5 Reasons Why I Always Fall For The Second Lead Of Every Korean Drama

I suffer from a major second lead syndrome. In case you are new to K-dramas, then let me tell you what second lead syndrome means. The second lead syndrome refers to that feeling when you seriously hope for the drama heroine to select the sweet and kind second lead of a drama instead of ending up with the rude and arrogant main lead. Most K-dramas have love triangles and I somehow ALWAYS want the heroine to pick the second lead instead of the main hero. It could be because the ‘bad guy’ glory does not always impress me. Also, I find it difficult to wrap my head around the concept of drama heroine always picking the worse guy of the two options she has. Why would anyone do that? What’s wrong with the good guy? But that is how it is in the world of drama. Here are 5 reasons why I always want a drama heroine to select the second lead.

1. He is RICH!

In my last blog post, I had mentioned that K-drama heroes are always stinking rich. And let me tell you that K-drama second leads are no less. The second lead is also always rich. The heroine may be poor and hapless but the guys vying for her attention will always be chaebols (son of a rich businessman) willing to sacrifice anything for the girl. The second lead may at times be even richer than the main lead but there is no way that he will be poor than the main hero.

Jung Won from Jealousy Incarnate is a super-rich businessman who readily sponsors Pyo Na Ri’s outfits for her TV appearances when nobody else is willing to help her. He splurges on her like crazy but no amount of money helps him win her over.  

2. He loves the heroine unconditionally.

The heroine may be pining over her ex or may still be trying to win over the main hero, but this never deters the second lead from loving her. A second lead loves the girl unconditionally. It is ok for him if she does not love him back. He only wants to see her happy.

Ji Hoo from Boys Before Flowers is the perfect example for this. Jan Di is said to be his soulmate. But since she loves Jun Pyo, Ji Hoo steps down and gets happily friend-zoned by her.   

3. He is caring.

The second lead is always caring towards the girl he likes even though she may not even be aware of it. He will help her in every way possible and never even mention it to gain her approval.

Shin Woo from You’re Beautiful knows of Go Mi Nam’s secret but he never makes it known to her. Instead, he silently protects her whenever her truth is about to be discovered by people.  

4. He is good-looking.

If the main lead is an eye candy, the second lead will be a jaw-droppingly gorgeous face.

Look at Dong Wook’s smile from Love Rain. Isn’t he cute?

5. He is the shoulder the heroine can always cry on.

I think this is the main purpose of a second lead. Supporting the heroine when the main lead has broken her heart is a second lead’s full-time job in a drama.

In Full House, whenever Ji Eun has a fight with Young Jae, the first person she thinks of is Min Hyuk who she knows is in love with her. Poor, Min Hyuk has to be the spare option for the one he loves.

 

Am I wrong in rooting for second leads all the time? They have everything that a girl looks for in a guy. With such good guys for competition, I think main leads should just buck up and change their game before the trend changes and heroines start choosing the second lead for themselves.

 

 

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