“Yumi’s Cells” (유미의 세포들): Season 3

By Jae-Ha Kim
Teen Vogue
May 13, 2026

☆☆☆ (out of ☆☆☆☆)
Kim Yumi (played by Kim Go-eun)
Shin Soon-rok (played by Kim Jae-won)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

Some people mistakenly describe K-dramas (even the best K-dramas) as soap operas. While daytime shows certainly exist in Korea—typically airing Monday through Friday for about 50 to 200+ episodes—the K-drama umbrella covers a multitude of genres. There’s crime (Signal), fantasy (Alchemy of Souls), medical (Hospital Playlist), slice of life (Our Blues), time travel (Lovely Runner), reincarnation (See You in My 19th Life), legal (Extraordinary Attorney Woo), historical sageuk (Moon Embracing the Sun), zombies (Kingdom), horror (Strangers From Hell) and more.

This year has already been a strong one for K-dramas, with top stars like Squid Game’s Park Hae-soo and Mr. Sunshine’s Yoo Yeon-seok starring in two of 2026’s best shows. It has also been a year where Kim Mu-yeol and Heo Nam-jun became international stars, thanks to their latest shows.

This charming trilogy ends with a happily-ever-after for our heroine Yumi (Kim Go-eun). Seasons 1 and 2 were all about her relationships with Woong (Ahn Bo-hyun) and Ba-bi (played by GOT7’s Jinyoung), who at various times seemed like the perfect men for her. Here, the K-drama centers on her prickly working relationship with younger colleague Soon-rok (Kim Jae-won), who annoys her because she can’t figure him out. Is he cute or dull? Does she like or resent him? Should she set him up with her friend, or save him for herself? Yumi’s not sure, and neither are her internal (and animated) cells, who want nothing more than for her to be happy.

This series gets it that inner peace isn’t something derived from external forces. A cute man won’t make her life better until she works through her lingering issues, which include issues with aging. Now in her late 30s, she refuses to believe there is much difference between her and her Gen Z suitor—something that doesn’t bother him, but weighs heavily on her. It’s at times like this that her conflicting internal cells emerge to push their agenda. What Yumi’s Cells concludes is that at the end of the day, neither logic nor love make much sense. But the combination of both is what provides peace. (Viki)

Airdates: Eight hour-long episodes aired from April 13 through May 5, 2026 on tvN. (I watched this on Viki.)