by Kaye, April 4, 2016
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Time for a hard truth that all of us are already painfully aware of, but bears repeating: dramas are full of bad guys...and not the type of bad guy who is most likely to have the Cops theme as the soundtrack to his life or ends up behind bars at the end of the last episode.

I'm talking about the guys who come from wealthy families and drive good cars and seem like everything a girl would want, until he starts with the deprecating comments and compares you to his long-gone ex-girlfriend who did him wrong.

And of course, once she reappears in the picture, he gives you no reassurance or confidence that after all the late-night sleepovers and angry chaebol daddy confrontations and glasses of water thrown in your face that he simply won't fly back to her side like their own crash and burn never happened.

(Yes, I am still bitter about a certain story arc in My Name is Kim Sam Soon. No, I will not get over it.)

Even if everything about him sends up flags redder than your aunt's lipstick, our heroine will have no other. And sometimes, neither do we. (Okay, okay, I've fallen in love with my fair share of fictional a-holes.) And apparently, that's the way it's always going to be when you're watching dramas...or is it.

As it turns out, we do have our decent share of...well, decent guys here in dramaland. It may take a few minutes to tally them all up - and I'm hoping, I really am, that I could settle at ten simply because I forgot a dozen or so more who deserve accolades for being good old fashioned gentlemen - but they are here and they are ready for us to love them.

And, despite every hair-raising turn and frightening cliffhanger, you'll have no doubt that he'll be right there, loving you back, come what may.


10. King Lee Hwon (The Moon That Embraces the Sun)

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I think this guy's only sin is that he cries a lot.

Really.

(And I'm not saying this in the "Oh, boys can't cry because they are made of titanium and testosterone and your dad's old pair of gym socks" way that society tries to shove down our throats. I mean that, when all is said and done, I think you can hold back the waterworks until you're off the battlefield. That feels like common sense.)

Of course, I can forgive that sin since we're talking about Kim Soo Hyun and his adorable mug (even when it's constantly being peppered with hot saltwater tears and not kisses), but I think that might be the main impression I came away with in regards to this particular Emperor.

...Actually, considering this is a sageuk, let me take most of that back. He has a soft heart and the fact that we get to see it is pretty impressive and rather adorable. We could be suffering a parade of forced embraces, threats of beheading if she doesn't marry him, the cold shoulder and no heir in sight when she does.

And let me tell you, when all was said and done and our couple got their (thankfully, FINALLY) happy ending, I did have to give a little sigh over his determined face and those music lessons. What guy is going to firmly believe that you'll come back to him, even after death, do everything in his power to protect you once he has you back, and after he makes you his queen, decides he's going to serenade you on your birthday.

Okay. I changed my mind entirely. He can get emotional all he wants. He's totally worth it.


                                                 9. Dr. Lee Hae Seong (D-Day)

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Alright. Hear me out. I know it's a touchy subject for many, but I actually like D-Day.

It can definitely be over the top. It can make you want to grasp the screenwriter by his lapels and show him what an earthquake feels like. And I am definitely not one to champion dramas that involve gratuitous, unnecessary medical procedures I could go without seeing played out on the small screen. Just try to watch this drama with a nice plate of bi-bim-bap and see if you can keep eating. 

But D-Day also has a ton of heart, hope and survival in the face of adversity. And, who I was leading up to, the man of the hour, Dr. Lee Hae Seong. Total Robin Hood material. That guy who can't stop helping people even if it kills him. And he has a motorbike.

Sure, he butts heads with his love interest (newbie resident Dr. Jung So Min, or as I like to refer to her thanks to the excited Viki commentators, "Busan Doctor") but he keeps from going over the irredeemable jerk line by the mere fact that most of it is playful banter, he's obviously into her and she totally gives back as much as she gets. 

(So I might not get all flustered and flirty over putting stitches in my man's chest, but...you do you)

I am not entirely won over by that first kiss - covered in mud and shoving an ambulance does not make the next Notebook make - but you work with what you have, particularly in an emergency and I think Lee Hae Seong gives us a lot.

(What he doesn't give us, sadly, is a reasonable hair style. That wig only pales in comparison to Lee Min Ho's Boys Over Flowers look (Never Forgotten - Always With Us).


8. Enrique Geum (Flower Boy Next Door)

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Gosh, I love this dude and this drama (and, well, Yoon Shi Yoon's beaming face in general). He's like the Energizer Bunny, only without being an ungodly pink and wearing shades without having any clear reason to. Oh, and the panda suit.

Never forget the panda suit.

(That suit haunts me. What about it screams, even to Enrique and his utterly eccentric attitude, "This is sure to impress your lady love! Simply don this convenient, ultra-plush outfit and proceed to dance and wiggle your bottom at your windows in the hopes that she will eventually draw back her curtain to quite a surprising sight indeed. Perfect for sudden proposals!" 

More like sudden visits to the E.R. That's definitely a way to see if someone's ticker is a little weaker than it should be. Or their relationship.)

Anyway. Questionable courting methods aside, there's no denying that there is a lot here to love. He's adorable. He's funny. He's more focused on coaxing Dok Mi (Park Shin Hye) out of her shell with gentle friendship and sweet ideas on how to reintroduce her to the world - rather than forcing her right back in and perhaps investing in a pair of iron bars by being manipulative, haughty or resorting to the dreaded wrist grab.

He's literally a whole lot of aww...without that trailing off into an "awww heck no".

If you have an Enrique in your life, better call your mom and inform the nosy ajumma down the street, because he's a keeper. And perhaps, once you've walked him down the aisle, you can privately dispose of the panda suit - unless you are really into eventful, unforgettable anniversaries.


                                                   7. Yoon Dong Ha (Witch's Romance)

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It seems fitting that, after I had to put poor Park Seo Joon in the time-out corner for She Was Pretty last time, he'd make a triumphant return and be utterly redeemed this time around.

From the moment Dong Ha graced the screen in his summer-inappropriate Santa suit, ready to bring goodwill and joy to the people, I was totally sold. Finally, an adorable (and adorkable) guy you can crush on with minimal guilt. He has trauma in his past...but he doesn't take it out on the people around him now. He has daddy issues...but he doesn't use that as an excuse to backhand his friend across the face. He's hard working and diligent and he never backs down from doing what's right...even if that's a shock smooch in the middle of a crowded bar.

That kiss still makes me kick my feet in the air when I remember it. What a guy.

And the whole, "I'm going to give you love lessons even though I'm nuts about you and this is totally not going to bite me where it really hurts later on" aspect that we go through for a few episodes? I felt like my soul was cleansed after my disastrous adventures with Personal Taste.

(And, since we're on the subject of friends...the loyal bromance in this drama. I still do not have proper words for the delight it gave me.)

The piece "de resistance", in this humble writer's opinion? He may be battered and bruised, but he's ready to heal. He's ready to mend old relationships and face past ghosts and he definitely isn't in the business of tossing money at his emotions and hoping they either settle down or entertain him in some way that doesn't mean tears and late night angst sessions with a bottle of soju. 

Say it with me: what a guy.


                                           6. Kim Boong Do (Queen In-Hyun's Man)

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In case you didn't notice already, I'm a fan of guys with big hearts, unapologetic adoration and smart brains. So Kim Boong Do - a scholar, a total badass and utterly loyal defender of his queen - was pretty much my type of kryptonite at first sight.

Most fans of this drama say that it sweeps you off your feet, and it really does...particularly in terms of its leading man. From that heart-melting smile when he discovers the joy of a co-ed hug, to playfully sticking out his tongue at his would-be rival, Boong Do is a guy you'll never forget in all the best ways. It's playfully ironic how heroine Choi Hee Jin continues to call him a player, when he's a tall glass of water compared to her fickle, manipulative ex.

Some of Boong Do's greatest hits, if you'll humor me for a moment:

a. He is utterly charmed by an impromptu first kiss.

b. He doesn't shy away from fulfilling his duty, even if he thinks he'll die and leave his beloved behind in the process (something I couldn't entirely admire in the heat of the moment, but now I can grudgingly give a nod to).

c. He buys his girl the car she's always wanted.

A very expensive car.

I mean, I know other chaebol guys could readily do that, but he genuinely just wants to do something special for her and he doesn't have a clue of how much it will mean to her. It's not just giving her something large and shiny with a big price tag on it. It's trying to figure out what will warm her heart.

Don't look at me. I'm okay. Really.


                                                            5. Choi Dal Po (Pinocchio)

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This may be the one entry on this list I'm rather torn over.

On the one hand, we're talking about Dal Po. Dal Po of the (thankfully short-lived) shaggy hairdo for his adopted father's sake, Dal Po who falls in love with his supposed "niece" In Ha at first sight but presses it down for the sake of his keeping his family together. Dal Po who puts off university so said supposed niece can pursue her dreams and apply for the jobs she wants, even if it's in an industry that has caused him repeated personal pain, and carries her picture in his wallet. Dal Po, who carries the stress of his real family's destruction and heartbreak as a tangible weight for years.

Don't mind that cracking sound. It's my heart, breaking for him all over again.

On the other hand, we're talking about Dal Po who humiliates In Ha in front of a bunch of fellow aspiring journalists, who runs hot and cold at the worst moments and likes to internalize instead of simply talking things out. 

I think, for once, everything really balances out by the sheer fact that In Ha (bless her heart) is doggedly determined to make things work out for the both of them and often doesn't let him push her away for too long. When the going gets tough, she's his Lois Lane with a backbone of steel, and I think that mutual devotion also deserves a nod and a smile as part of this list. At the end of the day, after all the tears and screaming and lots and lots of hiccups, they are good with each other.


                                                        4. Park Ri Hwan (Bubblegum)

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Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

It's apparently also a really sweet Eastern medicine practitioner who worries a little too much about his childhood best friend. I don't know about you, but I've not been fortunate to have guy friends in my life who will literally put me in a headlock because I haven't shown up for my prescription, or fumes because I didn't tell him I was spending my birthday alone in an empty apartment crying into my stuffed animals and soggy birthday cake.

But maybe I'm reading too much into it. Maybe it's totally normal to insist that you're just an overly protective oppa when you literally crash headlong into a potential reconciliation scene, or continue to be distant but sweetly pleasant with a potential marriage date who is already picking out something a little more comfortable for your next dinner together.

Normal oppas want to know where you are and if you're safe at every hour.

Normal oppas will storm into an ex's apartment for you and rip down said ex's own glow in the dark stickers in the name of giving you back everything you might have lost to him, even if he can't.

Of course it is. Everyone does it.

(Keep dreaming, Park Ri Hwan. It's a good thing you're so cute or else I'd pinch your cheeks and tell you that you have the emotional range of a teaspoon. Even if you don't. Not entirely.)


3. Li Da Ren (In Time With You)

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I started this drama for Ariel Lin and I'm hanging in there for this guy, even if I want to shake him - and not for the reasons I usually want to shake a drama hero.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have a lot of sympathy for Li Da Ren. As much as I'm always in the corner with my leading ladies, Cheng You Qing.

Is not easy to love...and I say that fully aware that she's one of those heroines that rings painfully true in regards to my own attitude. (At least, in terms of temperament and awesome shoe taste, and not quite along the lines of overlooking the cute, supportive guy who has been at my side since high school.)

I don't believe in the friend zone. I don't think Li Da Ren is in the friend zone so much as being the victim of a mutual attraction that neither of them want to live up to - yet. (And believe in me, challenging your best friend to see who will get married first does not indicate a platonic relationship. It all but screams, "I've loved you forever and I want you to totally win the bet by marrying me. Here, have these cute, bizarrely-maned lions and my heart.")

I wish we'd get a confession and happy times a little faster - seeing as they both can't imagine life without the other in it, jibing back and forth and sharing dumplings and talking about works of art that Cheng You Qing resembles (smooth, Li Da Ren) - but of course, it wouldn't be a drama without tears and pain and misunderstandings and a decidedly annoying supporting actress trying to angle for our heart.

At least none of the angst comes from Li Da Ren having an unpleasant attitude.


                                    2.  Seo Jung Hoo/Park Bong Soo/Healer - Healer

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He's the man of many names, but his character is actually pretty straightforward: he doesn't dabble in murder. He's not interested in relationships - or so he claims - but when he turns over to the "got her saved in my phone on speed dial" side, he's pretty good at it. Well, very good. Good enough that he steals your heart right through the screen and tosses it from hand to hand with a wink in your direction. And you don't even care.

I think any laundry list at how Healer wins at being the perfect borderline illegal boyfriend of your dreams is going to get very long very fast, but...If you're not sold on the idea of a guy who will stay on the line with you for hours and listen to all your confessions with the sweetest look on his face, or go undercover and pretend to be your dorky sidekick, or face down your rather scary dad because you want everything to be as normal and above-board and...well, everything that he's not?

I don't know what else to say to you.


                                                   1. Cha Do Hyun - Kill Me Heal Me

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Ladies and gentlemen, and I quote,

"Cinnamon roll. Too good, too pure for this world."

I'm pretty sure that Ji Sung killed me over the duration of this drama and I just haven't realized I'm a member of the walking undead just yet. And, if you are still a member of the living after being exposed to his mussy-headed, shy smiling presence...how. Why. Share your secrets.

In all seriousness, there is a lot to be said for a guy - a Korean drama, chaebol son guy - who worries over the leading lady when he hardly knows who she is yet, who leans in for a kiss with a reverence that Romeo Montague would approve of, and is the happiest when he is being accepted into his girl's loving, albeit utterly wacky, family. I mean, that moment when Oh Ri Jin's abuji presses the allowance on him and he holds that money like it's more precious than his grandmother's designer scowl - priceless.

(And, even if he's a little broken up on the inside, being able to claim that even his most wicked persona won't dare to lay a hand on women and children - that's something pretty special.)

Cha Do Hyun, you are so sweet I could (well, make that would) marry you. And that's something I wouldn't say about many of my favorite drama guys.


Any dramas with good guys that you want to give a shout-out, or any good guys in particular that don't get enough love or attention?