RECS: romance with deep background, no comedy, happy ending

Alchemy of Souls: second chance romance; strong female lead. Epic fantasy with transmigration.

My Dearest: protective male lead; slow burn romance; age gap; strong female lead. Historical drama with a memorable romance.

The Prisoner of Beauty: forced proximity (two enemy clans choose peace with a forced marriage; the wife goes into the marriage knowing she is despised); slow burn romance; strong female lead (not the strength that flattens buildings but the quiet strength of intelligence and cunning). Wonderful enemies to lovers tale.

The Story of Ming Lan: protective male lead; slow burn romance; age gap; strong female lead (again, not the toss-around-300-pound-men kind of strength, but the power of knowing who you are and what you want out of life). I put off watching this because oof — it has 78 episodes. And, yet, when it was finished, I wanted more. I've watched 10 episode dramas I thought were way too long, so imagine my surprise at how fast this one flew.

Blossom: second chance romance; slow burn romance; general male lead. Two intelligent, loving leads with great chemistry.

Snowfall: forced proximity (FL is taken in after being horribly abused); protective male lead; age gap; strong female lead (emotionally strong and self sacrificing). I never see this recommended, but it's worth watching for the FL's acting. She was luminous in this. Yes, it's different than expected, and it has major issues with pacing, plot holes, and annoying villains getting too much screen time and refusing to die. When you're ready for something offbeat, try this vampire tale. The OST meshed well with the drama.

The Double: revenge; protective male lead (although he trusted the FL to handle herself); strong female lead (brilliantly mentally strong). The revenge is satisfying, and Duke Xiao Heng is the perfect ML for the clever FL. Some say the ending is ambiguous, but, for me, it was a happy ending.

Love Like the Galaxy; strong female lead; general male lead. The misunderstandings went on too long, but the story moved along well. Very engaging actors.

Fated Hearts: forced proximity (enemy FL is taken prisoner and held for cooperation and information); revenge; protective male lead; strong female lead (physically and mentally—she was a general); general male lead. Beautiful visuals and intelligent leads. Warning: it has graphic violence. The leads seem to relish stabbing, whipping, and biting one another in the beginning, but their bond was unbreakable at the end.

I've enjoyed every one of these dramas. I hope you like them, too.

Since you loved Shine on Me, you might be interested in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, as both have:

• slow burn

• older, protective male lead

• strong female lead

• serious, sustained, gentle, romantic tone

• forced proximity, as she stays in a shared apartment that's his pied-a-terre when he's in the same city. (The filming location is Helsinki, but the drama creates two fictional cities. The web novel is set in Washington, D.C. and NYC.)

Zhao Jin Mai is ofc awesome in both. The ML's are quite different, with AaSoL's Lin Yiyang being more unusual - a silent, obsessive kinda guy. But he is about five years older than FL Yin Guo, and his life experience is larger. Also he mentors her in their field, billiards. His protectiveness shows itself with self-sacrificing courting strategies and being extremely vigilant over what she's experiencing.

No Japanese dramas? Because you might like The Yakuza Boss' Beloved. It's got the protective older man, and there's forced proximity due to not only their workplace but also because of her living in his second bedroom after she exits a toxic relationship. There are some "not yakuza enough" disappointed reviews on MDL, but if what you're looking for is mostly romance with just enough yakuza to make the ML a very believable protector, it's eight episodes of perfect for your request. It stays inside your serious romantic mood boundaries. And it focuses on the slow burn growing feelings. The FL has a gentle, resilient kind of strength.

Have you considered Story of Kunning Palace? Revenge, protective male lead, strong female lead, and the palace environment is so claustrophobic, it feels like forced proximity. Plus he's her qin master. It's a reborn at 18 do-over, so very much hits the second chance romance and time travel appeal factors. And the tragedies of the original timeline give it that serious tone you're wanting. I don't think he's older in years - I think they're supposed to be same age, and in some ways they're set up as equals, since they're both beings born to strategize and manipulate. But even though they're complementary, he definitely has an eldership edge when it comes to conspiracy and intrigue. Like, she doesn't have anything going on like his two separate secret identities... And the identity he's living under is of course completely fabricated.