Cover tvN's 2024 K-drama ‘Lovely Runner’ co-stars Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon (Photo: tvN)
tvN's 2024 K-drama ‘Lovely Runner’ co-stars Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon (Photo: tvN)
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The plotlines of some K-dramas are so convincing or riveting that often, we can’t help but fall in love with the dashing knight in shining armour or the antagonist we love to hate
Hundreds if not millions of audiences worldwide fell in love with Captain Yoo Shi-jin (played by Song Joong-ki) when he stopped to tie Kang Mo-yeon’s (played by Song Hye-kyo) shoelaces amid a crisis in 2016’s Descendants of the Sun. It became a memorable scene that was later unofficially crowned a “K-drama love language”, imitated by many couples in viral photoshoots, videos, and memes.
Read more: Coffee Prince, Boys Over Flowers and more: The best K-dramas of all time
Millions more absolutely abhorred Jeon Jae-joon and Yoon Eun-sung in 2022’s The Glory and 2024’s Queen of Tears respectively, both played by Park Sung-hoon. The loathing for the actor was evident, with hundreds of Queen of Tears fans flooding Park’s Instagram account with hate comments. During one of his public appearances, Jeon took it with stride, saying, “Please hate Eun-sung but don't hate me. Thank you,” much to the crowd’s amusement.
park sunghoon - we received a lot of love and I have also received a lot of hate😭😅
— April luv🌻 (@aprilluver) April 29, 2024
hey peeps hate the character not him😩 pic.twitter.com/vT2yalmr7t
It takes real finesse and impeccable acting chops to convince fans enough to rally behind a beloved character or frustrate them to the point of wishing the worst upon him or her. However, check out some behind-the-scenes clips that will convince you that all is well in K-drama-land.
See also: The best K-dramas to watch according to your personality
1. Descendants of the Sun (2016)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2016’s ‘Descendants of the Sun’
Starring: Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, Jin Goo, and Kim Ji-won.
Release: February 14, 2016.
2. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2016’s ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’
Starring: Gong Yoo, Kim Go-eun, Lee Dong-wook, Yoo In-na, and Yook Sung-jae.
Release: December 2, 2016.
3. Fight for My Way
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2016’s ‘Fight for My Way’
Starring: Park Seo-joon, Kim Ji-won, Ahn Jae-hong, Song Ha-yoon.
Release: May 22, 2022.
Don't miss: Park Seo-Joon rocks Chanel tweed at Paris Fashion Week
4. Strong Girl Bong-Soon (2017)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2017’s ‘Strong Girl Bong-Soon’
Starring: Park Bo-young, Park Hyung-sik, and Ji Soo.
Release: February 24, 2017.
5. Crash Landing on You (2019)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2019’s ‘Crash Landing on You’
Starring: Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, and Kim Jung-hyun.
Release: December 14, 2019.
6. The Penthouse (2020 - 2021)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2020-2021’s ‘The Penthouse’
Starring: Lee Ji-ah, Kim So-yeon, Eugene (Kim Yoo-jin), Um Ki-joon, Yoon Jong-hoon, and Park Eun-seok (Danny Park).
Release: October 6, 2020.
Read more: The Penthouse hangover: 5 similar K-Dramas you should watch
7. The World of the Married (2020)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2020’s ‘The World of the Married’
Starring: Kim Hee-ae, Park Hae-joon, and Han So-hee.
Release: March 27, 2020.
8. It’s Okay to Not be Okay (2020)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2020’s ‘It’s Okay to Not be Okay’
Starring: Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji, Oh Jung-se, and Park Gyu-young.
Release: June 20, 2022.
9. Start-Up
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2020’s ‘Start-Up’
Starring: Bae Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Seon-ho, and Kang Han-na
Release: October 17, 2020.
See also: 7 things you may not know about 'Hometown Cha Cha Cha’ actor Kim Seon-Ho
10. Vincenzo (2021)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2021’s ‘Vincenzo’
Starring: Jeon Yeo-been, Ok Taec-yeon, Kim Yeo-jin, and Kwak Dong-yeon.
Release: February 20, 2021.
11. Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2022’s ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’
Starring: Park Eun-bin, Kang Tae-oh, and Kang Ki-young.
Release: June 29, 2022.
12. The Glory (2022)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2022’s ‘The Glory’
Starring: Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Sung-hoon, and Jung Sung-il
Release: December 30, 2022.
Don't miss: The Glory: 5 things we know about Song Hye-kyo's new K-drama
13. Queen of Tears (2024)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2024’s ‘Queen of Tears’
Starring: Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Ji-won, Park Sung-hoon, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Lee Joo-bin.
Release: March 9, 2024.
14. Lovely Runner (2024)
Above Behind-the-scenes clips from 2024’s ‘Lovely Runner’
Starring: Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon.
Release: April 8, 2024.
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Lainey was the Digital Director of Tatler Malaysia. When not whiling away the hours watching documentaries, the latest K-drama, or reruns of Friends, she can be found indulging her wanderlust by stalking travel platforms or feeding her obsession with music. She loves animals, running, all things social media, a good conversation over coffee or soju or wine (often rambling on if nobody pulls the brakes on her), and is an avid fan of bursting-at-the-seams laughter.
