I recall a scene in Fight My Way where nerdy Choi Woo Shik buys (too small) sneakers for the FL in an attempt to woo her. I think he puts them on for her too.

Though his best “wooing” attempt was when he tried the backing up with one arm behind the headrest move, only to realize he put his hand behind HER HEAD instead lmao

Classic: HOMTETOWN CHA CHA CHA. 😂
FL loses her beloved (& new & fancy & expensive) heels to the hungry waves of the ocean. ML manages to retrieve one, but I guess only finds the second one much later. Then he leaves that one as a surprise for her in her shoe closet (+ some shenanigans ensues if I remember correctly). It was a whole overarching shoes plot! Plus: the shoes looked chic - but of course uncomfortable. 👀

Oh yes! BUSINESS PROPOSAL has a funny stumble & lose one heel on the pavement scene, when ML comes to the rescue, catches her from falling, then places the shoe back on her foot. 👏 This was right after their date in the restaurant, where her dress ripped because it was too small really when they bought it.

I’m not laughing. Or maybe I am 😂😂😂

Joseon Attorney Ep. 7 — The ML wins a pair of flower shoes and gives them to the FL as a birthday gift, saying he hopes they will take her to better places as he puts them on her feet. Everyone thinks he should have opted for the cow prize instead. 🐮 😂

Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale ep1. FL "lost" her shoe and went down the staircase towards the ML who found it. What happens next is...not as expected. 😅

I think 2 is every single drama with a "Cinderella" concept:
I Openly Dream of Cinderella
Cinderella at 2AM
BOF... etc.

I think it also happened in Devilish Joy and with the second leads of Serendipity Embrace... Tbh, it happens too often I get confused. If the ML drives a car there's at least one mandatory scene with him taking a random shirt/pair of shoes out of the trunk for the FL.

For #1... I think I only have seen FLs' with broken shoes. Sometimes, they "lose" the shoe because they throw it to the ML. But never have seen a "missing" shoe I think.

Random thought: this is a trope I would like to see reversed often.

I don't think kdramas are trying to make a social commentary on how shoes for women are designed to break easily or hurt us, so why not let the guy get hurt by (or lose) a new/wrong size shoe once in a while? I'm a sure our dear heroine would buy a pair of slippers for him.

Cinderalla at 2am : She lost her shoe at the office in the stairs and the ML helped her with it.

Love Next Door : She threw her shoe at him and gave it her back. He gave her slippers when she decided to walk on Namsan moutain.

Celebrity : The shoes were not lost but it was pretty funny to watch the maid taking off the shoes of the ML when he was walking!

I remember several dramas where ML buys shoes but I'm not sure if they place them on FL's foot or not.
For instance: My Dearest, Shopping King Louis, Flower Boy Next Door, Bossam...

In Racket Boys one of our young couples is sitting on some rocks by the river and one of her sneakers falls into the water and he retrieves it.

In "My Love From A Star" he has, as I recall, a sight of her drowning wearing her new glittery shoes. So he steals them to save her from the prophecy coming true.

Pinocchio featured something with shoes. I think the FL took off her shoes to hit guys who wronged her and the ML put them back on for her.

Did she also leave a shoe behind cause she was in a rush?

In Jealousy Incarnate /Don't Dare to Dream, 2ML goes down on the floor in front of the FL to measure her feet for shoes made to fit her uniquely. "Size Pyo Na-ri".

Castaway Diva has some really wholesome shoe scenes in the beginning episodes! 1 + 2 both apply somewhat, even though it's not the same pair of shoes!

(small spoiler) The young ML lets the young FL borrow his shoes when they are running away in the first episode. He promises to buy her a new pair someday (not spoiling further if he did haha)

Greatest Love! The female lead sells her shoes and the male lead ends up buying them and returning them to her. It's so adorable and sweet and I'm excited no one mentioned it yet so I can, lol