11 Dramas about Quiet Students Who Actually Keep Secrets, Exciting and Thrilling

Kapanlagi.com - The world of Korean dramas always manages to captivate viewers with complex characters and deep storylines. One of the attractions in the premise of these dramas is the figure of a quiet student who turns out to hold a big secret.

The secrets range from dual identities, fighting abilities, to a dark past. Here is a list of dramas featuring quiet students who actually keep secrets, ready to be an exciting watch during your free time.

1. Absolute Value of Romance (2026)

Absolute Value of Romance/Photo: mydramalist.com

Absolute Value of Romance tells the story of Yeo Eui-ju (Kim Hyang-gi), a high school student who appears ordinary and tries not to stand out at school. However, behind her quiet demeanor, she secretly lives a double life as a web novel writer under the pen name Imuk, even though her works are rarely read. Everything changes when four charming new teachers arrive at her school and unknowingly become the inspiration for her story, leading to her novel's success and one of the teachers discovering her secret identity.

• Air Date: April 17, 2026, on Coupang Play
• Cast: Kim Hyang-gi, Cha Hak-yeon, Kim Jae-hyun, Son Jeong-hyeok (Demian), Kim Dong-gyu

2. Weak Hero Class 2 (2025)

Weak Hero Class 2/Photo: mydramalist.com

Continuing the story of Weak Hero Class 1, Weak Hero Class 2 follows Yeon Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon), a quiet and high-achieving student who transfers to Eunjang High School after the trauma of losing his best friend due to school violence. In his new school, he once again hides his deadly fighting skills while trying to protect his new friends from greater threats, even as dark rumors about his past begin to circulate among the students.

• Release Date: April 25, 2025, on Netflix
• Cast: Park Ji-hoon, Ryeoun, Choi Min-yeong, Hong Kyung, Yoo Su-bin, Lee Min-jae, Lee Jun-young

3. Undercover High School (2025)

Undercover Highschool/Photo: mydramalist.com

In the drama Undercover High School, the main character Jung Hae-seong (played by Seo Kang-joon) becomes a transfer student who must keep a low profile to hide the big secret that he is an agent of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) undercover. His secret mission at Byeongmun High School is to track down the missing gold bars belonging to Emperor Gojong.

However, behind this mission, he also harbors secrets and agendas related to his painful past at the school. Not to mention he encounters several friends at school who seem quiet but actually hold many secrets, one of them being Lee Dong Min (played by Jun Hang Shin), a quiet and bullied student who turns out to know the mystical stories of the school.

• Release Date: February 21, 2025, on MBC and Viu
• Cast: Seo Kang-joon, Jin Ki-joo, Kim Shin-rok, Kim Min-ju

4. Study Group (2025)

Study Group/Photo: mydramalist.com

Study Group tells the story of Yoon Ga-min (Hwang Min-hyun), a student who appears to be a model pupil with glasses and a neat appearance, but in reality, his grades are always at the bottom. Behind his quiet and nerdy demeanor, Ga-min harbors extraordinary fighting skills that he uses to protect his friends in a vocational school filled with troubled students, while also uncovering dark secrets related to the death of a teacher in the past.

• Release Date: January 23, 2025, on TVING, Prime Video, and Viki
• Cast: Hwang Min-hyun, Han Ji-eun, Cha Woo-min, Lee Jong-hyun, Shin Su-hyun

5. Hierarchy (2024)

Hierarchy/Photo: mydramalist.com

The main character named Kang Ha (Lee Chae-min) enters Jooshin High School as an ordinary-looking scholarship student who is quiet and unyielding. His presence shakes the power structure of the elite students at the school. Behind his calm demeanor, Kang Ha actually holds a big secret related to the death of his brother, which is gradually revealed as he gets closer to Jeong Jae-yi, the queen of the school.

• Release Date: June 7, 2024, on Netflix
• Cast: Lee Chae-min, Roh Jeong-eui, Kim Jae-won, Ji Hye-won, Lee Won-jung

6. Night Has Come (2023)

Night Has Come/Photo: mydramalist.com

Night Has Come presents a different concept from the typical school dramas. A group of second-year high school students from Yooil participates in a retreat before suddenly being forced to engage in a mafia game that ends with life-threatening consequences. In the midst of this tense situation, it is revealed that many students who appear ordinary and quiet actually harbor secrets and long-standing grudges that trigger the deadly game.

• Release Date: December 4, 2023, on U+ Mobile TV and Netflix
• Cast: Lee Jae-in, Kim Woo-seok, Choi Ye-bin, Cha Woo-min, Ahn Ji-ho, Jung So-ri

7. The Glory (2022–2023)

The Glory/Photo: mydramalist.com

The Glory tells the story of Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo), a quiet student who becomes a victim of cruel bullying during high school, leading her to drop out. Years later, Dong-eun, who once appeared weak and helpless, secretly devises a well-planned revenge against her bullies by becoming the homeroom teacher of one of her tormentors' children.

• Release Date: December 30, 2022 (Part 1) and March 10, 2023 (Part 2), on Netflix
• Cast: Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Sung-hoon

8. Weak Hero Class 1 (2022)

Weak Hero Class 1/Photo: mydramalist.com

Weak Hero Class 1 tells the story of Yeon Si-eun (played by Park Ji-hoon), an exemplary student who is very calm, a loner, and appears physically weak. However, he harbors a secret in the form of brutal, ruthless, and highly tactical fighting skills, utilizing psychological analysis, the laws of physics, and objects around him as he begins to grow tired of being a target of bullying.

• Released: November 18, 2022, on Wavve
• Cast: Park Ji-hoon, Choi Hyun-wook, Hong Kyung, Park Ji-hoon

9. Revenge of Others (2022)

Revenge of Others/Photo: mydramalist.com

Revenge of Others follows Ok Chan-mi (Shin Ye-eun) who transfers to Yongtan High School where her twin brother studied to uncover the truth behind her brother's death, which was deemed a suicide. At the school, she meets Ji Soo-heon (Lomon), a quiet student who secretly helps bullying victims by taking revenge on their perpetrators for a fee.

• Released: November 9, 2022, on Disney+
• Cast: Shin Ye-eun, Park Solomon, Seo Ji-hoon, Chae Sang-woo, Lee Soo-min

10. All of Us Are Dead (2022)

All of Us Are Dead/Photo: mydramalist.com

All of Us Are Dead presents a group of high school students from Hyosan who are trapped in their own school when a zombie outbreak suddenly spreads. Amid the panic, several students who have seemed ordinary and quiet actually hold secrets about who the true source of the virus is, along with their personal secrets that gradually come to light in order to survive.

• Released: January 28, 2022, on Netflix
• Cast: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon, Yoo In-soo, Lee You-mi

11. Extracurricular (2020)

Extracurricular/Foto: mydramalist.com

Extracurricular tells the story of Oh Ji-soo (Kim Dong-hee), a model student who is very calm, boring, and doesn't have many friends at school. However, outside of school, he is actually the mastermind behind a large-scale illegal prostitution business to earn money for college. His double life begins to be threatened when a classmate, Bae Gyu-ri, discovers the big secret he has been hiding.

• Released: April 29, 2020, on Netflix
• Cast: Kim Dong-hee, Park Ju-hyun, Jung Da-bin, Nam Yoon-su

12. Questions and Answers About the Quiet Student Who Turns Out to Have a Secret

What is the latest drama in the list of quiet students who keep secrets?

The latest drama is Absolute Value of Romance, which airs on April 17, 2026, on Coupang Play, featuring Kim Hyang-gi as a quiet student who secretly becomes a novel writer.

Which drama tells the story of a student with hidden fighting abilities?

There are two titles with this theme, Weak Hero Class 1 and Weak Hero Class 2 starring Park Ji-hoon, and Study Group starring Hwang Min-hyun.

Which drama raises the theme of revenge for victims of bullying in school?

The Glory and Revenge of Others both tackle this theme, where the main character secretly plans revenge against the bullies.

Is there a drama in this list that features a secret agent disguised as a student?

Yes, there is, Undercover High School, starring Seo Kang-joon as an NIS agent who disguises himself as a high school student to carry out his secret mission.

Which drama features a model student who turns out to be running an illegal business?

Extracurricular features Kim Dong-hee as a quiet and model student who turns out to be the mastermind behind an illegal prostitution business to fund his education.

(kpl/nti)