What is a good drama without a few cliches? Yes, I know they can be overdone and lead to viewers losing interest in the show but there are still some good cliches that we love. Below we list our most memorable from K-drama history!
Driving With One Hand
As Extraordinary Attorney Woo reminded us, a man driving with one hand can be a whole new kind of danger. It must be an unwritten rule but the moment a man leans back in his car seat and uses one hand to drive effortlessly, he instantly becomes sexy.
Pushed Against The Wall Kissing Scenes
We have seen this scene countless times in many K-dramas. It is always thrilling to see one of the characters slowly backing away as the other advances until they run into a wall. They stare at each other’s lips as they get close to each other and then kiss. One of the best pushed-against-the-wall kissing scenes is in Melting Me Softly, be sure to check out that show.
“Yes, It is beautiful.” Gaze
In almost every romantic K-drama, there is this scene. Normally, they will be star-gazing or looking at fireworks. The girl will be smiling, fully focused on enjoying the show and she will nonchalantly ask if he thinks it is beautiful. Instead of looking at the stars/ fireworks, he will be gazing at her looking every bit smitten when he answers, “yes, it is beautiful.”
Protecting The Girl At All Costs
Lee Min Ho, Song Joong Ki, and Ji Chang Wook probably have this cliche mastered to the tee. They are the reigning kings of protecting their girls at all costs. They are ready for World War 3 to make sure their girls are safe. They also look so damn good while fighting, how can we ever get tired of this cliche? We all remember the famous King Eternal Monarch scene ” Protect her! She is the future queen of the Kingdom of Corea.”
Umbrella Kissing Scene
A little romance in the rain never hurt anyone and an umbrella is a perfect refuge to get close and lean in for a kiss. As the rain pounds hard, the characters who have feelings for each other get close under the umbrella. They can’t help but stare at each other’s lips as the air around them turns romantic and suddenly it just seems like they are in their world. The best umbrella kissing scene has to be in I Am Not a Robot where the umbrella plays a key plot point.
The “don’t go” Hand Grab
K-dramas are known for their dramatic wrist grabs and it mostly happens in the middle of the streets and the second lead is always involved. There is also the wrist grab when the male protagonist has messed up or is scared to say his feelings and the female lead is about to leave.
For a few seconds, viewers wonder if he will just let her walk out, and then he grabs her arm just when she is about to go. In most cases, he then back hugs her, as a way to express that he wants her to stay. Lee Min Ho and Park Min Young pulled off this scene perfectly in the City Hunter.
The Finger Touch
If you want to understand how electrifying a single-finger touch can be, watch a K-drama. It usually happens when two characters who are into each other go to grab the same thing at the same time. Their fingers touch each other and as if electrocuted they pull their hands away so fast.
Jealous Moments
Jealousy is indeed a disease but it can sometimes look good on people in love. Park Seo Joon even made it look hot in What Is Wrong With Secretary Kim. I mean the way he drank the water and squished the bottle was effortlessly sexy. There is also the funny jealousy scene in Descendants Of The Sun where Min Yoongi was brought up.
The Random Shower Scenes
I doubt anyone is ever mad about the random shower scenes where the male characters get to show their amazing ripped body as water slowly cascades down their chest. Some cliches are so captivating that they ought to be done as much as possible.
Ramyeon Meokgo Gallae
Every K-drama fan understands this statement. Recently there have been changes to this iconic line but the gist remains the same. Whether it is drinking jujube tea, or an invitation to see butterflies or peonies the meaning is never lost.
Breakfast The Morning After
A man who can cook is one of the few things we enjoy seeing. It is always sweet to see the male characters cook for their girlfriends in the morning when they sleep over. One of our favourites stems from the scene in Dali And The Cocky Prince; they didn’t make it awkward, it was a rather sweet, relatable scene.
And there we have it, our picks for the best romantic K-drama cliches!
What do you think of our list? Have we included your favourites? Or have we missed any must-watch dramas? We love to hear from you so do feel free to let us know in the comments below.
Hi Kristen . I will add it . Thank you
Niiiiiiiiice
This really made me chuckle – thank you! Can I please add the ‘accidental kiss’ to the list?