Thank you for this interesting reading. I don't think I have to have romance in my stories. There are quite a few kdramas with minimal to no romance that I enjoyed immensely, such as Misaeng, Forest of Secrets or Punch.

Not to say I don't like or enjoy romance though. I do. Especially if it is done right and the actors have great chemistry. Ultimately for me, it's about the stories of the people that I care about in the dramas. I don't mind if the couples I am rooting for didn't end up together, if that's the story that the writer chose to tell. That doesn't mean I don't get mad at the drama when things doesn't go my way (still giving you the stink eye, Reply 88), but I do know drama is drama and life is life. If I am Deok Sun, I know who I am gonna choose. 🙂

This was a great topic @missvictrix!

I do agree that romance is all pervasive in Kdramas. The rom-com+action (City Hunter, Healer, Two Weeks) is what initially got me into dramaland; but truth be told, my favorite dramas are not romance - Buamdong Revenge Club, Signal, Life on Mars, Misaeng, Solomon's Perjury . Or they only have elements of it but frankly the romance is the weaker part of the show Search: WWW, Hotel Del Luna. In other favorites such as Age of Youth and Be Melodramatic, it is better incorporated, but the focus is on the friendship between the women.

When it comes to dramas, I like strong or resilient female leads - without this crucial element, I'll probably end up dropping a drama. AND sadly, most romance shows comprise the female lead once she falls in love.

For example, I loved Her Private Life when it started, but lost interest soon after as we started moving away from the female lead's fangirling and into typical romance territory. That special, unique something was taken away and replaced with something "regular" - the perfect man that now "completes" her. It was just...dull.

I do still prefer Asian shows over Western ones though even though Western shows may allow women to retain their individuality despite love. This is simply because culturally, Asian shows strike closer to home (as an Asian person myself) and the female lead against that familiar background is more interesting to watch.

Romance is what drew me to kdramas initially. There’s something about the process of falling in love that is universal and kdramas, I feel, captures this well. Somehow, it feels more organic than US shows this day and age, where physical lust drives most romantic gestures and relationships. There’s an initial sense of intrigue in kdramas between most couples that goes beyond a physical nature. Not to say that a physical spark isn’t there. That excitement you feel when you first touch someone you like, holding hands, the first kiss, are also done extremely well in many kdramas. Coffee Prince did this probably the best of any kdrama, in my opinion. You feel the angst and desire. And then when that desire is met, it’s so very satisfying. That’s why I keep coming back to them. I also enjoy dramas without a romantic bent, and I don’t need one or even look for one in certain dramas. I loved Lookout for not giving me one. Forest of Secrets is another. But when I have an itch for romance, it’s never too far away in most kdramas!

I won’t lie, romance is what I initially signed up for when I started watching kdramas. But then when I got the plotline in my head, I would either watch the drama only for the romance and ditch the rest or watch it for the plot and enjoy the romance as well. It’s actually a two way street most of the time.

A drama that did the romance and the plot well together was Nine Days. It was so good that while I was interested in the romance there were some unexpected shocking twists and that kept me interested entirely.

Speaking of dramas that do both together well, I Remember You was so good too. While the romance was nice, the brotherly tension between Seo In Guk and Park Bo Gum was what kept the show running. Definitely worth a watch if you haven’t watched it.

So yes, while romance primarily runs kdramas, action could be an added bonus if done right. And to do both right, you have to be extraordinary.

If I'm looking for something heavy on romance, I usually go to an Asian drama. However, I've been feeling like more and more have been kind of moving away from this recently. It's kind of hard to find a romantic drama to really get into these days. At least for me. So maybe that's why I've been trying to seek it out more.

I wouldn't say I need it. But I do have stretches of time, where I really, really want a romance longer than movie length to watch haha. Sometimes, I want something sweet. Sometimes I want something a bit sexy; then other times I'm like "OK, I want to watch something really soapy, a little nonsensical, and with crazy drama" LOL.

I don't have much expectations in my real life but it doesn't hurt if it's in the show I'm watching. And yeah, preferably with the happy ending because why else would I invest so much time in following a couple's relationship? Usually, the show will warn you if that probably won't be the case. If there is no romance, that's OK too. I also love a good story. But I am an avid reader so I get much of my non-romantic narratives from there. Surprisingly, I don't read much romance, if any at all, so I guess it's all about what ya want in the moment and knowing where you're most likely to get it.

If a show becomes boring after the main love line concludes, it has already been boring, but just managed to cover it up till now with flashy leads and lots of skinship.

What made me fall for kdramas since day one was all the different kinds of relationships and feelings they are able to depict between family members, friends, neighbors, rivals, enemies, and strangers. And that is still the reason I come back to them every day.

I like romance but some of the best dramas don't have it. My Ahjusshi comes to mind, if it had a romance I would have been really angry. I got a little angry when people tried to shoehorn in a romance in DB comments, lol. Forest of Secrets was another one without romance. It didn't need it. So I think romance works in certain stories, but others it simply ruins the storytelling.

For your last few lines @missvictrix I'd like to say that yes kdramas increase our expectations to an unrealistic level. And then it's quite disappointing to find out that there won't be 1. As good looking men - who are equally well behaved (lol can be so too but it's rare) 2. The romance to be as grand and heart fluttering and also maybe angsty as in dramas. So yeah real life can be both simple and dramatic but that is why I'm drawn to slice of life dramas which are either completely without romance or the ones who show a slightly realistic one (Be Melodramatic).

Thanks for the writeup. You bring up some really good points.

As you said, romance is as pervasive as it has been not just in K-Drams but stories around the world through time because we are human. Even in dramas like Misaeng and Stranger, some degree of romance or at the very least love is present. We may not all be lawyers or detectives but most of us can identify with various degrees of love because we have experienced some degree of love. Many of us have heartbreak. Many of us have more than one relationship, etc.

My two main problems with the depiction of Romance in Korean dramas is that they almost always a portrayal of the characters first meeting to newly becoming a couple--for the main leads at least. They're also usually overly dramatized stories.

It always frustrates me that secondary couples are often introduced as already being a couple and main couples aren't. There is so much more to romance then just establishing a relationship. So we're often asked to believe that all the makjang was worth it, because if the couple can survive that to get together in the first place, they can survive anything--which is not true.

Romance is one of the weaker aspects of Korean storytelling, but I don't think it's as simple as that. I think I'm of that opinion because there is a cultural clash. Dramas like Pretty Noona and Temperature of Love exemplify this for me. I'm still waiting for me Pretty Noona less makjang and a happier ending. I wonder if I'll ever get it?

What brought me to dramas in the first place was the cheesy romance -- the insurance that i could watch something predictable, cheesy and cringe and feel at easy. And while I still have the mindset from time to time when choosing dramas, it turns out, when i think introspectively, the dramas I liked best where the ones WITHOUT romance. With that in mind, I believe romance is the cheap fast attraction to getting someone to watch your show. It's nice , but it also takes away from loads of «could've been» and plot development. A story with no romance must focus on deeper, juicier plot elements to keep the story going. But If youre ready to commit, to actually listen to a story, and to explore the characters youre given without any romance... you'll be in for a joy-ride. Might I list Misaeng as an example.
A more recent example (although not my favorite but quite enjoyable) was Class of Lies. Crack mystery entertainment. :)

@missvictrix, I'm so glad you're asking these questions. I think about them a lot. Yes, there are dramas without romance, like Forest of Secrets, but even in these dramas, I'm watching hard to see if anything develops between the leads. The other 97% of dramas, at least the ones I watch, have a romance between the leads. They may have a strong plot with romance on the side, but much more often it's a strong romantic line that the plot is structured around. Why am I always so invested in the romance, or disappointed if it's lackluster or poorly paced or if I don't find the couple believable? Am I stirring up my own feelings from the past, or trying to find the perfect love in a story, since my own love life is far from perfect? You are so right that kdramas often build up to those crazy, exhilarating moments when the couple finally overcomes obstacles and misunderstandings and comes together, and very rarely explore what happens afterward. Is it because so many of us are stuck in those more mundane moments (and years) that we want to relive the feelings that brought us down this path? I sometimes beat myself up about spending time on these romances, when I could be doing something creative or at least something useful. But I keep coming back, and keep asking myself these same questions. One thing's for sure -- when I can analyze/fret over/squee/complain/join a conversation about a show on DB, it elevates the whole experience for me into something more than just the drama and the romance.

If only many writers know how to write geniune conflict and interesting about romance, like the old days. Raw, geniune, have depth. Not all, but Many drama I've watched, the romance created to hooked viewers or draw viewers. So they tend to be formulaic, lack sincerity.

I realized that, while I don't need a romantic plotline to enjoy a drama, my trashy subconscious self keeps looking for it. I am usually impressed by dramas that hold my attention without romance, just like I'm impressed with food that mange to be good without MSG. For example, I was kind of rooting for the two polar opposite judges to at least reach "some" stage by the end of Miss Hammurabi. Then,I realized that I myself have numerous colleague whom I think are attractive. I look up to them, work extensive hours with them, sometimes even flirt outrageously, but never have I ever gotten past that initial stage of admiration. So, I guess the open ended relationship status in Hammurabi was very much realistic and I admire that show very much for getting me emotionally involved in every single case.

This was a great read, @missvictrix, about a topic very close to my heart!

(SORRY for the mini essay I'm about to write here. I have so many thoughts.)

I've always been a dreamer and a hopeless romantic, and I think that's what really drew me into dramaland, those 7 years ago. Back then, I was in secondary school, I had never gone out with anyone, and had become completely entranced by the way the love story played out in Answer Me 1997 (my first drama ever, and a favourite in my heart to this day!).

Since then, I've watched drama after drama, and I always find myself gravitating to pieces where the romance is basically the essence of the whole story. As much as Signal had me on the edge of my seat, and Misaeng was heart-wrenching, soulful and utterly gripping, the truth is, I just love romance.

For me, nothing compares to the rush of a confession, a first kiss or even a break-up. I can't say for sure if it started out as a form of escapism, when I was young and wondering if I would ever get to experience the kind of first love (another crucial drama trope) that's worthy of a 16-episode serial. But there was just something about the magic of love and romance that had (and still has) me hooked.

I'm older now, and I think I have gotten my chance at that feeling of first love. I'm lucky enough to have met and got together with my tall and handsome athletic college oppa and I've had a good handful of those heart-fluttering moments, and those 'female lead cries on a bench' moments too.

But I think what I've had to learn, as clichéd as it sounds, is that life really isn't like my favourite romance dramas, and that's okay. Being a romance junkie, I kind of expected that I would be getting to experience a lot of those moments that I've screenshot and squealed over. Before I realised it, I started projecting (rather unfairly, of course) some of my fantasies on my poor boyfriend.

How was he supposed to know what the male lead was doing to romance the leading ladies in Weightlifting Fairy, or You Who Came from the Star? How could I explain to him why I needed him to express his love for me in the earth-shattering way Junghwan did to Deoksun in Reply 1988 (minus the painful retraction, of course)? How could I do all of this, while ensuring that I didn't have to spell it out, thus keeping it as organic and spontaneous as it all was in the dramas? I thought about this from time to time, and sometimes, it would get in the way of my happiness.

And then, I almost lost him. And my head, which had always been in the clouds, came crashing back down to earth. Because life isn't a 16-episode drama where everyone has the right lines to say and it's all neat and beautiful and lovely in the end. I had to start living in the real world, where things aren't always heart-fluttering and Gummy isn't always singing in the background.

And that's okay.

I still love romance. I think I always will, and dramas will always be that...

Part 1 of 2

Thank you for your thought-inducing essay, @missvictrix.

One of my pet peeves is the contamination of good, compelling stories with gratuitous, shoehorned-in, bolted-on romances. I'm not usually interested in mushy stuff (I'll cop to succumbing to occasional temporary insanity), and tend to avoid romance for the sake of romance. Borrr-ing. (Er, watching HER PRIVATE LIFE was purely for documenting Kim Jae-wook's first lead role, that’s my story, and I'm sticking to it.) What I like best are dramas populated with fascinating characters going about their lives, or involved in nifty whodunnit-and-why-and-how plots. I especially enjoy ensemble works where an assortment of disparate individuals come together for a specific purpose that ends up melding them into a stalwart band, as was the case with LIFE ON MARS. If a bit of romance is organic to the characters involved, that's fine. But if it feels as if it is intrusive fan service, it alienates me, and I try to ignore it while focusing on the aspects of the drama that really interest me.

There is one exception that I can think of, and that is romance as an indicator of character growth. MAD DOG is the case in point. Kim Min-joon was a loner with a tragic personal history who concealed his deep hurt under a thick layer of bravado, chameleon-like impersonation skills, and a fine, quick intellect. Watching Min-joon come out of his shell to join forces with Mad Dog's team of insurance fraud investigators was every bit as compelling as observing their progress in solving intricate cases of the week along with the air crash at the center of the drama. For someone with trust issues like his, every millimeter he lowered his personal Berlin Wall was a resounding victory. Beanies who live-watched cheered their heads off in the recap threads.

- Continued -

Miss Victrix, romances existed long before Hollywood. Even the very short book of Ruth in the Old Testament has most of the elements of a romance. Does every story have to have a romance? no. Homer’s Illiad does just fine without one. But the prevalence of romance in literature really tells us that, yes, we really do need Romance.
The problem with romances is the idea of “happily ever after”. It is the idea that if you find the right partner for life everything will be smooth sailing from there. Very few romcoms look further. To me a better story is one where we do look further. This is the genius of the full(er) screen versions of the Manga "Itazura Na Kiss", of which the two seasons of the Japanese live action MISCHIEVOUS KISS: LOVE IN TOKYO remains the very best adaptation – the Korean PLAYFULL KISS is sadly one of the truncated ones. If you ever get a chance to watch this one you should- because the wedding marks only the halfway point of the story. Had the author of Itazura Na Kiss lived to complete the story she had actually planned to take it through the birth of the couple’s first child. To me the genius of the story lies in the way that it shows how, through dedicated love, a couple learns to grow together- and to help each other grow: The nearly helpless girl, with her husband’s help, becomes a competent medical professional and the lonely, isolated genius boy becomes a courageous and empathetic man in full. For all its slapstick silliness (and there is plenty of it) this is a greater and truer story about romance. It is a pity that more writers are not capable of this.

I think the format of Kdrama befits romance. There is a start and an end that usually is a happy one. In US shows, the romance is built on several seasons, it 's kinda long. It's why I liked Kdrama in the first place, I like some tropes even if it's cringey :p

But it doesn't mean I need it in every drama. I think it depends on the story and the actor's chemistry.

One K-drama entirely ruined by romance was 'Revolutionary love'. After a (VERY) rocky start as a creepy stalker rom-com the series eventually settled down to become a social justice story. Once the social justice plot like was resolved it abruptly switched back to being a creepy stalker rom-com again. Nothing worked with the romance angle. The standard second male unrequited love story turned icky when the guy finally confesses and the heroine looked like all she wanted to do was get out of the drarned building.

We all remember 'My Ajusshi' which was bombarded with hate comments before it even aired because fans couldn't imagine a storyline that *wasn't* about romance. They assumed up front that male lead + female lead = romance storyline.

I don't necessarily pick a kdrama to watch for the romance aspect. The artist in me of course just turns into a puddle of mush when the romance is done right(Being Melo, Healer, and about 500 more dramas 🙂) but I have had instances where even though the drama was a romance drama or rom com, I rooted for an entirely different sort of coupling(Goblin and Reaper). It's not that I hated the romance, I just found myself more invested in the bromance than the romance.

Come back Ahjussi didn't have a couple as the leads but I loved the relationship between the 2 leads and in turn loved the drama.

And then there's Hotel de luna where I honestly would have been ok had the the story gone either way. I was happy that they got together but I would have been equally happy had they not. The world they built in HDL was rich enough for me not to notice the lack of a romance sizzle most of the time. I loved the thawing of Jang Man Wol's heart not as it relates to romantic love but a more familial love for those that had been with her for a while.

So it's not so much romance and the premise of "living happily ever after" that draws me to a drama. It's more good writing and good acting that pull me in. And if there happens to be romance in it, well then I will squee to my heart's content.

For me, Kdrama romance is a sweet escape from real life. But I often feel conflicted about it, because some of the tropes are problematic. There is usually a huge imbalance of power between the man and woman. I get tired of seeing women humiliated, chased by debt collectors, etc. I don't like how Kdramas normalize behavior that would be considered verbal abuse or stalking in the real world. I gravitate toward dramas like Fight My Way and Melo Suits Me, in which the women and men are on more equal footing. I think the old Candy/ Chaebol trope has a lot to do with sexism and social inequality in Korea; maybe women see romance with a rich man as the only path up the class ladder? I prefer to see women who get ahead based on talent and hard work. I loved WWW for that reason, although the main romance was lacking.

I think romance is pretty key to these dramas, but then again, I'm a sucker for a good rom/com. What actually turned me off in the last few episodes of Her Private Life, was that they totally switched off on showing her evolving private life (as a fangirl) and switched to the male lead's dreary past. I would have liked to have seen her Idol crush find out that she was one of his biggest fans all along, etc.

I claim to hate romance (and I genuinely avoid Rom coms or chick flicks unless handed directly to me without my say in the matter), but you have a good point. Even when there isn't supposed to be any, I look for it. I want it. I don't enjoy cute dating scenes where a couple spend their time staring into each other's eyes only to break up because of some idiotic sacrifice or whatnot. I dropped a few dramas because of that. What I DO like is those characters who are clearly attracted to each other but never waste their time in those lovey dovey stuff, and instead work together in solving a crime or saving the world. Small doses bring out the best of a romance while never taking over the main story. But speaking as myself... a kiss or two wouldn't hurt uwu

If you recall about a year ago JTBC’s THE THIRD CHARM aired with leads Esom and Seo Kang-joon. (Crime, mystery, murder are my main genres.). I watched TTC because of SKJ’s performance in AYHT which was my first SKJ drama. Turns out I has seen Esom in WHITE CHRISTMAS. That is is it.
Well a lot of folks were disappointed when they realized TTC was not going to be a rom-com. What did M. Scott Peck, the psychiatrist and author write?: “Life is difficult.”
That could have been the motto of that drama. Both Joon-young (SKJ) and Young-Jae (Esom) had all kinds of issues. Both those actors gave fine performances but Esom was outstanding and iirc she received some grief because of her performance.

This reaction suggests we’re just in the story for the dynamic of attraction and conflict resolving into committed and lasting love. Can that really be true?

Actually I think it's less our fault, and more the fault of the show.
If a show's SOLE focus, IS the romance, specifically the build up to the romance, it becomes shallow and boring when that ends because there's nothing else to the show.
A well balanced show will have more to it.
Take Healer for example- it has a romance sub plot, but it's not the sole thing driving the story; it has thriller and mystery and action elements to it too, and more important than the romance, is really the characters of the OTP, who they are and where they come from.

So rather than-

In dramaland, a story struggles to end in a way that’s not the resolution or fulfillment of a romance.

- I think it's more that a story struggles to end well at all, when the focus of the drama is in the wrong To me, good story telling is imperative. A good story can be a story about romance or it can have none at all. Some stories would do better to remember that they don't NEED romance in them to work, some could do with a bit more. It really depends on the story you're telling and the characters you're telling the story with, and how well you know your story, what you want to tell, and yourself.
Good story telling utilizes and balances ALL its parts. Character, theme, setting, dialogue, plot, relationship, action, conflict, film techniques, music, direction and everything else.
However, most of my favourite shows have a stronger focus on character and theme over anything else, and I think strong characters can carry a weak plot (Lookout).

And I enjoy romances; I appreciate how Kdramas go about telling a lot of their romances (See @ally-le's comment) and I can't deny that sometimes all I want is a fluffy mindless rom com.
But at the end of the day, I just want a good story, in whatever form that comes, I'm bias towards character over everything else, but rom com or psychological thriller, just tell it well.
Cos if you don't tell it well, I WILL write a 3000 word essay on it, no matter what genre it is.

One of course could also argue, philosophically, that Love is imperative to living, and therefore to storytelling. Whether that is the love of affection between friends or man and beast, the love between a mother and a child, the love between two neighbours simply because they are neighbours, the romantic love between lovers, blood bonds between brothers or people who might as well be brothers, or ultimate sacrificial love which can of course come from any of the previous ones... Not everyone needs physical eros romance; but everyone needs love.

Many dramas have romance: Dramas are about human characters and their relationships. Romance is a special type of relationship. An easy way for a story to be compelling is if it capitalizes on our desire for and fascination with this "special" type of human relationship.

The question we might ask is why romantic relationships are given this special treatment.

Sociological speculation: Humans have a biological instinct to reproduce, and since we reproduce sexually, this usually comes about through romantic attraction. Thus we are very keen to the idea of romantic relationships as a sort of holy grail, but not just any sort of fling of course- we aim for an ultimate stable, monogamous relationship with the potential for a family. Logically, we understand that people can still live meaningful lives without such a relationship, but the traditional family unit has long been key to our evolutionary development. A long term, socially acceptable (differs by culture) romantic relationship is difficult to achieve. Many people go through their whole lives striving for this ideal relationship. From this perspective, it makes sense that humans would be attracted to stories that satiate their sexual desire and curiosity about what such an ideal romantic relationship would be like. Even for people who consider themselves to be in happy relationships, there is something validating about seeing another couple's development that makes the viewer feel like they are part of a greater human movement (totally guessing here). Many dramas choose to end after an idyllic relationship is confirmed, serving to reinforce the idea that romance is an ultimate goal. The magical romantic tropes and fated encounters are used to prove to the audience that the couple really will turn out to achieve the goal and not breakup offscreen.

Of course a good story doesn't need to have romance. People can be just as fascinated by the intricacies of platonic relations as they are with romantic ones. Sometimes romance is hinted at but never seen through as a vital part of the plot. Sometimes there's just no mention of sexual attraction at all, and it's still a riveting story. But even dramas that are not about romance are still about romance. Assuming that the characters are fully fleshed-out human personas, what human is not grappling with the implications of their sexuality, hormonal desires, and the societal expectations involved? So it's also natural that as viewers, we search for these hints of romance even if the writer is not intending for it to happen in the story.

OK, but I still love blatant romance in my dramas. Maybe I'm curious because I've never experienced it before. I do think dramas have given me an unrealistic idea of what love looks like. I especially have a pet peeve with the concept of "forever", so I’m all for dramas with bittersweet endings and unsuccessful pairings. But regardless it would be weird if I went into love without any delusions, so...

this article and all comments here are thought provoking making it an interesting read...personally, i have always gravitated towards a bit of romance in my reading of books and tv series/movies but that doesn't mean i can't watch or appreciate non romance books/shows/movies on rare occasions, but given a chance to choose what to read/watch, i would usually pick one with romance for sure...however i absolutely can't do with a sad/tragic ending in a show that's clearly touted as 'romance'...i'm okay with not getting a 'happily ever after' in the manner i thought it should have happened but tragic love stories (both in books and shows) are not up my alley...i've only read or watched a handful of such books/shows, and but even if i hadn't read or watched them no matter how critically acclaimed or popular they were, i would have been fine too. i also realized quite late in my life that i don't enjoy watching or reading explicit scenes, so while in books it's easy to skip (and now with streaming service its easy too) but i find that i would like to watch shows without such scenes and that's why i think in the last one year kdramas have been such an attraction for me...additionally, with the passing of time, i find that i enjoy the slice of life shows too...friendship, family, overcoming adversity and overall feel good ending is what i'm now looking for in my shows:-)

Storytelling will always be a part of our lives because it is one of the main ways that we understand the world and that includes the many relationships we tell stories about. Story structure gives meaning, pattern and control in the face of a world where there are no clear endings and often very little control. Our brains seek out patterns because they are made to predict in order to understand and survive the world around us. We crave resolution and predictability while at the same time we need some novelty and surprise to stay intrigued. People, of course, have different preferences about how much predictability and how much novelty they prefer.

I fall on that part of the spectrum where I like a drama that acknowledges established patterns and then seeks to subvert or play with those expectations in a clever way. And that goes for the “romance” storytelling as well. “Because This Life is Our First” will always be one of my favourite romantic storylines for that reason.

And my tastes have definitely changed as I have grown older. Now that I am married and have a kid of my own the storylines between parents and children just pierce me to the heart. In Reply 1988 the younger romantic stories were fun but what really had me riveted and often ugly crying were the relationships between parents and children. The letters between Bora and her dad destroy me every time. But a thread of romantic love between the young or not-so-young is always welcome if it is well written.

I do think love stories will always be with us. They always have been and they always will be. Even the old duality of tragedy vs comedy comes down to whether you are getting a story about death or a story about a wedding. (That is vastly oversimplified but you know what I mean.) It’s about our reality of life and death. Comedy shows the continuation of life through both the next generation via a new family/relationship and the resolution back to the established social order (family, duty, kids, marriage, how ever the culture wants to define it). Tragedy deals with the death and loss that is also common to all human lives.

As social creatures we are innately seeking out connection with other humans. We look for ways to be in relationship all the time, even if a specific relationship is dysfunctional and hurting us we will still seek it out if it is all we know. Whether it be our family, colleagues, friends, rivals or romantic partners, we need connection to each other. If a show gives me genuine connection between characters that I care about (any genre of story can be formulaic and flat) it will have me sucked in. Like others I prefer a story that includes many kinds of dynamics from family to work to romance. All kinds of combinations/amounts of each can work if the writer knows what kind of story they want to tell and do it well.

The romance part of a story line gets a lot of power because of our basic human desire for connection and family...

I found myself becoming a K-drama fan when I started to become extremely sensitive to the oversexualized and hyper-violent programming on American TV/entertainment. And the romance in the Kdrama world made me stay. From then on, I became unconsciously drawn and really appreciated the romance in K-dramas. In fact, I loved this aspect of Kdrama: no sex, the slow "courtship", the falling in love no matter the trope, the holding hands, the kiss midway through. I mean, those are aspects of romance I had not seen in TV, and it made me realize that i needed that! It was such a breatg of fresh air for me and to this day, I have a hard time going back to regular tv programming: Kdrama makes up 90% of my tv entertainement. I dnt particularly expect romance in my real life but it's somethg that I find so essential to story telling ... and entertainment! I think it may mean that as humans, we are sensitive to the notion of love, not specifically to romance. I personally pick dramas based on the love/romance story line. It's something that I love to see, and that's entertaining for me. But, for those dramas that I watched without a romance line, i nvr regretted it and felt it was missing smthg, i.e. my ajhussi, misaeng. I admit tho that action, thriller, without romance, would be difficult for me to get into (i have nvr watched Signal, but loved Healer, Pinocchio, etc) Thank you @missvictrix for those write-ups that are very good food for thought!

I think we have been conditioned to think that enjoying romance stories is cheesy or somewhat beneath for example action driven stories and I think of it as another form of sexism as romance is mostly aimed at woman and there is a lot of bias when it comes to reviews rom com movies get and them not being seen as cool. The truth is there is nothing wrong with enjoying romance, just as there is nothing wrong with enjoying action or comedy or other genres. I got into kdramas around the time Hollywood decided rom-coms/ romance stories were no longer cool so in a way I need kdramas to fill the romance sized hole in my life, but I don't need romance in all my entertainment, in fact my favourite american TV shows had little or no romance (Supernatural, Criminal Minds) and for kdramas I can also enjoy them without romance if they have other elements I like like a mystery or strong friendships. So I'm grateful that kdramas feature romance so heavily because while it may be unrealistic, it's better than today's take on romance in Western media where everything seems to be about sex. I hope rom coms like they were în the 90 's (While you were sleeping, You' ve got mail) will have a resurgence and that we'll be able to enjoy them alongside the million superhero and Fast and Furious movies out there without any judgement.

When I was a kid (yes, I started watching dramas at the age of 6, thanks Mom!), romance dramas were my favorite. My ultimate drama until this very day is still a romance drama (Full House will never get old, and I always cry whenever I watch Youngjae sitting in his hotel room crying after his presscon in which he revealed everything), and it's been what... 15 years?

Up until this day I still enjoy romance, but when it's done right. I agree that sometimes a story feels like it's lacking something without hints of romance, but now I find myself to enjoy (insert genre) dramas with minimum to no romance more than straight up romance drama. Solomon's Perjury, Punch, School 2013, Misaeng, Forest of Secrets, Prison Playbook, My Ahjussi, Duel, Argon, and of course Signal are among my favorites.

Be Melodramatic, Age of Youth, Just Between Lovers, Come & Hug Me, Radiant Office, At Eighteen, Tomorrow with You are examples of romance done right for me (please note that this is subjective). Some aren't straight up romance and tell more about life (which, ofc, includes romance) but still, at the end of the day they revolve around romance and there's nothing wrong with it.