16 Memorable Life Lessons That K-Dramas Have Taught Us
The K-drama universe is amazing. No matter the genre, the story behind every Korean drama is embedded with all sorts of sub-genres, all coming together as one. On top of the laughter, the romance, the thriller, and even the melodrama, we gain one more thing when watching our favorite actors and actresses onscreen: a set of life lessons.
Midst these dramas’ scripts lies an incredible amount of dialogues that leave us pondering over them for weeks, months, and even years once the storyline has concluded. Featuring some of the most unforgettable K-dramas in order of their air date, here are 16 quote-worthy lines that have taught us a lesson or two in life!
1. About being at peace with oneself – “Master’s Sun”
“Don’t compete with your past. Rather, expect great things from your future, and love your present self.” – Kang Woo (Seo In Guk)
Watch “Master’s Sun”:
2. About reevaluating oneself – “My Love From The Star”
“Before holding a grudge against the people around you for not taking on your side, think about why you haven’t been able to make them stand on your side.” – Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun)
Watch “My Love From the Star”:
3. About setting your priorities right – “Healer”
“Make the second thing you like most as your job and leave the thing you like most as your hobby.” – Chae Young Shin (Park Min Young)
Watch “Healer”:
4. About facing your fears – “Kill Me Heal Me”
“Within each person’s heart is a dark basement. If you look away or stand by, that darkness thickens. You must summon your courage to go down and turn on the light. If you’re scared to go alone, you can hold someone’s hand.” – Cha Do Hyun (Ji Sung)
Watch “Kill Me, Heal Me”:
5. About giving it your all – “She Was Pretty”
“Instead of giving up before even trying, I plan on properly going through with it until the end; since the chances are 50/50 anyway.” – Kim Shin Hyuk (Choi Siwon)
Watch “She Was Pretty”:
6. About living with no regrets – “Reply 1988”
“‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’ Even if I’ve picked the bitterest chocolate of them all, it can’t be helped. That’s the fate I chose. There’s no regretting it, crying about it, or being heartbroken about it.” – Kim Jung Hwan (Ryu Jun Yeol)
Watch “Reply 1988”:
7. About never giving up – “Oh My Venus”
“Despite all the obstacles, we still give it a try. Despite all that, we still believe and try our best. That’s life. Nothing is certain in life, we could even stumble while walking. We shouldn’t choose to be unhappy in the present, in fear of being unhappy in the future.” – Kang Joo Eun (Shin Min Ah)
Watch “Oh My Venus”:
8. About patriotism – “Descendants Of The Sun”
“Soldiers always live with a shroud on. When you die in a nameless land for the sake of your country, the place of your death becomes your grave and your uniform becomes your shroud. This should be your mindset whenever you put on your uniform. If you have put it on with such a mindset, be honorable at every moment. There is no reason to fall short.” – Yoo Si Jin (Song Joong Ki)
Watch “Descendents of the Sun”:
9. About exploring youth “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo”
“Everyone has a youth, a time where it’s more beautiful and more sparkling because we are awkward and clumsy. We do not need to be afraid because we have nothing to lose, and our heart flutters because we can have anything and everything.” – Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung)
Watch “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo”:
10. About moving on – “Goblin”
“The ones left behind must go on living. It’s okay to cry once in a while, but you should laugh a lot too. You need to be strong too. It’s the right thing to do since you’ve received love.” – Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun)
Watch “Goblin”:
11. About favoritism – “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon”
“You raised me while always putting me last. Do you think I wanted to be born like this? Why do you hate only me?…We’re both your children but why are you always unfair to only me? You’re a woman too so why are you always mean to only me?” – Do Bong Soon (Park Bo Young)
Watch “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon”:
12. About short-lived beginnings – “Suspicious Partner”
“Not everything that begins progresses. Some things stop as soon as they begin because every beginning is frightening.” – Noh Ji Wook (Ji Chang Wook)
Watch “Suspicious Partner”:
13. About carrying on without a dream – “Fight My Way”
“Must everyone have a dream, anyway? Even if I don’t have a dream, the world goes ’round just fine.” – Go Dong Man (Park Seo Joon)
Watch “Fight My Way”:
14. About putting oneself first – “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”
“People say that it’s valuable to sacrifice yourself in life, but it’s actually not. You just lose yourself by suffering and sacrificing. In any circumstances, the most important thing is yourself. Never forget that you’re the most precious and the top priority at any moment.” – Lee Young Joon (Park Seo Joon)
Watch “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”:
15. About seizing opportunities – “30 but 17”
“People say when one door to happiness closes, another door to happiness will open up. But many of us are only focused on the closed door, that we don’t even realize another door has opened. Perhaps, the other door to happiness is not anything grand or special. Perhaps, it’s the small and trivial things that look insignificant which are the new doors to happiness. But as long as you don’t crumble down in front of that closed door, take a look at the other door before it’s too late, and muster up the courage to walk towards it, then maybe you might be able to find the happiness you didn’t realize existed.” – Gong Woo Jin (Yang Se Jong)
Watch “30 But 17”:
16. About clearing one’s name – “My ID Is Gangnam Beauty”
“It’s not winning the fight that victims wish for. All they want is to stop being the victim. They just don’t want to be victimized.” – Kang Mi Rae (Im Soo Hyang)
Watch “My ID Is Gangnam Beauty”:
Which K-drama line impacted you the most? Let us know in the comments below!
Esmee L. is a Moroccan lively dreamer, writer, and Hallyu enthusiast.
Currently watching: “Touch Your Heart“
All-time favorites: “Healer,” “Kill Me, Heal Me,” and “She Was Pretty”
Looking forward to: “My Fellow Citizens“
1375
7
1
0
0
Comments