Kdrama Bases

We’ve all either used or heard baseball terms used as intimate/romantic metaphors. Going past first base, hitting home run etc. In Western pop culture, it is quite regular to hear these terms, even on teenage marketed shows. However, if you have watched a Korean drama you would notice how very little steamy scenes there are, especially with teenagers. Don’t get me wrong, this is one of the reasons I do like Kdramas, - the lack of random hookups in each episodes. However, it does get a little... irritating to see grownups have a passionate... peck? I mean you will never see 2nd or 3rd base in a Kdrama. You rarely hit a home run and usually only get to 1st base in the final episodes. So, it is quite obvious that Western baseball terms don’t apply to Kdramas. What would be the baseball terms in Dramaland...?

After watching a couple, or thousands, of dramas, I have spotted the common stages in Kdrama relationships, AKA Kdrama Relationship Bases - The G-rated Bases. 


1st Base: The Wrist-grab and Drag



It is one of the most epic moments in Kdrama, even if it is a little anti-feminist. The equivalent of a first kiss in an episode of Dawson’s Creek. The female is being independent by either going off to see some other guy, telling the wrist-grabber that she’s over him or is trying to think for herself which goes against him. It is  quite a romantic moment though. It shows, in a weird way, he cares about her and wants her to be... well... his. I must admit to have squealed at moments when the lead grabs her wrist and takes her away.


2nd Base: The Piggyback Ride



While the 1st base shows the man in a more possessive light, this moment shows him in a more... let’s say submissive light. The female is either drunk, hurt or... her heel has broke and the male crouches down, by will or force, and carries her on his back. See the level of ‘skinship’ increase. From hand to wrist action we got a little back to chest action... scandalous. This puts the man in a strong/masculine perspective, carrying the female and holding her weight. I did love the gender change of the roles in Coffee Prince. This base can either be romantic or comedic.


3rd Base: The Back-hug



Another back to chest action, never chest to chest. So why is this more intimate than 2nd base? Two reasons: one, they remain motionless and hold for a very long time in silence, usually crying and two, the OST pulls out a ballad of epic-ness, making the moment earth shattering. It’s always romantic and rarely comical. The male lead has evolved from wrist-grab and holds the female down by attacking her from the back and trapping her with his arms so he can hold on to her. Can also be the girl who provides the back hug, the only time a female  can actually enforce a base. It is usually this moment when the leads realise, ‘Hey, this person might like me.' A crucial moment. 


Home Run (4th Base): The Open-eyed Lip-press



This is the final element of a happy Kdrama relationship. Remember how you felt when Chuck and Blair hit a home run in the back of his limo on Gossip Girl. Well think that but with a Blair standing completely still, wide eyed, as Chuck put his lips on top of hers and doesn’t move. Didn’t you get the same exact feeling, I know I did when watching the equivalent of Gossip Girl... Boys Over Flowers. Jokes aside, the lips press is very popular in Kdramas, even though at the same time they can be very... aggravating. Especially when it’s supposed to be their first kiss but it looks like a peck to their grandma that got paused and a soundtrack number put over. Sometimes the press itself is plain awkward, filled with sobs and the combination of the four different types of cheesiness. However, some presses can be awesome depending on the characters, the moment or the place. From a bus window, on a Ferris wheel, in public, or my favourite - in the rain (hey, they’re risking a deadly fever for this press). This press is the moment when the couple finally consummates their relationship. ‘Hey, this person DOES like me.’ 



Though there is very little... Western home run action in Kdramas, that doesn’t mean there’s no romancing. Kdramas are not about getting all hot and bothered and jumping into bed together with each other. No, not even close. Yes, it is awkward and childish at times but it’s all about awkward awareness of seeing each other and being attracted but not knowing if the other is as attracted, like a school crush. It’s all about the little steps, not the running, that get you in a loving romantic relationship. The build up to that first great...lip press and yes, it can be very romantic. It’s as big a losing your gift... which is also awkward, and filled with sobs. But depending on the person, moment and place... it can be epic.