While it's customary for the audience to root for the lead guy in a Korean drama, I often find myself hoping for a happy ending for the kinder, hotter second lead who, despite exerting his best efforts and always being there for the lead girl, never ever gets her. You will often find me screaming silently--or not--at the TV screen as girl after girl ignores a second lead's charms and instead falls for the brooding, often mean-tempered lead guy. Now I know everyone loves a bad boy, but just once, I wish the other guy had a reason to rejoice too.
In a previous blog entry, I called this the "Nice Guys Finish Last" cliché and discussed the effects of having second lead syndrome, an affliction that leaves some audience members unsatisfied once the drama's One True Pairing get together. There's just something depressing about seeing the underdog suffer when you know he's given his all, after all.
Nice guys deserve to get some love too, so this time around, I'm paying tribute to the second leads who got the short end of the stick in their dramas but will be remembered by K-drama lovers everywhere for their valiant efforts. I actually loved the lead guys in most of these dramas, but it's a testament to just how compelling the second leads are that they also made my heart suffer along with theirs.
How about you, FNites? Who's your favorite second lead guy? Share your thoughts in a comment!
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