If you've seen Start-Up, I'm looking for something like the SML, Han Ji Pyeong.

If you haven't seen Start-Up, I'm looking for a ML who is in a position of power (CEO for example), had hard life growing up and seems rude but is actually a softie on the inside. Modern setting, nothing historical.

As long as the ML is a good actor and has chemistry with the FL, I don't really care about the plot.

  • Bromance - The ML is an orphan who was adopted by a mafia boss who turned his organization into a legitimate family business (they run theme parks) that still carries on the mafia traditions (e.g. meetings with other mafia bosses). The FL meets the ML after his adoptive father disappears at sea and he takes over the organization. The ML can stand toe to toe with the other mafia bosses, but in general he's a very sweet person, especially with his adoptive mother, sister and the FL.
  • Crash Landing on You - the ML is a captain in the North Korean army (and unbeknownst to his squad, the son of a high-ranking military leader in the North Korean regime). The ML isn't rude exactly (in fact he's very polite and thoughtful) but after his brother's death he was forced to give up his dream and became very cold, distant and emotionally closed off from other people. He also happens to be a very competent fighter / badass when needed. But his true personality, brought out by the FL, is very warm and soft.
  • Love in the Moonlight - The ML is the crown prince. He has a reputation for being superficial, rude, demanding, and unintelligent / incompetent. Much of that is an act and to the extent that any of it is real, the FL soon brings out his warm and soft side.  
  • The Romance of Tiger and Rose - The FL is a modern day drama script writer. She is currently writing a historical drama about two powerful enemy cities. The ML is the son of the leader of one of the cities. He is afflicted with an illness that can only be cured by an item in the enemy city, which leads him to become the villain of the drama. However, when the FL enters the story and the original plot lines start to change, the FL quickly brings out the ML's soft side.
  • I'm Not a Robot - The ML is an orphan, a young genius and holds a position of power (I thought he was the CEO but the description says largest shareholder, so I might be remembering it wrong) at a major company. He also has a life-threatening allergy to other people. Between dealing with protecting himself from other people and not developing social skills, he often comes across as rude, but the FL brings out his soft and innocent side.
  • The Beauty Inside - The ML is a chaebol and an executive at his family's company (an international airline). Due to an accident, the ML developed prosopagnosia (the inability to recognize faces). His father passed away shortly afterwards. To protect himself from the schemes of family members and executives at the company, he has to keep his condition secret, which isn't easy. The combination of his condition and trying to keep it hidden often ends up making him come across as rude, and that's certainly the case when he first interacts with the FL. But she soon gets him to open up and reveal his soft side.
  • Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo - The ML is a prince, but he's the black sheep of the royal family. He was scarred as a child (and wears a mask to hide it as an adult) and also abandoned by his family as a political hostage. He develops a fierce personality, partly to protect himself, but has a big soft spot for the FL. I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying that he's a big softie in general.