IT is not unfamiliar to fans of K-drama series who can’t help but get their hearts broken by what has come to be known as ‘Second Lead Syndrome’. Second Lead Syndrome is when you start shipping the female lead with a second male lead, or when you like a second lead more than the first lead.
This is a common syndrome found in many dramas. The syndrome applies more often to male characters than to female characters. The audience falls in love with a cute, charming and lovable secondary character, and with his attempts to woo the K-drama’s leading female character.
The female lead will often waver between the first and second leads, leaving the fans at the edge of their seats and wondering who she will pick. In some cases, the second lead man may seem like the better option, but in the end the female character still ends up choosing the lead male character.
Here are the ones whom we were definitely rooting for:
Chae Jong-hyeop as Yang Do-hyeok in Nevertheless
While playboy Park Jae-young (Song Kang), sporting a butterfly tattoo, raised up several red flags that Yu Na-bi (Han Seo-hee) deliberately ignored, fans were also struck by Yang-hyeok (Chae Jong-hyeop)’s love and concern for her.
A childhood friend who claimed that she was his first love, Yang-hyeok is a good cook and a devoted lover. His heart only beats for Na-Bi. But the girl obviously wanted to see more butterflies and get her heart broken over and over again. Fans had hopes until the very last episode that she would choose him over the walking red flag Jae-young, only to get disappointed again.
Kim Hyun-joong as Yoon Ji-hoo in Boys Over Flowers
Boys Over Flowers is a classic drama. It would be safe to say that this drama introduced audiences to Second Lead Syndrome in the first place. This series deals with bad guys as well as love triangles. As the story begins, the female protagonist gets an opportunity to study at a prestigious school. There, she meets some popular boys that all the other girls love.
She begins to develop a love-hate relationship with Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho). He constantly ignores her and pushes her to her side.However, the second male character, Yoon Ji-hoo (Kim Hyun-joong), is the exact opposite. He is sweet, caring and very protective. He’s always there for her when she’s hurting but unfortunately, he doesn’t win her heart.
Kim Woo-Bin as Choi Young-do in The Heirs
The 2014 teen drama The Heirs gave us a variety of characters, from the most adorable to the most annoying. To be honest, we cheered for second lead Kim Woo-bin as Choi Young-do to get the main girl.
It’s not that the main guy was bad, he was equally nice and caring, but fans developed some sort of connection with the second lead Choi Young-do, known as a gangster at school, who turned out to be a warm-hearted boy craving for love and attention, and who risked everything to protect lead girl Cha Eun-sang.He did have his own ways of expressing affection that could be rude at times, but least he was honest about his feelings. He did everything he could to make her happy until the very last episode.
Kim Seonho as Han Ji Pyeong in Start Up
Seo Dal Mi (Suzy) is struggling to make her dreams come true of becoming a successful woman. She is poor and can’t seem to decide what is wrong her in work plans. She hasn’t had the greatest luck, but opportunity knocks on her door when her sister invites her to a networking party. She is determined to invite her first love Nam Do San. The only issue here is Nam Do San is actually an imposter named Han Ji-Pyeong (Kim Seon Ho).
Ji-Pyeong then tracks down the real Do San. This leads to a triangle love affair, culminating in a series of lies, broken dreams and broken hearts. The second lead Ji-Pyeong seems like the perfect one for Dal Mi. He is wealthy, smart, loyal, and loves Dal Mi so much that he constantly prioritises her happiness over his own. The only problem here is that Dal Mi couldn’t return his feelings because she is so in love with Do San. The heartbreak for this powerful second lead was unforgettable, and fans are still struggling to move on from this series.
Ryu Jun Yeol as Kim Jung Hwan in Reply 1988
Reply 1988 is an installment of a famous and beloved K-drama franchise. In Reply 1988, the second lead male is Kim Jung-hwan (Ryu Jun-yeol). Jung-hwan has always had a crush on his friend and neighbor, Song Deok-sun (Lee Hye-ri).
There is a memorable alley scene in that series that caused the fans to begin seeing these two as meant for each other, and probably that’s when they started shipping them together. The fans loved Jung-hwan even more for his actions after finding out that his friend was in love with Deok-sun too. Instead of fighting for his love, he retreated and gives his friend a chance to pursue her.
Wi Ha-joon as Ye Ji-hoon in 18 Again
Before joining Squid Game and tvN’s hit Bad and Crazy and stealing everyone’s hearts, Wi Ha-joon played the role of Ye Ji-Hoon in 18 Again. He played a baseball star who had feelings for Da-jung, the lead female. He pursues her and takes all the effort to make her hers.
However, he realised that Da-jung was still in love with her ex-husband and had to let her go. He didn’t want to confuse her with his feelings. Fans were totally smitten by him and were still rooting for him even after they realised he wasn’t the end game.
Seo Kang-Joon as Baek In Ho in Cheese In The Trap
This is undoubtedly one of the most memorable love triangles, and fits the definition of Second Lead Syndrome perfectly. Usually, even though fans root for the second lead, that doesn’t mean the main lead gets ignored. They equally love their chemistry together too.
This is one of the rare cases where fans really disliked main character who got the girl in the first place. Baek In-ho (Seo Kang-joon) loses his future as a pianist following to a rivalry with the male lead due to his past. The situation worsens as the two falls in love with Hong Seol (Kim Go-eun).
In-ho keeps her away from him and warns her that the other man is not what he seems. Fans were even wary of whether the main character was ever sincere. From the beginning, it was clear that In-ho was the best choice for the female lead, and she believe she should have end up with him rather than the main lead.
Hwang In Yeop as Han Seo-Joon in True Beauty
There’s nothing like a love triangle to bring a drama to life. True Beauty’s Han Seo-joon (Hwang In-yeop) is a high school bad boy who has a rivalry with another student, Su Ho (Cha Eun Woo). Su Ho is a cool, popular, kind and gentle person.
Their rivalry intensifies when the two begin to fall in love with the main girl Ju-Kyung. But her interests in this drama are quite obvious. Despite everything Seo-joon has done for Ju-Kyung, and while fans thought he would be a better match, that is not how it ended. Viewers can’t help but feel sorry for Seo-joon, who was always by Ju-Kyung’s side and was a good friend with her.
All these dramas are available to watch online with English subtitles.
