6 Second Lead Couples We Shipped In K-Dramas

The heart-fluttering love story of the main leads comes with its own share of trials and tribulations as well as passionate and heartbreaking moments. But many times, it is not just the leads alone but the second leads who also win viewers’ hearts with their romantic tracks. From cutely innocent to scorchingly intense, their stories have won hearts, remaining a fan favorite across time. The couples who are usually friends or become friends through the course of the narrative help each other through the complicated path of love. Here are six second lead K-drama couples that were easy to ship as much as the lead pair.

“Love Next Door”

If you watched “Love Next Door” recently, you were probably smitten with the story unfolding between Jeong Mo Eum (Kim Ji Eun) and Kang Dan Ho (Yun Ji On). Mo Eum is the local paramedic and is best friends with Seok Ryu (Jung So Min) and Seung Hyo (Jung Hae In). Mo Eum is the one who knew about the inevitability of a romance between her two besties, but when it comes to her own love life, she is absolutely clueless. Dan Ho is the local news reporter and has moved into Mo Eum’s neighborhood with his daughter. The two often meet in the local convenience store and are surprised to see that they share a common love for durian flavored lollipops. On the other hand, Mo Eum is quite taken in with Dan Ho’s daughter, with whom she shares a common love for aliens and superheroes. Mo Eum develops a crush on the “Mudflats Man,” a name she coins after she sees a valiant stranger wearing a mudflats T-shirt while clearing traffic. Little does she realize that it’s none other than Dan Ho himself, who is a citizen reporter in the truest sense of the word. She confesses her feelings to him, only to be rejected by Dan Ho, who says the two of them can’t be together. But it is hard not to be charmed by Mo Eum, and Dan Ho finds himself falling, only to be told by Mo Eum’s mother that she won’t allow the two of them to be together.

Mo Eum is effervescent as much as she is empathetic. Dan Ho, on the other hand, though reticent, is an extremely reliable man. There is an undeniable spark between the two that’s waiting to explode. Both Kim Ji Eun and Yun Ji On are adorably cute, and their moments together are all heart.

“A Business Proposal”

Not wanting to go on a blind date, Jin Young Seo (Seol In Ah) sends her best friend Shin Ha Ri (Kim Sejeong) in place of her on the date. The date in question is the suave CEO of a food company, Kang Tae Moo (Ahn Hyo Seop). Young Seo, who comes from a mega rich family, has always wanted to live her life beyond her family’s influence. She does not want to be set up in a business marriage and is waiting for the love of her life to sweep her off her feet. Her Prince Charming in question turns out to be Tae Moo’s secretary and best friend, Cha Sung Hoon (Kim Min Kyu). She is smitten by him after their chance encounter at a convenience store. As Cupid pulls its bow, the two, unaware of the other’s identity, are thrown together, and what we get are some serious fireworks. Who can forget the kiss between the two, which had fans squealing in delight?

It’s clear that Seol In Ah and Kim Min Kyu’s chemistry is a scorcher and gave us some serious eye candy moments on screen.

“Descendants of the Sun”

Myung Joo (Kim Ji Won) is a medical officer in the army and comes from a distinguished family of officers. She is in love with her colleague, Sergeant Seo Dae Young (Jin Goo). However, Dae Young has been avoiding her and wants to put an end to the relationship. The reason is that he thinks his background and status are unbecoming of her. Dae Young was a delinquent once, and he joined the military and redeemed himself. He is a brave young officer and never shies away in the line of duty. Myung Joo’s father, the General, feels Captain Yoo Si Jin (Song Joong Ki) would be the ideal match for her, but Myung Joo has her heart set on Dae Young. The push and pull between the couple and the strong pull of attraction between the two are apparent. From tagging along with Dae Young to his former girlfriend’s wedding, or having no qualms about her feelings for him being known in front of their platoon, Myung Joo is a cracker when it come to breaking down Dae Young’s walls.

Kim Ji Won and Jin Goo won hearts in this drama. Their fierce onscreen personalities and scorching chemistry made them one of the favorite couples.

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“Run On”

Seo Dan Ah (Sooyoung) is the cool and sassy CEO at a sports agency. Her butter won’t melt in my mouth kind of personality makes people weary of her. Seo Dan Ah is self-made and her own person, achieving her success without the support of her influential family. Her father, who always discriminated between her and her brothers, only saw her as someone to be used as a pawn in a business alliance. The feisty Dan Ah makes her family believe she is gay, so as to escape their matchmaking alliances. It is the arrival of Lee Young Hwa (Kang Tae Oh), an art student, who melts her steely demeanor. Dan Ah tries being as difficult as she can with the warm Young Hwa, but instead of putting him off her, he is drawn only closer, wearing his heart on his sleeve. She finds herself drawn to his warmth and winsome charm and also finds an emotional anchor in him.

The relationship between these two had so many layers and really resonated with the viewers. And Sooyoung and Kang Tae Oh were perfectly cast, being the classic case of opposites attract.

“Crash Landing on You”

“Crash Landing on You” is synonymous as the timeless love story between the Ri-Ri couple played by Hyun Bin’s Captain Ri Jung Hyuk and Son Ye Jin‘s Yoon Se Ri. These star-crossed lovers defy geographical borders, political, military unrest, as well as manipulative family members to find their happily ever after. There is no denying that Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin defined couple’s goals, but my heart hurt a little for the ill-fated Goo Seung Jun (Kim Jung  Hyun) and Seo Dan (Seo Ji Hye). Though Seo Dan is seen as a prospective bride for Jung Hyuk and Seung Jun is shown to chase Se Ri, it is Seo Dan and Seung Jun who make the perfect match for each other. Their couple chemistry and dynamics are strong as one can feel the undercurrents of attraction between the two. They are similar yet different in many ways, and it’s with Seung Jun that one sees Seo Dan at ease and smiling.

Full marks to Seo Ji Hye and Kim Jung Hyun for making their parts so memorable in a drama which totally belonged to Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin’s characters. The two actors made a lasting impact that one couldn’t help but wondering about the what ifs and should haves years after the drama wrapped.

“No Gain No Love”

What are the probabilities of second leads getting their own spin-off? Han Ji Hyun’s Nam Ja Yeon and Lee Sang Yi’s Bok Gyu Hyun from “No Gain No Love” have their own spin-off in “Spice Up Our Love.” In “No Gain No Love,” Ja Yeon is an R-rated web novelist, whose only experience with love and romance is what she writes for her readers, under the pen name of Yeon Bo Ra. But when the perennially single Ja Yeon, who leads the dual life as the erotic writer Bo Ra, gets entangled with Gyu Hyun, that’s when trouble starts. Gyu Hyun is a third generation CEO, who has been conditioned to not waste time on willful fancies, in this case keeping a distance and avoiding any sort of entanglements with women. It’s hate at first sight for both, especially since Gyu Hun had pulled no stops in spewing hate against Yeon Bo Ra’s steady novel. But who doesn’t love a good enemies-to-lovers story to spice things up? Ja Yeon and Gyu Hyun’s story has a lot to gain, and their series “Spice Up Our Love” adds a fresh spin on their passionate saga. Ja Yeon turns into the protagonist of her own novel and has a passionate yet unpredictable affair with the novel’s male lead Kang Ha Joon, played by Lee Sang Yi.

Hey Soompiers, which one of these couples would you want to watch in a spin-off series? Let us know all about it in the comments below!

Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yang Yang and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.

Currently watching: “Love Next Door”