For die-hard fans of K-dramas, after endless hours of binge-watching, it's easy to spot some of the common tropes used in their storylines. And no genre of television or movies is without them. The main reason is that it tends to draw in audiences and get them intrigued to watch, but it also spices up the story and creates a dramatic turn of events.
K-dramas have a way of using more than a handful of well-known tropes that make the genre so popular. And some tropes are incredibly addicting to see play out on screen. Between unexpected love stories, rivalries, and bones in the closet, these K-drama tropes will have anyone up into the early morning watching episode after episode.
10 Sudden Amnesia
Amnesia is a trope that's often seen in many K-dramas. It's often used as a plot device for main characters to add a level of suspense, especially when it comes to a love story. After watching so many hours of the main characters finally trying to admit their feelings, a sudden tragic event of amnesia takes place.
In Bring It On, Ghost, after the main characters already have an established relationship, the female character wakes up and doesn't remember who her love interest is. In Netflix's Uncanny Counters, one of the main characters can't remember his past before becoming a grim reaper. This leads to a slew of events to uncover the truth.
9 Main Characters Who Actually Knew Each Other Beforehand
Some storylines have audiences believe that the main characters just met, but it doesn't always turn out that way. It's often later revealed that the leads had a past together or met beforehand and forgot about each other. This is seen in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim and in Between Lovers.
There's even a K-drama where the two leads had a tragic past as children that lead to dire consequences. It's seen in It's Okay To Not Be Okay and many more. This trope helps cement the relationship between the main characters as being fated.
8 Disapproving & Overbearing Parents
What's a good love story if there isn't any backlash from family members? It's not uncommon to see love dramas use this trope, often when the charming and elite male character defies his parents' wishes to be with the person he truly loves. In Boys Over Flowers, the main male character's mother is often tagged as being one of the evilest to appear in a K-drama.
She disapproves of her son's relationship with a woman of a lower status. And disapproving parents don't just appear in love stories. They also appear when they berate the main characters for not living up to their expectations, career or education-wise.
7 Best Friends Turned Enemies
This trope will also tie into another entry for obvious reasons. Many K-dramas often start with an already established storyline. These being former best friends who go through something tragic and become mortal enemies. In True Beauty, the school's most intelligent student and the school bad boy are known for holding a grudge against each other.
Without giving too much away, it's discovered that they were once close-knit best friends. When tragedy strikes, one blames the other. This trope is common in K-dramas and makes for a riveting form of tension and hopefully, reconciliation.
6 Friends Or Enemies Turned Lovers
This is one of the most often seen tropes to appear in K-dramas because it sets up the storyline for a love story. It's also one of the most popular. This trope can come in a variety of forms, like the cold and distant cool guy who has it out for the female lead. There's also the lifelong best friends who one day realize they have feelings for each other.
In A Korean Odyssey, a monkey demon's main goal is to eat the body of a special human that will restore his status. They bicker endlessly but end up falling in love. The same goes for Suspicious Partner, in which the two characters loathe each other but there's too much chemistry not to ignore. In Fight My Way, the two leads have been childhood friends and neighbors for years that turns into a relationship.
5 Idols As Main Characters
For fans of K-Pop and K-dramas, it's a joy to see a famous idol grace the screen in a lead role. The idol's popularity brings in an already established viewership when a K-Pop idol tries their hand at acting. One idol and actor that has risen to stardom is Cha Eun‑woo. He made his debut as a member of the K-Pop group, Astro and landed a lead role in Gangnam Beauty, where he gained even further recognition.
Another hit idol to make it big on screen is Bae Suzy from the group Miss A. She's had roles in many dramas and is the lead in the Netflix thriller, Vagabond. More and more idols are getting bit by the acting bug, like Nu'est's Hwang Min‑Hyun. He made his break with the lead role in Live On.
4 Tragic Event Or Illness
As the storyline goes on and things seem like they're going to be okay, tragedy strikes. It's a useful and often used plot element that shifts the story to the serious and adds a level of tension. This is done with a character being involved in a vehicle accident or another form of physical altercation.
This trope can also be described as the moment in K-dramas where a main or supporting character becomes terminally ill. In some cases, it involves the sudden reveal of a character on the brink of death and how no one knew. Spoiler ahead. Between Lovers used this trope well. It also occurs in I'm Not a Robot, as the main character has a severe allergy that can be deadly.
3 The Bones In The Closet
This is a favorite when it comes to a riveting and alluring K-drama. When it comes to dramas about love, it needs a bit of "oomph" to make things riveting. This is often done by alluding to the main character's dark past that has hindered them for years and it becomes one of the main hurdles to overcome for the characters.
In It's Okay To Not Be Okay, the stylish and cold female lead has a dark past that viewers are given glimpses of. Along the way, it's revealed that it plays a huge role in who she has become and is a bit bone-chilling. The trope even occurs in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, in which the stoic male lead has a bad association with zip ties due to a tragic event from his childhood.
2 The Love Triangles
Fans can go on and on about how K-dramas use love triangles to create a love story that has them on the edge of their seat. Some are out of this world and have become fan favorites. There are also love triangles that created "second lead syndrome," where the second choice was more deserving of the female character's love.
Love triangles create intense drama that pulls at the heartstrings and even has people shedding a tear. It's an impactful moment when the leads admit their feelings for each other and the third wheel is left heartbroken. Many dramas are well known for it, like Cheese In The Trap, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and Heirs.
1 The Cinderella Story
Cinderella's story of a simple girl getting the opportunity to glam herself up and impress the prince has been reiterated in many forms on screen, even in K-dramas. This more often than not occurs in the form of makeovers or a lower-status girl catching the eye of the popular male lead.
In K-dramas, female leads are sometimes deemed as "unattractive" in looks, like in True Beauty and She Was Pretty. They go through a detailed makeover that makes them desirable. In the end, the male lead actually fell for her before the makeover. One of the best examples of a lower status girl getting the rich and popular guy is Heirs.
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