Over the last decade, Tapas has emerged as one of the top-grossing comic reading platforms with a vast selection of manhwa to choose from across various genres. Besides sensational action fantasy hits like The Beginning After the End, Solo Leveling, Latna Saga, and many more, Tapas also has many excellent romance reads, giving fans the best of both worlds. Whether you’re a fan of classic villainess stories, otome isekai, whimsical fantasy romances, historical romances, or enthralling contemporary romances, Tapas has a little of everything and these romance manhwa are some of the best the platform has to offer.
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Tapas features alongside multiple other hit official webtoon localization services and hubs of original content such as Tappytoon or Webtoon. The latter, in particular, has been making waves lately, with fans being able to collect original series like Death of a Pop Star with their first print publications coming out. But Tapas has a commanding presence in Western readership, responding to everything from its isekai offerings to some of the best romance manhwa around, including series adapted for Netflix.
A Business Proposal
Though some may consider it cliché, you can arguably never go wrong with the classic contractual relationship trope, and A Business Proposal is an excellent example of this. Based on the original novel by Haehwa and illustrated by Narak, A Business Proposal follows Shin Hari whose life gets turned upside down when she agrees to go on a blind date in her best friend’s place, with the sole mission being to get the man to reject her. However, things take a most unexpected turn when the man across her turns out to be none other than the CEO of her company, Kang Taemu.
Circumstances lead to a contractual relationship between the two which eventually blossoms into real love in a story so enthralling it has even spawned a sensational K-drama series by the same name starring Ahn Hye-seop and Kim Se-jeong. The best part is, A Business Proposal‘s manhwa is completed with 124 episodes, making it the perfect choice for fans’ next binge. The best part for superfans is that the series received an excellent K-drama adaptation with all the flair and energy from the original, available on Netflix.
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?
For those looking for an office romance, Tapas luckily has just the thing with What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? which has all but become a contemporary romance classic as well as a K-drama staple. Based on the original novel by Jeong Gyeong Yun and illustrated by Kim Myeonmi, the series follows Kim Miso, who serves as the highly capable secretary to Vice Chairman Lee Youngjun, a rich, successful man who has virtually everything. Unfortunately, Youngjun’s life begins to fall apart when Secretary Kim one day announces her plans to quit so she can finally get married and live life after wholly dedicating herself to her job for years on end.
Wanting to keep Miso by his side at any cost, Youngjun offers her everything, including his own hand in marriage. Sadly, a narcissist like Youngjun is far from Miso’s ideal type, setting the stage for an incredibly entertaining game of cat and mouse as Youngjun desperately tries to romance Miso, who gradually discovers Youngjun’s true personality and feelings hiding deep under the surface. Much like A Business Proposal, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? has a beloved K-drama adaptation available on Hulu and Rakuten Viki for US-based viewers.
Positively Yours
While the pregnancy trope can often feel contrived, Positively Yours manages to be one of the few good uses of the trope, with a story that is sure to instantly reel readers in. Based on the novel by Lee Jung and illustrated by Kang Ki, Positively Yours follows Jang Hee-won, who after a one-night stand with a handsome stranger, ends up pregnant.
Though the pregnancy eventually comes as the worst possible news to Hee-won, things take an unexpected turn when the father, Kang Doo-joon who is eager to do the right thing, offers to take responsibility and marry her. Despite the unconventional start to their relationship, Hee-won and Doo-jun’s story makes for one of the sweetest contemporary romances on Tapas with a total of 89 binge-worthy chapters.
Wall of Glass
A romance manhwa list would be utterly incomplete without at least one historical romance, and as far as those go, Wall of Glass is one of the most underrated titles available on Tapas. Unlike most stories in the genre, which tend to incorporate fantasy elements, Wall of Glass maintains quite an authentic historical setting, which, judging by the style of clothing and accessories in the series appears to be inspired by Victorian England.
Written and illustrated by Joho, Wall of Glass follows the exhilarating enemies-to-lovers romance between a naive, noblewoman named Lilliana Pence and her devilishly handsome piano instructor named Edward Carter, a commoner who, for some mysterious reason, has a strong disdain for nobility, including Liliana, thus dooming her to heartbreak. That said, after losing her fortune, fate unexpectedly causes Liliana’s path to cross with Edward’s once more, setting the stage for a very Jane Austen-esque romance.
The Villainess Flips the Script
Based on the novel by Ken and illustrated by Garine, The Villainess Flips the Script sees its main lead transported into a revenge novel dubbed Master of the Wind Forest not as the protagonist Luca Winterwald, but his aunt, Judith Maibaum. As a mere supporting character, Judith is one of the first characters to be killed off in the story, a fate she wishes to avoid at all costs, and for that, she must protect her nephew Luca, an illegitimate heir fated to suffer and eventually enact revenge for all that he’s lost.
Despite its cookie-cutter otome isekai premise, The Villainess Flips the Script gradually proves just what a hidden gem it is with beautifully written character arcs and an incredibly organic romance that is sure to steal fans’ hearts.
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Lord Have Mercy
Next up is arguably one of the most unique titles available on Tapas which is Lord Have Mercy by Savie Smith and Brogan Chattin. Set in the town of Everton in the 1960s, Lord Have Mercy follows the budding romance between a Catholic priest and a nun, namely Father Luke and the newly ordained Sister Esther whose paths cross when the latter finds herself struggling to deal with her young and mischievous elementary class pupils during religious studies. While not a traditional manhwa in terms of visual style, Lord Have Mercy earns its spot among Tapas’ best for its vibes and matching format.
Father Luke kindly steps in to lend Sister Esther a hand, with the two gradually coming to lean on each other whenever in need, finding love along the way. But of course, given their vocations, the two face many challenges as rumors and pressure from their social circle test both their faith and their love. Besides its refreshing premise and historical setting, Lord Have Mercy also boasts a distinct art style that immediately sets it apart from the rest of Tapas’ offerings with its short and compact story making for a perfect bite-sized read.
Villains Are Destined to Die
One of the most popular titles to be released on Tapas in recent years is Villains Are Destined to Die by SUOL and Gwon Gyeoeul which is commonly regarded as one of the best villainess stories, manhwa or otherwise. The series takes off when Cha Siyeon finds herself transported into a popular otome game as the story’s villainess, Penelope Eckhart, that too, in the hard mode of the game, which reduces her chances of survival to almost zero. The only way for Peneope to survive is to obtain a love confession from one of the male leads, for which she must raise their affection levels, all while avoiding death, which awaits merely one potential wrong decision.
With a complex, morally ambiguous protagonist, excellent writing, a beautiful cast of male characters, and a thrilling enemies-to-lovers romance, Villains Are Destined to Die makes for an incredibly compelling read from start to finish.
How to Win My Husband Over
Despite what its fluffy title may imply, How to Win My Husband Over is one of the most well-rounded romances on Tapas that isn’t afraid to explore serious themes like abuse, trauma, and eating disorders. Neatly packaged in an otome isekai format, this series by SIRU and Spice&Kitty follows Ruby, the infamous daughter of the Borgia family forced to marry Iske van Omerta, the very man fated to kill her and her family.
As such, winning over her new cold and uninterested husband, his family, and his suspicious countrymen turns out to be Ruby’s best shot at survival. However, actually achieving this feat turns out to be harder than Ruby could have ever anticipated, especially with many who dislike her constantly plotting her downfall.
Villainess in Love
Villainess in Love is without a doubt one of the sweetest romance manhwa on Tapas and an absolute must-read for any fans of the genre. Based on the novel by Lee Haron and illustrated by R.su, this series takes the tried and tested otome isekai premise with all its cliches and conventions and somehow turns it into the most charming romance.
The series essentially follows Yunifer Magnolia, a typical tragic villainess trying to change her fate but hopelessly failing to do so after a drunken one-night stand with the very male lead she’s supposed to avoid, Ishid Lucrenze. Caught up in a relationship with the ever-sweet and smitten Ishid, Magnolia vows to break off the relationship upon the protagonist’s arrival, though she fails to anticipate her own wavering heart when that time comes.
Secret Lady
Another underrated manhwa on Tapas that doesn’t get nearly the recognition it deserves is Secret Lady by BANANA and Anngato. The series revolves around Yoon Seolwoo who, after a life of misery, finds herself reincarnated into a fantastical world as Lady Rosentine Arzen, albeit with the memories of her past life and her ability to see ghosts still intact. Besides exposing her to harassment from kind and malicious spirits alike, her peculiar ability threatens the lives of her entire family in this new world where magic is strictly forbidden in the Kartazen Empire.
That said, the plot truly takes off when Rosentine goes undercover to help Prince Charteris uncover an assassination plot against him, all in an attempt to protect her precious second chance at life. With deeply fleshed-out lore, beautifully written characters, and truly stunning art throughout, Secret Lady is arguably in the running for not just the best romance manhwa on Tapas but one of the platform’s best titles as a whole.
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