10 KDrama Characters That Have Every Fan Feeling “SecondLead Syndrome”

10 K-Drama Characters That Have Every Fan Feeling “Second-Lead Syndrome”

“Second-Lead Syndrome” is a common trope in popular K-Dramas. These characters are all memorable because of it.

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Fans of K-drama aren’t strangers to getting their hearts broken over “second-hand lead syndrome.” It’s a common trope seen in many dramas, mostly romances. The syndrome often applies to male characters rather than female ones. It’s when the second male love interest is also in the running to win over the girl’s heart.

He tries everything to get her to see that he’s the better choice. It often leaves fans at the edge of their seats wondering who she’ll pick. In some cases, the second love interest seems like a better choice but ends up with a shattered heart. It’s not easy seeing the female lead have her heart stolen by another even if the winner does or doesn’t deserve her love.

10 Suk Dong-chul (Save Me)

Save Me is in no way a romance and one of the rare few K-dramas that still have “second lead syndrome.” The thriller/mystery, available on Netflix, is about a young girl who tries to leave her church after realizing it’s a dangerous cult. When the show starts, audiences are introduced to a group of male high schoolers who help her and her family when they first arrive.

Dong-chul (Woo Do-hwan) and his friend Ok Taec-yeon (Han Sang-hwan) become dazzled by her. It’s clear that there are some feelings from both of them. The female lead is desperate to escape the cult and Dong-chul is the one who comes to her rescue. Fans rooted for him but by the end, it became clear that there was more of a romance between her and Taec-yeon.

9 Park Jung-woo (Temperature Of Love)

Actor Kim Jae-wook is known for many roles and was the lead love interest in Her Private Life. Just like he was a boss in that K-drama, he also played the role of a CEO in Temperature of Love. But this time his character got “second-lead syndrome.” The drama focuses on two main characters who originally meet online.

Finally meeting in person, they start a sweet romance. But as life happens, they grow apart as they follow their careers. Lee Hyun Soo (Seo Hyun Jin) soon becomes entangled with Ceo Jung-woo who happens to be the business partner of her former love. He becomes relentless in wanting her affection and her love to a point that it becomes heartbreaking for fans to watch.

8 Shin Hu-ye (Bride Of Habaek)

Shin Hu-ye (Lim Ju-hwan) really had fans feeling bad for him. In the fantasy K-drama, he plays the second love interest to the female lead except it’s revealed that he’s no ordinary CEO. He’s a demi-god who was imprisoned in a cave for decades and forced to live an immortal life.

He meets the female main character and can’t help but find her special. But of course, she starts to fall in love with the male lead. For fans, it’s clear that she and Hu-ye have a special bond. Especially when fans sympathize with him as he’s been alone all his life and never felt love or companionship. He’s also hated by the other characters for who he is and how he came to be.

7 Han Seo‑joon (True Beauty)

There’s nothing like a good love triangle to spice up a drama. But most love triangles end with “second-lead syndrome.” This is certainly the case for the 2020 drama, True Beauty. Han Seo‑joon (Hwang In‑yeop) is the resident bad boy at school who has a rivalry with the head student.

It becomes even more intense when both of them start to fall in love with the female lead. In this drama, the interest of the female lead in the head student is blatantly clear. Viewers can’t help but pity Seo-joon as he’s often there by her side and becomes a good friend outside of school. The relationship is palpable, but who will she choose?

6 Yoon Ji Hoo (Boys Over Flowers)

Boys Over Flowers is a classic K-drama like The Heirs. Both deal with a bad boy, a love triangle, and “second-lead syndrome.” As the popular story goes, the female lead gets the opportunity to attend a prestigious school. She then meets the popular boys that all the girls fawn over.

She starts to develop a love/hate relationship with Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho). He constantly disregards her and pushes her aside. Hence Yoon Ji-hoo’s (Kim Hyun-joong) role as the second-lead, who is the exact opposite. He’s sweet, caring, and protective of her. He’s often there as a shoulder to cry on when her heart gets broken by Jun-pyo. Sadly, he doesn’t get the girl.

5 Kim Shin‑hyuk (She Was Pretty)

She Was Pretty follows a Cinderella-type story. The female lead is deemed unattractive due to her frizzy hair and red cheeks. She gets a new job by accident at a fashion magazine and her boss happens to be her former childhood sweetheart. At work, she becomes close to Kim Shin‑hyuk (Choi Siwon).

They develop a great friendship but for Shin-hyuk, it turns into love. The female lead is oblivious to how he truly feels. He fell for her before the drastic makeover that makes her boss start to notice her. Fans couldn’t help but tear up as he risked his life to try and save her in the midst of a downpour only be beaten by the male lead. In the end, he’s left heartbroken.

4 Moon Jae-shin (Sungkyunkwan Scandal)

Moon Jae-shin (Yoo Ah-in) is not a character you want on your bad side. He’s trained in archery and has impeccable ninja skills. Behind his strong and slightly bad boy facade, he has a weakness. The female lead, Kim Yoon-hee (Park Min-young). Jae-shin causes a bit of ruckus.The kicker is that Yoon-hee is disguising herself as her brother to make ends meet since women working is prohibited in the era the show is set in. Yoon-hee comes to discover her secret and keeps her safe and prevents others from knowing the truth. With her, he’s a big softy and saves her on multiple occasions. However, she only has eyes for the male lead.

3 Han Ji-pyeong (Start-Up)

Start-Up is one of Netflix’s recent 2020 K-dramas that has fans in love. Not only are the characters fun to watch on screen, but the drama has fans experiencing “second-lead syndrome.” Bae Suzy plays the female lead who wants to make it big in Korea’s technology field. She mistakes the male lead for her past childhood love who used to write her love letters.

In reality, it was Ji-pyeong (Kim Seon‑ho) but he never wrote his name on the letters. Regardless of her not knowing, he has strong feelings for her. Like many characters before him, he doesn’t have the guts to tell her how he really feels. Ultimately, it makes him lose the girl.

2 Kim Jung-hwan (Reply 1988)

Reply 1988 is a famous K-drama that many fans can recall. It spawned two more installments with different storylines. All three have “second-lead syndrome” in their own ways. For Reply 1988, the title goes to Kim Jung-hwan (Ryu Jun Yeol).

Jung-hwan has always been in love with his friend and neighbor, Sung Deok Sun (Lee Hye Ri). There’s a memorable alley scene that had fans holding their breath. Instead of taking advantage of the close proximity, he shyly looks away. What had fans even more in love with him was when he discovers his friend also likes her. Instead of fighting, he steps away and gives him chance.

1 Baek In-ho (Cheese In The Trap)

This is inarguably one of the most memorable love triangles and displays of “second-lead syndrome” to be seen in a K-drama. It’s one of the rare occasions where fans really disliked the male lead from the get-go who got the girl. Baek In-ho (Seo Kang‑joon) has a rivalry with the male lead over their past that led him to lose his future as a pianist.

It gets worse when they both fall in love with Hong-seol (Kim Go-eun). In-ho tries to keep her away and warn that he isn’t what he seems. Fans were even wary of whether or not the male lead was ever sincere. It was clear that In-ho was the better choice from the start.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/kdrama-characters-second-lead-syndrome-trope/

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