“My Dearest Nemesis” (그놈은 흑염룡)

By Jae-Ha Kim
Teen Vogue
March 29, 2025

☆☆☆☆½
Baek Soo-jung (played by Moon Ga-young)
Ban Joo-yeon (played by Choi Hyun-wook)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

This show was included in my Teen Vogue round-up of the best K-dramas of 2025:

Korean scriptwriters excel at presenting the childhood friends-to-lovers trope. Based on the webtoon of the same Korean title (He’s the Black Dragon), this K-drama centers on a pair of teenage gamers who reunite as adults who, coincidentally, work for the same company. But he (Twinkling Watermelon’s Choi Hyun-wook) is the playful wealthy boss who prefers chocolate milk to alcohol, and rock ‘n roll to the corporate world he’s being forced to live in. And she (Moon Ga-young of True Beauty) is one of his hard-working employees.

Do they like each other as adults? Not at first, of course. But they share a past and, more importantly, the kind of familiar chemistry that feels like home. By the finale, it’s clear that dearest overrides nemesis, and that a promising future is ensured. (Viki)

Airdates: Twelve hour-long episodes aired on tvN from February 17 to March 25, 2025. (I watched this on Viki.)