K-Drama Second Leads & The Saddest Back-Story Trend
K-drama second-leads have every trait of a perfect guy. They almost always have a caring and considerate attitude (at least towards the girl they like). It wouldn’t be wrong to call them the female lead’s guardian angel. However, things never go their way, which has the audience feeling sympathetic towards them. To make it hurt more, the writers also give these second-leads the most tragic backstories. Their history is a major factor that contributes to us, K-drama fans, contracting the most acute form of a ‘second-lead syndrome’.
Here are six K-drama second-leads with the saddest stories:
1. Boys Over Flowers’ Yoon Ji Hu
Kim Hyun Joong plays the character of Yoon Ji Hu who becomes an orphan at the age of five. Following his parents’ death, his grandfather, too, abandons him. This leads to Ji Hu adopting a quiet and observant personality. He rarely opens up to anyone until he meets Geum Jandi. Ji Hu is basically Jandi’s knight in shining armour; always being there for her. And let’s be honest, had it not been for Yoon Ji Hu’s help, Gu Jun Pyo and Geum Jandi would never have been together. It has been eight years, yet, Yoon Ji Hu still remains fans’ favourite second lead.
2. Heirs’ Choi Young Do
I’ve come across bad boys, but never one as charismatic as Choi Young Do. Although, overall, people found Heirs to be a huge disappointment, this character, acted by Kim Woo Bin, was part of a few commendable things about it. Choi Young Do grew up as a lonely kid with a cheating father. His mother had left him when he was just a child. Watching him fall in love for the first time was probably the most adorable and hurtful feeling at the same time. This bad-boy-turned-sad-boy left a great impact on the audience.
3. Who Are You: School 2015’s Kong Tae Gwang
Kong Tae Gwang is a typical carefree – I-don’t-give-a-damn – character. His father is a corrupt high-school principal while his mother has re-married a few times. Pretty much like Choi Young Do, Kong Tae Gwang (Yook Sungjae) grew up alone. He was never interested in making friends or getting to know people, until he met Lee Eun Bi. After learning the truth about her, he becomes more curious and eventually ends up liking her. Kong Tae Gwang gave me the most painful second-lead syndrome. What hurts the most is that he literally changed himself for Lee Eun Bi.
4. Sassy Go Go’s Seo Ha Joon
Ji Soo’s Seo Ha Joon is another heart-breaking character with a heart-wrenching (probably the most painful in this list) backstory. Initially, he was just the best friend of the main lead with some unknown story behind him. Only much later do we find out that Seo Ha Joon is a psychologically damaged, suicidal, high-schooler with an abusive father, whose only interest in his son’s life are exceptional grades without any regard to his health. Maybe it’s because of the father that Ji Soo’s character is shown to be an introvert. His only friend is Kim Yeol until he becomes closer to the female lead Kang Yun Doo. I might have been swooning over Kim Yeol’s smile throughout the drama, but Seo Ha Joon had me feeling sympathetic and thinking about the societal pressure on students and how they deal with it.
5. Hwarang’s Ji Dwi Rang
Even though the character, King Jineung, who inherited the title of a king at a very young age and had to hide himself since then, is not as sad as some of the other second-leads on this list, Park Hyung Sik portrays it well enough to shake our hearts. The audience could feel the emotions, especially every time he felt helpless.
6. Cheese In The Trap’s Baek In Ho
Seo Kang Joon gives one stellar performance with this character. He plays an orphan, Baek In Ho, who grows up, with his sister, at their father’s friend’s house. Due to a misunderstanding, his best friend has a gang beat him up which results in In Ho’s hand breaking. This was especially sad since Baek In Ho is a pianist – one who is pretty amazing at what he does. If that wasn't enough, they didn't even give him the girl (obviously) after showing such a tremendous chemistry between the two.
Which second do you think has the saddest back story? Let us know!