When Seconds Become First
Ah, secondary male leads. There are two kinds that exist in the K-drama world; the “I want to strangle every time he is on screen” type and the “I will take you oppa if heroine doesn’t want you” type. While the former is usually a sniveling, selfish, self-important douche-bag, the latter tends to be the unrealistically kind and good “best friend” and the silent and stoic sufferer. Often this type of second lead is the better person out the two males vying for the heroine’s affection, and dramas with this type of second lead leave viewers scratching their heads in wonder at why the heroine is so dumb enough to friend-zone such a catch.
I’m sure everyone has suffered at least once from the Second Lead Syndrome (SLS). We fall for the second lead knowing our love for this character has only one ending- self-combustion in a fireball of pain and misery. While healthy fans are rejoicing in a happy end for their main couple, patients of SLS are off huddled in some dark corner like a cat, licking their wounds. I can hear their sad, pathetic, even vicious little meows now- “CURSE THE DRAMA HEAVENS!!!”
Scattered Joonni 