[Beanie Recs] Flawed but charming characters
by DB Staff
Ahoy, Beanies! It’s time to gather your collective genius for a recommendation series that features you and your drama knowledge. We’ll drop a drama conundrum and leave it up to you to provide a drama rec, and the appropriate rationale behind it, be it long or short.
I’m looking for dramas with characters who aren’t exactly antagonists necessarily, but are totally flawed people, and yet have a really magnetic pull. I’m thinking something along the lines of Gu in My Liberation Notes (but maybe that’s a tough ask!).
Have a very particular drama itch that needs scratching? In need of a Beanie Rec? Email us at hello @ dramabeans.com and we’ll feature your topic in a future post.
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Tags: Beanie Recs, Drama recommendations
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1 Healer’s
June 19, 2024 at 5:28 AM
The first one I could think of is Cho Seungwoo's character in Life, Director Gu Seunghyo. He outshone Lee Dongwook's character in that show.
Then Han Sukkyu's character in Watcher, Do Chikwang.
Ahn Bohyun's character in Military Prosecutor Doberman, Do Baeman.
Ji Changwook's character in Suspicious partner, Noh Jiwook.
And the latest one, Jung Ryeowon's character in Midnight romance in hagwon, Seo Hyejin.
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Healer’s
June 19, 2024 at 5:35 AM
And Ji Changwook's character in Empress Ki.
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Bunny Sonaki
June 19, 2024 at 6:27 AM
Those are nice recommendations esp Empress Ki and Doberman
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2 Zestileigh
June 19, 2024 at 5:29 AM
If you watch cdramas, I can’t recommend Lost Track of Time enough.
It is a rebirth revenge drama. The FL falls in love, marries, and helps her husband become emperor. His greed for power overwhelms her and leads to her death, and she wakes up the day she first met him.
I recommend it wholeheartedly because the emperor is so completely flawed and so completely compelling. The actor carries an already good drama and elevates it to the stratosphere. To me, while it is a satisfying revenge drama, I am just so drawn to the emperor that it becomes more of a story about him, about salvaging his soul. I love it
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3 Zestileigh
June 19, 2024 at 5:39 AM
kdrama rec.. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
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4 wonhwa
June 19, 2024 at 5:59 AM
Some of my favorite shows with compelling morally messy characters are Queen Seondeok, The Devil (Lucifer), Giant and Six Flying Dragons. If you're ok venturing into c-dramas I also highly recommend The Untamed.
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Soyesterday
June 19, 2024 at 7:02 AM
The two male leads in Lucifer were both flawed and tragic characters who were also different types victims, they met a fitting end and i love that drama.
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Nessa (Bebe) 🌹
June 19, 2024 at 1:59 PM
I agree with The Untamed and highly recommend it as well for this prompt!! By the end, everything and everyone is basically flipped on it's head.
Another C-drama I'd definitely recommend for this prompt is The Legends (starring Bai Lu & Xu Kai)
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5 Isa is always time travelling
June 19, 2024 at 5:59 AM
I have not seen My Liberation Notes yet, so I don't know this is the type of character they are looking for, but my favorite "flawed but charming character" ever is Bidam (Kim Nam Gil), from the great sageuk Queen Seon Deok.
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6 welh
June 19, 2024 at 6:13 AM
A totally flawed lead, and yet have a really magnetic pull?
When we think of "flawed" it would mean blemished, damaged, or imperfect in some way: or having a weakness in character.
The first person I thought of was Man-Wol (IU) in HOTEL DE LUNA.
I cannot think of another actress who could have pulled us so into this fantasy story so well and hold her power and charm to the very end.
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7 Bunny Sonaki
June 19, 2024 at 6:38 AM
I don't remember the character's name, but Lee Joong-ki's role in Flower of Evil might match your description.
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Bunny Sonaki
June 19, 2024 at 6:40 AM
Jang Hyuk's Lee Bang Won from My Country and his role in Red Heart are flawed characters too.
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jerrykuvira
June 19, 2024 at 2:28 PM
Jang Hyuk's character in Bloody Heart was one good definition of flawed yet charming.
I'm still salty about how the writing cheapened his death, like it was one insignificant event. No proper nod...nada, zilch.
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Bunny Sonaki
June 20, 2024 at 12:22 AM
His death was my least favorite thing about the finale esp. since the king wasn't thar righteous. I was actually stunned that I ended up rooting for the minister and disliking the king.
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Gikata
June 19, 2024 at 4:14 PM
If LJG's character is NOT a bloody - often literally - mess of a person, that's not LJG, but an alien impostor)))
The name you forgot is Do Hyun Soo (the real one).
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Bunny Sonaki
June 20, 2024 at 12:22 AM
He even played a vampire.
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Gikata
June 20, 2024 at 9:23 PM
It's a real loss to humanity that they never casted him as a flirty gumiho when he was younger. Literally no one else in k-ent can outfox the man by visuals/vibe.
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Kitsune Moon
July 22, 2024 at 7:56 AM
oh boy, THAT show was awful LOL bad bad bad but I'm glad I saw LJK and Lee Soo Hyuk as vampires! LSH is the most perfect vampire ever LOL
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Bunny Sonaki
July 22, 2024 at 8:13 AM
Can't agree more.
Bland female lead, stretched out plotline, a memorandum that everyone searched for throughout the show, ridiculous body count, and people dying and turning back alive.
Kitsune Moon
July 22, 2024 at 7:48 AM
YAY another FoE fan <3 I suggest this show every chance I get lol
LJK's char is so ambiguous, he keeps us guessing till the last second. LOVE IT.
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Bunny Sonaki
July 22, 2024 at 8:18 AM
The father daughter relationship, the crying scenes, ML's struggle to understand his feelings, the scene where FL realized the truth *spoiler alert* that he wasn't a bad person but everyone just believed what they wanted without bothering to check the facts even the psychiatrist he went to as a child, the amnesia trope was silly but LJK's acting in the last episode was phenomenal.
Now I can't resist a rewatch😂😂😂
Finally we have a sexy villain with a mane of glory😂😂
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Kitsune Moon
July 22, 2024 at 2:03 PM
bruh, every time Kim Ji Hoon tied his hair back I DIE.
i can't even. what is that. for real.
the amnesia thing almost killed the show. can't say that i get it. i thought he was pretending. totally unnecessary.
and oh yeah, the father-daughter scenes were so darn cute!
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Kitsune Moon
July 22, 2024 at 2:07 PM
*died
Kitsune Moon
July 22, 2024 at 2:10 PM
and LJK with the bleached blonde (wig) hair is so... unexpected and gorgeous. he is so icy cold and he feels like a different person all together. it's almost like he is 3 people in the show. his real self, the blonde iceberg, and the final husband-father version.
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8 Seon-ha
June 19, 2024 at 6:59 AM
For comedy, I'd recommend Chief Kim. Both male leads (Namgoong Min and Junho) are flawed but charming in complementary ways!
For legal dramas with a side of intense sexiness, you can't go wrong with the female lead in Hyena (Kim Hye-soo). So charming. So irresistable.
For a "Sunday Night" watch-it-with-the-whole-family drama (if your family likes really sweet love with a side of psychopaths), I'd suggest Brain Works. The male lead here (Jung Yong-hwa) is a brilliant neurosurgeon with issues of his own.
For an action-tech-comedy-drama, and supporting characters rather than leads, look no further than Ma-pi (Kim Sung-oh) from Unlock My Boss.
And last but not least, for home-appliance-manufacturer-based dramas, most characters in On the Verge of Insanity fit this bill, lead or supporting, gender-blind. No, seriously, this is one of the best dramas of the past five years, hands-down, in part because pretty much whole cast matches your prompt.
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hydlls
June 19, 2024 at 7:05 AM
You beat me to the Chief Kim mention!
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Seon-ha
June 19, 2024 at 7:20 AM
Aren't they both great at being charming and problematic at the same time, though? Like Healer, it's one of those dramas that you can't believe is actually 20-episodes long...and pretty much fills all the hours with real content (and Junho eating)!!
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Midnight
June 19, 2024 at 7:06 AM
Feels like someone is calling me! 😁😁👌👌
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Seon-ha
June 19, 2024 at 7:26 AM
Brain Works isn't gonna watch itself without any advertisement.
Folks, it's got more than just the frontman of CNBLUE in it. It's got Cha Tae-hyun--electrifying star of Moving and any number of variety shows 😆. ALSO, it has Kwak Sun-young--star of Crash (and also Moving!!)--playing two whole personalities. ALSO, it has--drumroll please--Ye Ji-won just being hot and hilarious. She'd definitely been hitting the pole-dancing classes prior to this role (IYKYK)...
Also, it has a villain who'll haunt your dreams.
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Midnight
June 19, 2024 at 7:44 AM
ALSO it has one of the best reluctant bromances ever!
ALSO one of the best love confessions!
ALSO some very intricate explanations about the workings of the brain which changed how I look at a lot of things in life!
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technicat
June 19, 2024 at 11:30 AM
Ma-pi is a good one!
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️ Underpants buddies for life. 😎
June 19, 2024 at 2:03 PM
Yes no one expected anyone to care about Mapi based on how he behaves and if it wasn’t for the kid we never would have seen that side of his personality.
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jerrykuvira
June 19, 2024 at 3:45 PM
Or the fact that his palate/tongue can't stand 🌶️.
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jerrykuvira
June 19, 2024 at 2:33 PM
If Ma-pi doesn't charm you, Kim Sung-oh's iris will do the job.
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9 Minnie🫘👩🏻🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻🏫🌱🏹
June 19, 2024 at 7:00 AM
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10 Minnie🫘👩🏻🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻🏫🌱🏹
June 19, 2024 at 7:04 AM
Forgot one so reposting:
When I think of MLs who are deeply flawed but with towering, absolutely adorable personalities you end up falling in love, it's two Crown Prince turned Kings from two shows:
Yi Sun from The Red Sleeve
Yi Hwan from Our Blooming Youth
Lee Gang Doo: Just Between Lovers (probably the best fit so had to add this)
For female leads, Gil Chae from My Dearest leads the race by a huge margin.
For supportive characters, Maeng Du-Ri from The Matchmakers
and Choi Soo-yeon from Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
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jerrykuvira
June 19, 2024 at 2:36 PM
I don't find Gil-chae as a flawed personality. She's strong, by a huge margin.
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Minnie🫘👩🏻🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻🏫🌱🏹
June 19, 2024 at 4:25 PM
She can be perceived as self-serving, even somewhat predatory, when things are riding along jauntily. She has no qualms about having a bit of a shaky moral compass. Her single-minded pursuit of her best friend's fiancé is amusing, but in an antagonist, it would have riled up many. Jang Hyeon attributes her behavior to immaturity, which forms the basis of that beautiful "what if" scene after he rescues her.
She comes into her own and shines through as the incredible person she is when the sand slips beneath everyone's feet; she is often the only one who stands strong and does not waver when the world around her crumbles. She is arguably the strongest and most compelling female character I have seen in a long time, her multi-faceted nature and depth making her a far cry from a one-dimensional characters we often see. I truly wish Eun Jin had received an award for this role.
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11 Soyesterday
June 19, 2024 at 7:06 AM
Jung Geum-ja (Kim Hye-Soo) - Hyena
Kang Ye-seo (Kim Hye-Yoon) - Sky Castle
Yo Han (Jisung) - The Devil Judge
Jung Sun-ah (Kim Min-Jung) - The Devil Judge
and.... Lee Yoo-ri in all her makjang dramas
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12 hydlls
June 19, 2024 at 7:15 AM
All our female leads from both seasons of Age Of Youth but specially Park Eunbin's character (I don't remember her name sorry!!)
Cho Sanggu from Move to Heaven and Park Joong-il from Tomorrow - both characters had a very redeeming arc by the end of their shows but I still remember wanting to smack them around during the initial episodes of their respective shows.
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13 Anne18
June 19, 2024 at 7:27 AM
What do you mean, "flawed"? I mean the entire super-hero family as well as super-con family were only charming, right? My favourite was "uncle". He had chemistry with literally every member of the Bok family 😂
I accidentally posted this comment in the wrong prompt. In case you are wondering those families appeared in The Atypical Family. Not one person in both families without "flaws" 🤭
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14 Midnight
June 19, 2024 at 7:28 AM
Lee Sung Min in Miss Korea.
Yoo Jae Myung im Forest of Secrets.
Jo Jung Suk in Jealousy Incarnate.
Lee Si Young in Lookout.
Kim Min Jung in My Fellow Citizens.
Kim Hae Sook in Marriage not Dating.
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15 🌸 Cera (@Seeker) 🌸
June 19, 2024 at 8:10 AM
Lee Sung-min in Reborn Rich and Shadow Detective.
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16 Kafiyah Bello
June 19, 2024 at 8:10 AM
Lee Joong Ki in Scarlet Ryeo. Man oh man was he flawed, but that drama still breaks my heart, but Chef's kiss for its brilliance, when it was good it was spectacular, when it was bad, yikes.
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DancingEmma
June 19, 2024 at 10:40 AM
I’ve not been able to access this. If I ever do and if you have time, which particular eps would you recommend for me to watch (as above)?
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Kafiyah Bello
June 19, 2024 at 1:17 PM
Oh goodness, in order to fully understand. You have to watch all of it. I remember when it was airing, us beanies were on a roller coaster ride. Every episode had moments of greatness and every episode had nonsense. Man I wish I had a better answer. Just the whole thing gives you the opportunity to see LJK do fantastic work.
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Gikata
June 19, 2024 at 4:24 PM
If you could stomach the cringe of first 2-3 episodes and hang on until the scene where his character pays his royal momma a visit to wish her goodnight, you'll be treated to a very telling example of his overall performance in that show.
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DancingEmma
June 19, 2024 at 4:40 PM
Thanks heaps. I hope I can legally find it some day.
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Gikata
June 19, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Very weird it's not on Viki or something, being the one of the biggest international hits of the last decade.
DancingEmma
June 19, 2024 at 5:15 PM
It is on Viki but not licensed in my region. It frustrates me that they won’t and they seem intractable. Sigh. Another one which they won’t is “18 again”. Impossible to find for me but I want to watch it.
Kafiyah Bello
June 19, 2024 at 4:43 PM
Thank you, because I didn't know where to start.
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Vladdles
June 19, 2024 at 8:25 PM
You can get Scarlet Heart on DVD and it is a copy legal not bootlegged however the subtitles are the worst.
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17 Kurama
June 19, 2024 at 9:11 AM
Jealousy Incarnate : Jo Jung-Suk was so charismatic in this role.
Mr Sunshine : Yoo Yeon-Seok played a pretty violent character on the Japanese side.
The Interest of Love : Moon Ga-Young played a flawed character but so well, I felt a lot of empathy for her. But every character was flawed.
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes : One of my favourite role for Seo In-Guk.
Come and Hug Me : Kim Kyung-Nam played the older brother and had a great arc, my favorite part of this drama.
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Zestileigh
June 19, 2024 at 9:35 AM
I second Mr Sunshine. That character is burned into my soul
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18 panshel
June 19, 2024 at 9:46 AM
Not antagonists, so like antiheroes? Then I would say Vincenzo.
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19 Linarrick
June 19, 2024 at 10:33 AM
One of my top dramas of the year LTNS. I’d argue both our ML and FL are flawed and are the antagonists in the show. Tho, I have to say my favourites tend to lean toward the flawed and messy Female Leads. From the same writer as MY LIBERATION NOTES, ANOTHER MISS OH. The FL Oh Hae-young is unafraid to show her emotions while processing the fact her fiancé dumped her during their wedding preparations.
Recently rewatched DISCOVERY OF LOVE, and how I miss Jung Yumi in kdramaland. All three characters in the love triangle are frustrating but my heart goes to our FL Han Yeo-reum, it’s a polarising drama for sure but that’s what I love about it.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention BO-RA! DEBORAH, she’s a dating coach which should already be sending off alarm bells. Her dubious dating advice backfires on her as she catches her long term boyfriend cheating on her.
ALCHEMY OF SOULS at least S1. Jung So-min’s Mu-deok is a treat to watch, a once deadly assassin relegated to teaching our hopeless ML Jang Uk.
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DancingEmma
June 19, 2024 at 10:42 AM
Ah, our Mudeokie. Remembrance of things past. It was so bitter sweet.
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20 Snow Flower
June 19, 2024 at 10:42 AM
Bidam and Mishil from Queen Seondeok own this thread.
Also Lee Bang Won (Yoo Ah In in Six Flying Dragons and Jang Hyuk in My Country)
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21 Snow Flower
June 19, 2024 at 10:46 AM
Gu Dong Mae (Mr. Sunshine), although "charming" is not exactly the right word for this character.
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Kurama
June 19, 2024 at 11:33 AM
Super sexy? 🤔
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22 lillamy
June 19, 2024 at 10:48 AM
Kim Bum's character in Tale of the Nine-tailed. His charming true villain-wannabe-but-just-wants-to-be-loved portrayal is spot on!
Junho in Chief Kim someone's already mentioned, but he's perfect.
And my all-time favourite actor to mention! Wang Duo in Cdrama Bloody Romance. I don't think dramaland has ever seen a more morally ambiguous character than prince Ning.
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jillian
June 19, 2024 at 11:08 AM
I love Rang. That is a very good example.
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Bunny Sonaki
June 19, 2024 at 7:47 PM
Lee Rang stole the show, my heart and everything😍😍
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redfox
June 20, 2024 at 2:08 PM
Rang aint no flawed he is perfect
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Gikata
June 20, 2024 at 9:41 PM
In this house we fully support his rights AND wrongs!
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23 jillian
June 19, 2024 at 11:07 AM
Jang Hyuk in Money Flower and Country (as Lee Bang Won)
Nam Goong Min as Chief Kim and Doctor Prisoner
Lee Junki in Flower of Evil
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24 Snow Flower
June 19, 2024 at 11:21 AM
Dae Gil (The Slave Hunters).
Jang Hyuk is really good at playing flawed but compelling characters: Money Flower, My Country, Thank You, Robber
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Isa is always time travelling
June 19, 2024 at 1:44 PM
Jang Hyuk was also "flawed but charming" in Fated to love you.
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Snow Flower
June 19, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Oh yes!
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Vladdles
June 19, 2024 at 8:33 PM
More Jang Hyuk - Tell Me What You Saw and Greasy Melo, I still can't talk or think about My Country without sobbing.
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25 technicat
June 19, 2024 at 12:32 PM
Lee Sung-min has been mentioned a lot, I'll throw in his character in Memory. He really can play the gamut of flawed but compelling characters.
Lee Dong-wook also has a bunch, I like his comedic playboyish roles like in Partner and Wild Romance, but he has a lot of tortured ones, too (one of the more interesting ones is Blade Man). And of course there's his Dour Death in Goblin.
Cho Seung-woo plays two different types of flawed characters in God's Gift: 14 Days and Forest of Secrets, which also has one of the great flawed characters by Yoo Jae-myung and comically flawed by Lee Joon-hyuk (I was rooting for him in Season 2).
I'm short-shrifting the female characters, but you can't beat Go Hyun-jung in Queen Seondeok and The Queen's Classroom, Lee Bo-young is good at comedically shallow (I Can Hear Your Voice) and repressed emotional trauma (Mother, My Daughter Seo-young).
There are some shows where both leads are flawed. Nice Guy was delicious. Que Sera Sera was like watching a trainwreck. In Ruler of Your Own World everyone's got issues but that show turned me into Yang Dong-geun fan and I was really moved by Youn yuh-jung as his mother.
And finally, So Ji-sub in I'm Sorry I Love You.
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26 jerrykuvira
June 19, 2024 at 1:28 PM
My Liberation Notes' Mr. Gu was who first came to mind.
The lastest flawed but charming character on my screen is Bitter Sweet Hell's Hong Sa-kang.
Delving into my books... a long list includes:
Life : Jo Seung-woo
Queen Seondeok : Go Hyun-jung
On The Verge of Insanity : Lee Sang-yeob
Emperor - Owner of the Mask : Yoon So-hee (Kim Hwa-gun)
Queen of Divorce : Oh Min-seok
Tell Me That You Love Me : Kim Ji-hyun
Bloody Heart : Jang Hyuk
Bloody Heart : Park Ji-yeon
The Matchmakers : Park Ji-young
Little Women : Wie Ha-joon
The Midnight Romance in Hagwon : Seo Jung-yeon
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Isa is always time travelling
June 19, 2024 at 1:40 PM
I never thought someone would find Park Ji-young, Lady Park in The Matchmakers, charming 😅
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Kurama
June 19, 2024 at 1:45 PM
She was a great villain, I couldn't hate her because her love for her family was sincere.
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Isa is always time travelling
June 19, 2024 at 1:53 PM
She was a great villain, but never charming (at least as I see that quality).
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Kurama
June 19, 2024 at 2:09 PM
I found her way to teach Soon-deok to be in charge of the household, to not push her grandson to study too much, how she was sad about her son, etc. , she had qualities.
jerrykuvira
June 19, 2024 at 1:45 PM
Im always charmed by Park Ji-young's performance, since the time of Fugitive of Joseon.
Her charm in The Matchmakers lied in her wit, and how she situated herself properly as the matriarch of her household, and major decision maker of the clan. I don't know what other charm there is.
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Bunny Sonaki
June 19, 2024 at 7:45 PM
Wi Ha-joon in Little Women is a great example of morally gray👏👏👏👏
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27 Gikata
June 19, 2024 at 4:32 PM
The prompt is quite vague or is it just me? Like are we talking about grey protagonists, charismatic villains, charming supports or everyone above? Because that's 3 separate but equally loooong lists...
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Gikata
June 19, 2024 at 4:52 PM
Like we can go from hilarious ex-boyfriend SML in QUEEN INHYUN'S MAN (I'm still sad actor didn't stick to dramas) to YSY's tragic villain SML in NOKDU FLOWER to shovel murderer husband from currently airing THE DOUBLE, who eclipses just about everyone in the drama both in terms of characterization and acting... So narrow it down, pls, or we'll stay here for a while)))
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Zestileigh
June 19, 2024 at 7:52 PM
Interesting how much you like the husband in The Double. I’m about ten episodes behind current airing, and he hasn’t really shined much yet.
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Vladdles
June 19, 2024 at 8:45 PM
I caved in and took out a Youku subscription to stay up to date, the subtitles on Viki are better in my opinion but the online spoilers where driving me nuts and seem impossible to avoid.
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Gikata
June 20, 2024 at 9:20 PM
I may get flack for it, but he's just about the only character in that circus - I mean it fully lovingly - that feels like a real person and not either Mary Sue, caricature villain or cardboard sidekick. The contrast is mind-blowing - dude has all the conflict, all the moral dilemma, all the deadly flaws on top of plenty positive qualities that everyone else lack. In another story he'd be a tragic hero doomed to descend into hell of his own making, bemoaning the cruel fate that led him there while readers are torn between pitying him and being rightfully disgusted. Other stuff in the show cannot even compare. Idk if it was genius or horrible decision to give him such depth in an otherwise shallow plot, but it will make me remember the show for a long time.
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Vladdles
June 19, 2024 at 8:39 PM
The Double is s good! And yes I agree that shovel husband is compelling however I think the wonder of this show it that all the main characters are so well drawn and complex, love it!
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Gikata
June 20, 2024 at 9:40 PM
I... wouldn't say so about other characters, except for maybe Princess and Emperor, but the former is a walking natural disaster and the latter is too under-explored to classify him properly, but small hints here and there about what he is under the surface are pretty intriguing.
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lillamy
June 20, 2024 at 1:43 PM
Shovel murderer husband would be a great example not for the fact that he is ruled by greed, and that's not charming. The actor makes a very compelling portrayal, though. But my favourite thing about the drama, apart from the costumes and OST, is the way even bad characters are somehow written with flair and a distinct personality.
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Gikata
June 20, 2024 at 9:35 PM
It's not greed, but ambition. And the interesting thing is that initially - or at least in his delulu head - it was a well-intended, righteous ambition... until he started to whore himself and commit grave crimes to achieve it. Which shouldn't be charming per se, but this idea of "what if" in the parallel world where he had just a little more spine... THAT would be a very attractive dude who'd break many hearts prone to "I can fix him" syndrome)))
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lillamy
June 22, 2024 at 12:46 AM
Ambition in itself is not a bad trait in any way, but I think his selfish behaviour marks it out as greed. In that parallell world he would either remain in his station for the rest of his life because of lacking in funds to rally others or be ruined if he refused to give in to the princess. But I think that hidden semblance of a spine will be the cause of death of the princess in the end.🌶️
And I look forward to it. A lot.
Midnight
June 20, 2024 at 12:21 AM
I agree. "Flawed" has a very very wide range in kdramas. Also "flawed but charming" isn't one bit the same as "flawed but with a magnetic pull".
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Isa is always time travelling
June 20, 2024 at 12:47 AM
You are right. Everybody has their different takes on it. I was thinking of characters which were far from perfect, ideal people, but had a lot of charm (that's why I mentioned Bidam, or ML in Fated to love you, who are perfect for this prompt, imo). I didn't think about villains or grey characters.
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Midnight
June 20, 2024 at 1:05 AM
Yes. That is why I do count Kim Min Jung in My Fellow Citizens, because she was magnetic but hilariously dumb, and thought she could rule the roast by money and threatening alone. But she kept being outsmarted left and right in such gleeful ways!
But I would never count Kim Min Jung from The Devil Judge. She was just a murderer. Nothing more.
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28 Procrasti-NationFirstCitizen
June 19, 2024 at 10:16 PM
I thought Kdrama's speciality lies in flawed characters that somehow make me root for them, villains included!
Definitely at the top of my mind right now would be our Atypical Family, especially the sauna side of it. There were so many times when I was yelling at Sauna Mom and Gym Sis, embrace your good side, woman - you know it's right there! The uncle was also so cute throughout.
Also, Lee Min Ki's cop from Behind Your Touch, and Seo Ye Ji's FL in Its Ok to Not Be Ok. There are many many more, but I can't pinpoint at the moment.
In Cdramas, I'd def add the FL from Will Love in Spring, and Elvis Han, in Fake It...
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29 kiddeo
June 20, 2024 at 8:09 AM
Kang Sung Mo in He is Psychometric
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30 redfox
June 20, 2024 at 2:25 PM
Shunji in Gaksital - you could say villain, yes. but the why? and yet...
Min in Hello Monster
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Snow Flower
June 21, 2024 at 5:46 AM
Shunji in Gaksital was great! Best bromance ever...or is it vendetta?
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31 beffels
June 21, 2024 at 2:15 AM
I don’t know if this really fits the prompt but Shin Sung Rok in the Last Empress was pretty clearly Not A Good Person but he was way more compelling than the actual hero 😅
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lillamy
June 22, 2024 at 12:51 AM
Shin Sung Rok is always compelling. Magnetic to a fault.
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32 Babylilo
June 21, 2024 at 1:48 PM
Con artist Seung-Jung in (Kim Jung-Hyun) Crash Landing on You may have done some dirty deals, but his ultimate sacrifice made him a much-beloved character.
Another swindler, Yong-Tae (Son Ho-Jun), in My Secret Terrius might have stolen my heart instead of the ML—had the ML not been So Ji-Sub.
Prison Playbook had a whole cell full of criminals I grew fond of during the course of the show, though aside from Jung Hae-In as the homicidal Captain Yoo, I wouldn't call any of them "magnetic."
Jang Hyuk has played a number of flawed characters who exert the kind of magnetic pull described in the prompt. In addition to the already-mentioned Bloody Heart, you'll find him in roles including obnoxious chaebols (Fated to Love You, Bright Girl's Success), gangster (Greasy Melo), and a man who resorts to crime in order to support his children (Bad Papa).
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33 vienibenmio
June 21, 2024 at 2:27 PM
I would say Ko Nan-do from My Holo Love. He's soooo flawed but you end up loving and rooting for him.
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