[Dramaland Catnip] When the hero falls first
by girlfriday
Strong Woman Do Bong-soon
There’s something about this concept of dramaland catnip that really appeals to me—the tropes or elements of a drama that lure me back in without fail, like a moth to a flame—because it puts the blame on the dramas for sucking up all of my time and making me addicted. I couldn’t help it, you see! It was the catnip that got me!
Though dramaland is rife with tasty catnip everywhere you turn, I have a particular attraction to romances where the hero falls in love first. Specifically, dramas in which the hero spends a good deal of the time pining in an unrequited love that is then requited in the end (otherwise, it becomes Second Lead Syndrome, and that is the way of paaaaaain).
It’s just one of those things I chalk up to pure preference, because I always gravitate towards love stories where the heroine is pursued and not the other way around. Perhaps it’s wish fulfillment—in my experience, real-life romance is full of flailing, awkward, mistimed confessions, and if there’s one thing I’d like to go back in time and tell my younger self, it’s to pay less attention to the hot guy and notice the doofus with a crush on you. Not that my sixteen-year-old self would ever listen. She was stubborn and thought adults were stupid.
In order to be truly catnippy for me, the hero has to spend a significant portion of the drama in a one-sided love, not just be the first to fall in love or confess his feelings. It’s all about the pining that ensues when the hero realizes he’s fallen—the delightfully angsty period of unrequited love and jealousy, because OF COURSE, she likes somebody else. It would just be too easy otherwise. And the pettier the jealousy and the longer the angsty pining, the better.
Answer Me 1997
I can trace my addiction to this particular trope all the way from 1997’s Propose—where the hero spent the bulk of the drama with a secret crush on his lifelong best friend while she almost married the wrong guy—to 2017’s Strong Woman Do Bong-soon—where we had a heroine who was blind to the hero’s affections because of a longtime crush on her friend, and a hero who fell for her instantly and waited on the sidelines for her to get over her first love. I found Park Hyung-shik’s hero to be just the right amount of patient/impatient, prodding but not pushy, and his jealousy for the starry-eyed way that Park Bo-young’s heroine looked at her crush was the cutest thing I’d seen in a long time. (And how satisfying was it when it was finally his turn to get the glory backlighting of reciprocated attraction?)
But what Strong Woman Do Bong-soon highlights best about this trope is that it puts the hero in the position of the observer, and he sees and loves the heroine for who she is, and not the version of herself she thinks she needs to project in order to be loved. In stark contrast to the willowy, helpless girl the heroine thought she needed to be in front of her crush, the hero saw her super-strength and was attracted to her because of it, and he reinforced time and again that her strength was a gift and an asset. He was the observer who saw everything going on in the love triangle and was aware of all sides, including his own painfully unrequited position in it, and when he saw the heroine’s insecurity and self-doubt, his approach to winning her over was to make her realize that she was lovable, and loved by him.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju
The love triangle in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju was very similar in its themes, just less superpowered and more down to earth (but no less swoony!), and though this hero spent more time being clueless about his feelings, I appreciated so much that he was always the heroine’s best cheerleader, even when it angered him to watch her pine after someone who didn’t see how great she was.
Sometimes it’s simply the pure devotion that hooks me. There are some quiet pining heroes who are in it for the long game, like Seo In-gook’s character in Answer Me 1997, who spent eight years nursing his epic first crush and probably would’ve taken his unrequited love to the grave if the heroine hadn’t forced him to fess up. I Hear Your Voice’s hero takes the cake for searching for his first love for ten years, risking his life to protect hers, and falling for her again even after getting amnesia. Talk about your enduring loves.
Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim
And even in instances where the intensity doesn’t run that deep, this romance setup is addictive to me for the courtship shenanigans alone. There’s the breed of hero who makes foolish, overt declarations of love, like Yoo Yeon-seok’s character did all throughout Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim, much to Seo Hyun-jin’s embarrassment and my enjoyment. That hero was hilariously brash and put his foot in his mouth with a new confession at any given opportunity, each time in front of more and more people on the hospital staff until every single doctor, nurse, and orderly had become witness to his one-sided crush. I always loved the hero of Biscuit Teacher Star Candy for that reason too—he wore his bleeding heart right there on his sleeve, for the world to see.
On the flipside, there’s the hero for whom falling first means that he shows his feelings through the quiet thankless gesture of love. This is dramaland after all—doing nice stuff for credit isn’t heroic, you have to be anonymous and stealthy about it! Twenty Again’s hero was a little over-the-top with his stealthiness, but when he wasn’t being petty (which was admittedly most of the time), he went out of his way to protect everything that was important to the heroine without any hope of her loving him in return. This type of Daddy Long Legs character is usually the classic second lead, but once in a while it’s nice to meet a hero who spends all of his energy trying to make a heroine happy. Often it’s the mundane things that make me swoon the most, like Kim Young-kwang’s character in Plus Nine Boys taking the wrong bus every night for a year just so he could spend the ride home with his crush Kyung Su-jin, not caring that he had to double back in the opposite direction every time.
Plus Nine Boys
My favorite result of the hero falling first is the jealousy that ensues when the heroine’s attentions are directed at his rival. Jealousy is like catnip concentrate to me—I love how immature and petty and honest it makes people, and how it drives a loveline to the point of awareness. In every drama I know where the hero falls first, jealousy plays a big part in getting him to realize his feelings or act on them, sometimes to comical effect or crushing angst, or more likely, a bit of both.
Jealousy Incarnate is probably the best example of this that I know. It’s worth noting that technically, the heroine falls first in this drama, and spends three years pining after the hero in the show’s backstory. But then the hero is dealt a karmic blow when he falls for her after she’s moved on and is dating his best friend, sending him into a spiral of angst and jealousy and unrequited longing. Though this hero realizes his feelings all too late, there’s an added layer of satisfaction in the reversal—he only has himself to blame, and he knows it. The one-sided love in this drama is so painfully good, mainly because Jo Jung-seok is emotionally raw and funny-sad in a way that only he can do. Love is like an affliction for him, and he’s so desperate to be rid of these unwelcome feelings that he’s constantly mad at the heroine (inexplicably, from her point of view) for being so cute that he can’t help but love her. It’s as ridiculous and adorable as it sounds.
Jealousy Incarnate
In dramas they always say that the one who loves more is the weak one—not a weaker person, but the one in the weaker position in the relationship—and I just like this dynamic where the hero is the one in a position of disadvantage because he loves more. Whether it’s Strong Woman Do Bong-soon’s hero laying his heart bare and asking the heroine to love him back, or Jealousy Incarnate’s hero begging to know which man the heroine loves just one percent more than the other, I like that this puts the choice and the power in the heroine’s hands, letting her call the shots in the relationship. Jealousy Incarnate is a hilarious example of how this power shifts from person to person whenever someone is loved more—after pining pathetically for the heroine, the hero briefly reclaims this power the minute he realizes that she loves him back, and lords it over her childishly. Knowledge is power, people.
I’m sure you’ve realized by now that the huge gaping pitfall of this trope is Second Lead Syndrome. Because no matter how much you tell yourself not to be catnipped onto the wrong ship, you will inevitably be lured by a pining schoolboy (Answer Me 1988) or two (Who Are You–School 2015), and find yourself wailing into a pile of tissues and cursing your incurable affliction for heroes with one-sided loves. This is an unavoidable side effect for which there is no recourse. That’s just the price we pay for our addictions, because if we could stop ourselves with logic, then it wouldn’t be catnip, would it?
I Hear Your Voice
RELATED POSTS
Tags: Answer Me 1997, I Hear Your Voice, Jealousy Incarnate, Plus Nine Boys, Propose, Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim, Strong Woman Do Bong-soon, Theme of the Month, Twenty Again, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju
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1 expatb
June 5, 2017 at 8:13 PM
I wonder how many people will read each of the different 'catnips' and think - yes! Totally catnip!
I know for the two that have been written about so far, I didn't think of them originally, but now that you mention it... Of course those are catnip!
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expatb
June 5, 2017 at 8:25 PM
Also - (and I'm sure I'm going to say this again) -- this is definitely my catnip.
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Adralyn
June 5, 2017 at 8:40 PM
Mine too!
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Lonewolf
June 8, 2017 at 2:25 AM
mine too ! ;D
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merisoo
June 5, 2017 at 9:01 PM
The reunited lovers that javabeans wrote about isnt't a catnip for me but this definitely is. And I definitely know I'm going to be saying yes to a lot of the other ones that are posted here this month. I have so many. Give me all the catnip.
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I Quit
June 6, 2017 at 1:06 AM
Comment was deleted
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Chanelboy loves Jang Ki Young Argh
June 6, 2017 at 4:48 AM
Im sorry im living in cave, but can someone define me what's catnip in dramaland version?? @expatb or whoever
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Coccinelle
June 6, 2017 at 5:57 AM
http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/06/dramaland-catnip-the-angst-and-thrills-of-dramalands-reunited-lovers/
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2 bambi
June 5, 2017 at 8:14 PM
Omggg this is like my ULTIMATE catnip as well!! Are there any more recommendations other than the ones mentioned in this post?
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quirkstine
June 5, 2017 at 8:17 PM
King 2 Hearts. The King's jealousy of our much beloved and mourned Soldier-bot is funny. But SB isn't really in contention for he lead girl's feelings. Are you looking for comic love triangle type situations?
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DBRooter
June 5, 2017 at 9:56 PM
Greatest love!! I just love how the "Great" Dokko jin pursue Go ae jung and she just ignores him despite she being a "nobody". The tripe can also be called enemies-to-lovers( which I guess is my number 1 catnip). The way he pines for her attention and the way she gives mighty blow to his pride.. it was really gratifying to see them work through it and become lovers... !
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Midnight
June 5, 2017 at 9:12 PM
Best Love
Protect the Boss
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Nihonbashi
June 6, 2017 at 1:11 AM
Don't forget "Operation Proposal"
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Abi19
June 21, 2017 at 3:22 PM
Ji Sung <3
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Needaname
June 5, 2017 at 9:17 PM
I Need Romance 3! Sweet Potato of course!
Feast of the Gods! Lee Sang Woo!
Her Legend! Kim Jeong-hoon!
These are older but they just came to mind.
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dee
June 6, 2017 at 4:30 AM
add will it snow for christmas too.
and hey for feast of the Gods sung yu ri should be with joo sang wook. I still can't accept. but Lee sang woo were in so much pain too.
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Needaname
June 6, 2017 at 10:08 AM
Re: Feast of Gods, I know! I remember watching the show and suddenly we saw less and less of Joo Sang Wook, I had thought he was the lead and suddenly Lee Sang Woo was the main actor...that was weird, but, I did love his character. And he had great chemistry with Sung Yu Ri! I don't think his acting was very good there, but it fit the character. And now all 3 are married! The same year! Coincidence?!! But happy for them!
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dee
June 6, 2017 at 6:08 PM
Yes! Ikr! they're all married (minus SeoHyunJin) almost in same time. coincidence? I guess no. Maybe the had some pact to marry together LOL.
I hope Seo Hyun Jin will be right after them too.
I do agree if LSW had chemistry with SYR, but still, you know. JSW character was a bright man so I cheered him more (?)
mikgoo
June 8, 2017 at 6:45 AM
Voting for I Need Romance 3 that had me smiling from start to end! In real life, I don't see myself falling for someone that young but GAHD...I don't to post any spoilers but its one of the dramas where you wish there's someone like that for you even though they are younger.
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sargevee
June 6, 2017 at 10:51 AM
Secret Garden was hilarious
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3 quirkstine
June 5, 2017 at 8:14 PM
I love this trope too, for all the reasons you listed above. It's like you read my mind, girlfriday. The petty jealousy I always found hilarious and I look forward to it every time. Every single file damn time. Whether it's the lead or second, it's catnip to me and always gets me laughing.
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Chaerin
June 9, 2017 at 10:37 PM
Na do, every time
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4 maryxiah
June 5, 2017 at 8:15 PM
But...but...but... Eun-bi should have been with Tae-kwang, dramaland law be damned, he loved her first for who she was and protected her! I will never live that down. *cries
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silvermists
June 6, 2017 at 10:56 AM
I know right?! This will never not be traumatizing to me! The first time I invested my whole heart in a who-will-she-end-up-with and got my heart crushed at the end!
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5 kingsqueen
June 5, 2017 at 8:19 PM
You may have just helped me realize that this is another plot that I love. I, too, love that petty jealousy that rears its head.
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6 lezah
June 5, 2017 at 8:20 PM
Eeks, I love this trope too. It's probably an innate preference for the heroine to be pursued as well! If anything, I would tell my younger self to pay less attention to the hot guy (not that I ever had any cute doofus with a crush on me, LOL) too.
I love it when the hero falls first because then we get lots of scenes of him observing her, noticing all the little things about her that he really, really likes. But this might stem from my own insecurities, because I've always been the one sitting around observing someone.
Still, this is a trope that I really love! I figure it's the reason why I enjoyed WFKBJ and SWDBS so much. Besides the fact that our leading men were absolute sweethearts, I adored how they fell so hard, and really showed us how much they liked the heroine in her true, unfiltered self.
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merisoo
June 5, 2017 at 8:58 PM
I didn't mention this in the comment I wrote but I can definitely relate with also loving the trope because of my own insecurities. How amazing would that feel to realize someone has observed you (in a non-creepy way), noticed all your little ticks, good and bad, and they still want nothing more than to be with you. Deep Sigh.
One of the (many) reasons I loved Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Ju so much. He saw every facet of her and was still: YES, I love this woman.
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whoopeeyoo
June 6, 2017 at 12:07 AM
THIS. I also love this trope and it's definitely a catnip of mine because of my insecurities and that I can live vicariously through the heroine. *sighs with you all*
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7 PeepsLeAwesomePotato
June 5, 2017 at 8:33 PM
Hmm... not really a catnip for me.
But it IS cute and I'd be like 70% guaranteed watching those shows. Jn fact I did watch all those metioned, except for Biscuit and School 2015.
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8 jaybird
June 5, 2017 at 8:35 PM
Ahhh I love it when the guy falls first!! But you're totally right about the second lead pitfall- I spent most of School 2015 thinking Sungjae was our hero only to wind up very sad =P
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9 anzabee
June 5, 2017 at 8:36 PM
I loved reading your thoughts. One of my favorite things about the hero falling first is, like you said, that he becomes the observer. He sees everything, and he loves the female lead BECAUSE of who she really is. Love triangles are often used really well in Kdramas, because they give the female lead room to grow. She realizes that trying to be someone she's not is a terrible idea, and after falling out of love with the person who she thought she had to change for, she goes for the guy who loved her true self. I think Weightlifting Fairy illustrated this perfectly.
Thanks for sharing your catnip! I hadn't thought of this one, but it's very true for me.
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10 merisoo
June 5, 2017 at 8:51 PM
Definitely one of my catnips (I have many, an unfortunate affliction) oh my gawd! Like you said, there's just something about the hero, the one who traditionally has more power in the relationship being brought down a peg (or several) by his uncontrollable affection for a woman who doesn't see him in a romantic light at all (at least not first).
And it's always all the better when that affection is portrayed as pure and sincere; where all he wants is for her to be happy because that makes him happy. Regardless if he feels he has an actual shot with her or not. I think in those instances you also get to see the basis of the hero's feelings for the heroine. Does he have gross hints of Nice Guy syndrome or is he supportive even when what she wants isn't related to him?
Love it.
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Ek Ladhki Thi
June 5, 2017 at 9:12 PM
Nice guy syndrome, all the second lead men probably suffer from this.
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saturtledaisy
June 5, 2017 at 11:23 PM
I think my favourite part about this hero who falls first isnt that he falls first exactly, but when he is an honest puppy and wears his heart on his sleeve. It's just like you said, the pure feelings are the best, when all he wants is really just for her to be happy.
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silvermists
June 6, 2017 at 11:02 AM
Yes! I love a hero who is quietly supportive of the heroine and gives her space when she asks for it even if it's killing him! Unlike the typical 'nice guy' douche we see in real life who expects to get the girl simply because he was nice to her (and then complains about being put in the friend zone when she doesn't return his romantic feelings), this guy waits for her. He lets her come to him and realize her feelings in her own time. One really good example of this was the mini drama "Gogh, The Starry Night." The main lead is so swoony in this!! He comes off as gruff and unapproachable at first but then you peel back the layers and realize he has actually been in love with the heroine for years and is always secretly working behind the scenes for her! Total swoon!!!
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gdansk19
June 6, 2017 at 8:13 PM
I so loved that one! His quiet jealous moments like pulling her chair back out of the flirt's range, rolling up his sleeves at the grill and others. The fact he knew exactly how she went for spicy food and was eating ice cream when she got upset. The reveals of scenes from his perspective that show a whole other side. That drama hit all the sweet spots without the long filler angst.
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merisoo
June 6, 2017 at 11:09 PM
I have never seen or heard of this drama but I am definitely putting it on my list to watch now. Thank you for the inadvertent recommendation!
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toramona
July 17, 2017 at 4:32 PM
2nd the thank you on mentioning "Gogh, The Starry Night." It sounds great also ::cough:: Kim Young-Kwang is in it. <3
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11 beanie1810
June 5, 2017 at 8:54 PM
This article is my drama catnip. Period. AHHH!!
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divyrus
June 5, 2017 at 10:31 PM
I just love it when JB and GF decide to write such analysis articles!
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12 Needaname
June 5, 2017 at 8:55 PM
That is my favorite catnip too! A hero who falls first, and I will add, does not waver, no matter what! A hero who stays true to his heart. And will wait for his love. Ah...devotion, and loyalty!
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13 Evelia
June 5, 2017 at 8:58 PM
Well, I don't think I have seen that many dramas were the guy falls in love, is usually the heroine who falls in love first. And from this list I have seen neither of those dramas mention.?
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14 Ek Ladhki Thi
June 5, 2017 at 9:10 PM
This trope is one of the many reasons I became a Kim Eun-sook fan. I love it when the guy falls first, there's something hilarious about watching a guy be all lovey-dovey although I hate when the girl is clueless because she gets super friendly with the second lead and he starts thinking she likes him and it all just makes me annoyed.
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15 Greenlamb
June 5, 2017 at 9:16 PM
I was going to submit a similar post about this (something along the line of "I love it when a hero pursues the heroine with all his might") and was going to include Seo In Guk in many things (like how he ran without his shoe in 1997, or how Louis was crazy in love for Boksssshill, or how in King of High School, he overcame the age gap), but you've saved me the effort with this wonderful post. Thank you girlfriday!
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coolbeans
June 6, 2017 at 11:20 PM
And you just made me miss Seo In Guk like craaazyyy... it's gonna be a long two years. *Tear*
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16 jillian
June 5, 2017 at 9:18 PM
This is my catnip! Almost all the dramas mentioned are those I loved dearly. Well except for Jealousy Incarnate and Romantic Doctor . Which i guess I have to get into soon.
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17 etrenelle
June 5, 2017 at 9:18 PM
This has been a massive catnip of mine I love this drama troupe and I love it even more when it actually is the hero not the second lead.
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18 Klike234
June 5, 2017 at 9:30 PM
I know! I love when that happens too and I'm excited that I've watched most of the dramas you talked about except reply1997, plus nine boys ave the biscuit guy one (grin)
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imzadi
June 5, 2017 at 11:41 PM
That them. As soon as possible :) Especially Reply 1997.
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imzadi
June 6, 2017 at 12:06 AM
Damn. "Watch them".
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Chaerin
June 9, 2017 at 10:40 PM
Definitely watch them if you can. Reply 1997 is brilliant and Plus Nine Boys is very sweet
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19 hamlukan
June 5, 2017 at 9:51 PM
This is probably my ultimate catnip to end all catnip.
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20 mischiefdreamer
June 5, 2017 at 9:51 PM
Awwww I love this post. The way it was written brought me back to all those dramas and I agree wholeheartedly with all your views!
This is my favorite catnip as well, I don't know why but a drama is 100x sweeter for me if the Hero falls first.
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21 diza13
June 5, 2017 at 9:52 PM
This is definitely my catnip too!! I particularly like that the kind that starts with a friends to lovers type of relationship. However, when the girl takes forever to realize his feelings - thus taking him for granted sometimes aka Answer to 1997 - I want to shake her so the story can move along fast.
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22 Nessa (Bebe) 🌹
June 5, 2017 at 9:56 PM
Oh gosh, some of my favourites are already listed by @girlfriday in this post, like "Strong Woman, Do Bong Soon", "Reply 1997", "I Can Hear Your Voice", "Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok Joo", "Twenty Again"... Some of my other faves not mentioned:
- "Golden Rainbow", Lee Jae Yoon's love for Uee
- "She Was Pretty", Choi Shi Won's love for Hwang Jung Eum
- "Save the Last Dance for Me", Ji Sung's love for Eugene (in both, pre- and post- amnesia
- "Hwarang", Jin Heung's love for Aro
- "Reply 1988", Choi Taek's (Bo Gummy!!!!!) love for Deok Sun
- "Moonlight Drawn By Clouds" Moon Sung's love for Ra On
Ugh!!! MY HEARTEU!!!!!! </3
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Nessa (Bebe) 🌹
June 6, 2017 at 12:00 PM
*Yoon Sung*
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toramona
July 17, 2017 at 4:44 PM
Yep girlfriday picked some real gems. <3
Thanks for the additional recommendations!
Awww Choi Shi Won character Shin Hyuk was so amazing. His blend of silly, sensitivity and coolness was on point.
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23 blo
June 5, 2017 at 9:56 PM
Does Healer count? What if you're jealous of yourself? Bong-soo Bong-soo...
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kippeum (ft. liberation and bath robots)
June 5, 2017 at 10:05 PM
I was about to say this too! Puhaha. All the rooftop feels come crashing back down again.
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Els
June 5, 2017 at 10:10 PM
I will never forget how she called him sister-like.
Bong soo ya...park bong soo...
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bezeich
June 6, 2017 at 12:25 AM
His face was priceless.
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whoopeeyoo
June 6, 2017 at 12:11 AM
I'd file it under this trope! Hahaha!
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24 gadis
June 5, 2017 at 10:06 PM
I never realized that this is one of my catnip until I read it. But yes, watching the hero spent the first half of drama pining after the heroine is so satisfying. Not to mention that my first gate to kdrama addiction was I Hear Your Voice, with Lee Jong-suk being the most adorable and earnest puppy who has a massive one-sided noona crush on Lee Bo-young's heroine.
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25 RaOnAh loves Jay B 💚
June 5, 2017 at 10:23 PM
I didn't realize I had any drama land catnip until I read this and realized I've watched and loved half these shows...and the other half are going on my to-watch list :)
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