5. Boys Over Flowers (2009)
The K-drama seriesBoys Over Flowersis one of several adaptations of the Japanese mangaHana Yori Dango.
It centers on the story Geum Jan-di (played by Koo Hye-sun) and her struggles upon stepping into the world of elites.
Intertwined is her love story with the arrogant yet famous Gu Jun-pyo (played by Lee Min-ho), who initially treats her as a low-life commoner but later falls for her and gets a drastic personality change.
While Jan-di and Jun-pyo are the main lovers, it’s hard not to notice the calm, gentle, and caring Yoon Ji-hu (played by Kim Hyun-joong), the second male lead who’s the total opposite of Jun-pyo. He also has feelings for Jan-di, and she even reciprocates!
Related:The Best K-Drama Series Featuring Rich or Elite Characters
4. Cheese in the Trap (2016)
InCheese In the Trap, the main male lead—Yoo Jung (played by Park Hae-jin)—is introduced as a cold and manipulative guy, who has a dark past fueling his even darker motives.
That’s partly why fans turned to like the second male lead—Baek In-ho (played by Seo Kang-joon)—because he was outright charming and needed no further character development to get viewers emotionally attached to his character.
Knowing that the main female lead—Hong Seol (played by Kim Go-eun)—is a hardworking individual, we can’t help but root for Baek In-ho instead of Yoo Jung. He’s the caring one, often becoming Hong Seol’s “shoulder to lean on” at her low times.
Related:The Best K-Drama Actors, Ranked
3. True Beauty (2020)
True Beautyis a K-drama series based on a webtoon of the same name. It centers on the character Lim Ju-kyung (played by Moon Ga-young), who’s overly self-conscious about her appearance but grows confident when she develops great make-up skills.
The series also stars Cha Eun-woo as Lee Su-ho, her rich schoolmate who’s also the male lead of the story. But we also have Hwang In-youp as Han Seo-jun, the badass yet charming high school boy who has a soft spot in his heart for Ju-kyung.
We can see how close both male characters are to Ju-kyung, but Seo-jun’s character is well-written. Despite having a bad-boy attitude, he becomes a fun and romantic character whenever he’s with Ju-kyung. No wonder so many fans root for him!
Related:The Best High School K-Drama Series, Ranked
2. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)
IU stars as the main female lead inMoon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, playing the role of Go Ha-jin in the real world and Hae So in the distant past to which her character is magically whisked away.
While it’s initially the 8th Prince Wang Wook (played by Kang Ha-neul) who she’s in love with, she later falls for the bad boy 4th Prince Wang So (played by Lee Joon-gi) with a dark, mysterious past behind him.
Throughout the course of the series, we’re treated to an intense love triangle story between the three main characters. However, there’s a fourth character who comes in as a charming second male lead!
We can’t forget the 14th Prince Wang Jung (played by Ji Soo), who has a crush on Hae So but doesn’t act on it… until he does.
Related:The Saddest K-Drama Series With Tragic Endings Worth Watching
1. While You Were Sleeping (2017)
InWhile You Were Sleeping, Nam Hong-joo (played by Bae Suzy) is a journalist who has a very mysterious connection with rookie prosecutor Jung Jae-chan (played by Lee Jung-suk). This happens to lead to them becoming lovers in the story.
The second male lead in the series is the policeman Han Woo-tak (played by Jung Hae-in), who not only shares the same connection with the main characters but also has feelings for Hong-joo.
Instead of openly showing and expressing it, Woo-tak is content in hiding his feelings. No one knows how much he truly cares for Hong-joo, except for him and the viewers.
Even so, Jae-chan feels that his relationship with Hong-joo is threatened by Woo-tak’s mere presence, so he’s always competitive whenever Woo-tak is around. Sometimes, that just makes us want to root for Woo-tak even more!
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