5 K-dramas to watch if you liked Nine Puzzles

The crime and thriller Korean Drama Nine Puzzles premiered on May 21, 2025. It featured a star-studded cast, including Kim Da-mi, Son Suk-ku, Kim Sung-kyun, Hyun Bong-sik, and Kwak Ja-hyung. The series was helmed by director Yoon Jong-bin and penned by screenwriter Lee Eun-mi.

Nine Puzzles revolves around the mysterious death of I Na's beloved uncle, who is like her father, mother, and best friend. The murder of her uncle remains unsolved for a decade. After ten years, I Na become an excellent criminal profiler who solves difficult cases with ease.

Featuring Kim Da-mi and Son Sok-ku (Image via @DisneyPlusKr/X)

Subsequently, she has to work with Han Saem-back on a new case. It is to be noted that Saem-back was the lead investigator in her uncle's murder case.

If the viewers enjoyed the storyline, suspense, cast line-up, and other cinematic factors of Nine Puzzles, they should binge-watch five other shows similar to it.

Beyond Evil, Hello Monster, Doubt, and other Korean dramas to watch if you liked Nine Puzzles

1) Beyond Evil

Beyond Evil cast (Image via @Netflix website)

Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, Rakuten Viki, Prime Video, and Tubi

Cast: Shin Ha-kyun, Yeo Jin-goo, Choi Dae-hoon, Kim Shin-rok, Choi Sung-eun

The psychological and mystery Korean drama Beyond Evil depicts the story of two fearless detectives, Lee Dong-sik and Han Joo-won. They embark on an adventurous journey to catch a serial killer who has gripped the quiet city with fear. They start searching for the culprit after observing that a similar pattern of killing victims was followed in unsolved serial murder cases twenty years back.

Similar to Nine Puzzles, Beyond Evil creates a suspenseful atmosphere where one of the main protagonists is suspected to be the killer. There is also a team-up of the detective and the culprit.

2) Hello Monster

Hello Monster cast (Image via Rakuten Viki website)

Where to watch: Apple TV, Rakuten Viki, and iQIYI

Cast: Seo In-guk, Jang Na-ra, Park Bo-gum, Choi Won-young

The mystery and psychological drama revolves around a genius profiler Lee-hyun, who returns to South Korea after a year. While working on a case, he remembers a memory he had forgotten long back. Subsequently, he is being investigated by Detective Cha Ji-an. She knows that his father and brother were murdered and disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Hello Monster incorporates themes, such as mystery, murder, crime, a genius criminal profiler, and suspense, which were visible in Nine Puzzles.

3) Doubt

Where to watch: Apple TV, Netflix, Rakuten Viki, and Kocowa

Cast: Han Seok-kyu, Chae Won-bin, Han Ye-ri, Noh Jae-won, and Yoon Kyung-ho

The action and thriller Korean drama Doubt revolves around a legendary criminal profiler, Jang Tae-su, who built the foundation for criminal behaviour analysts in South Korea. Throughout his career, he has accumulated immense trust and respect from our public and police organizations. However, his professional belief gets shaken when he unravels that his daughter was involved in a criminal case.

Similar to Nine Puzzles, Doubt places suspicion of a character's murder on one of their family member, making the show an interesting watch.

4) Mercy for None

Mercy for None cast (Image via @NetflixJP/X)

Where to watch: Netflix

Cast: So Ji-sub, Huh Joon-ho, Ahn Kil-kang, Lee Bum-soo, Gong Myung, and Choo Young-woo

Mercy for None was adapted from the webtoon Plaza Wars, authored by Oh Se-hyung. The series follows the story of two brothers, Nam Gi-jun and Nam Gi-seok, who are part of rival gangs. While the former is the lead member of the Bongsan Gang, the latter joins the group Joowoon. In order to protect his brother, Nam Gi-jun left the underworld.

After eleven years, Gi-jun is informed that his brother Gi-seok was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Subsequently, to seek revenge and find the truth, he returns to the underworld.

Mercy for None places emphasis on discovering the truth behind the serial murders, as observed in Nine Puzzles.

5) Crime Puzzle

Featuring Crime Puzzle cast (Image via Rakuten Viki)

Where to watch: Rakuten Viki

Cast: Yoon Kye-sang, Go Ah-sung, Yoon Kyung-ho

Crime Puzzle revolves around an aspiring criminal profiler, Yoo-hee, whose life gets dramatically changed after her father gets murdered. To her shock, her former lover, Han Seung-min, confesses that he is the culprit. Subsequently, she decides to solve the case and the motive behind her father's death.

Similar to Nine Puzzles, Crime Puzzle revolves around a criminal profiler who wants to solve the murder case of a family member desperately.

Nine Puzzles is available to stream on Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar, and Hulu.

About the author

Kirti holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism & Mass Communication and has been a Kpop writer at SK POP since 2022. She has been following Kpop and Kdramas since the last 6 years and but has worked in the genre only in the last 3-4 years donning several several caps - social media intern, copywriter, article writer and academic writer.

Kirti likes to pen down insightful features based on Korean dramas, especially the 'Ending Explained' categories. It gives her the satisfaction of creating the most authentic content rather than simply replicating what media outlets generally do.

Her process of creating content is time-consuming, yet methodical; she prefers to use original sources of information, which in her case are Korean outlets. She watches entire episodes, writes them down, cross-checks/fact-checks the details/event timelines off the web and eventually creates her copy.

Kirti likes Lee Je-hoon, IU, and Kim Seon-ho since she feels that their dramas are inspiring and have good plotlines. When she is not writing about K-dramas, she can be found watching them.

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Edited by Niharika Dabral