Lezhin and Tappytoon lean more toward paid, episode-by-episode reading because they license premium titles. You can absolutely build a long reading habit without spending anything.

Do I need to read the webtoon before watching the K-drama? Not at all, and there's no wrong order. If you read first, you get the complete story and can judge how faithful the adaptation is. If you watch first, you already know the characters and the webtoon fills in everything the show didn't have time for. I've done it both ways and enjoyed it both times — you basically get to fall in love with the story twice.

How is reading a webtoon different from a normal comic? You scroll down one long continuous strip instead of flipping pages, which means the artist controls your pace — they can drop you into a slow, quiet moment or hit you with a sudden reveal as you scroll. It's designed for phones, so it's perfect for reading in bed or on the train. Most people find it feels closer to watching something than reading a book.