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Strong/Tough Women

bandrew8964

I was looking for dramas where the woman is considered strong/tough and as a result has become guarded, which as result leaves her with almost no experience in romance, until the main lead comes along. I was watching Yoo Na's street and it is what im looking for however I was disappointed with how long the romance took.  Me too, Flower! is also a good example.

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AH
  • Live Up to Your Name - the FL is a tough and talented surgeon with limited romantic experience
  • Hospital Ship (I didn't finish this one) - the FL is a tough and talented surgeon with limited romantic experience
  • Strongest Deliveryman - the FL has been in the food delivery service for five years and has developed a reputation for being very tough (she knows martial arts) and the best at what she does; she's spent too much time kicking womanizers' butts to have romantic experience
  • Secret Garden - the FL is a stunt woman with limited romantic experience

Sort of similar to what you described, but not an exact fit:

  • Bromance - the FL must live as a boy until she's 26 so she has no romantic experience; she's a competent martial arts fighter
  • Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo - the female lead is a university student athlete and champion weightlifter; the FL is a little bit insecure (the girls on the weightlifting team talk about the fact that boys are intimidated by them) and doesn't have much romantic experience
  • Hwayugi - the FL can see ghosts; she uses this ability to become a successful CEO of a small real estate company, but her peers view her as cursed / scary, so she has no experience with romance

Also, quite a few noona romances have a set up that more or less follows what you described:

  • Hospital Ship (mentioned above)
  • Witch's Romance - the FL gained a reputation for being tough at work / being a "witch" after her fiance disappeared; she doesn't have any romantic interactions for years until the ML comes in to the picture
  • I Hear Your Voice - the FL is a lawyer and has limited romantic experience, partly because she's tough and partly because she's a bit of a mess
  • I Need Romance 3 - the FL is a tough team leader at work; due to her past romantic experiences she has become quite cold; while she has experience in the sense that she continues dating over the years, she's never emotionally vulnerable and doesn't really know how to love until the ML comes along and helps her figure it out
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tita_cba

Coffee Prince, due to the early death of her father, she was forced to take on that role to support her family, to the extent that people confuse her with a boy. So, pretending to be a boy to get a job, meet this playboy ... (please, hold  until ep 2, it's slow to start)

Dal Ja's Spring Noona romance, pretending to have experience, she hires a young fake boyfriend to get revenge.

Just Between Lovers The FL traumatized, unable to express her feelings finds a soulmate, that will help her heal her wounds.

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sinine

 I also agree with Live Up to Your Name. She is a talented doctor who devote her life to do her best at her job, so she hasn't got time for romance. Then she meets the male lead who grabs her attention. 

The King 2 Hearts - She is a North Korean solider, and isn't very used to romance and can't find a boyfriend/husband because everyone is afraid of a strong woman.  Then she meets a South Korean Prince, and they have a rocky start, but soon they warm up and support each other. Though, one criticism of the heroine, is that she acts cutesy at times. But I think she is very badass character. 

And if you don't mind Taiwanese dramas, Autumn's Concerto - Her family's business got bankrupted, and had to succumb to poverty when she was a child, so she had learned how to deal and accept reality as it is. And this mindset will affect how she deals with her life problems and romance later on. 

Hi My Sweetheart - it's a romantic-comedy and idol drama.  Anyway, the female lead has a bad girl/bully reputation and she shuns everyone. Until she meets the male lead who is pure and naive and she warms up to him. 

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bandrew8964

Thanks! Live Up To Your Name and the King 2 Hearts is the closest to what im looking for. Ive havent watched Just Between Lovers and Hi My Sweetheart yet so ill check those out

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Antonin

I don't hate the characters or the actress (I love her), but the FL in King2Hearts and Secret Garden is described to be a "strong" woman. Well she is, in terms of profession (stuntwoman & Soldier). However, I found both characters weak and not that strong when it comes to emotions and romance stuff.

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bandrew8964

Thats what im going for, someone who is strong on the exterior and gives an overall impression of being unapproachable, but being weak on the inside. Sorry I probably didnt explain it all to well.

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AH
 Antonin:

I don't hate the characters or the actress (I love her), but the FL in King2Hearts and Secret Garden is described to be a "strong" woman. Well she is, in terms of profession (stuntwoman & Soldier). However, I found both characters weak and not that strong when it comes to emotions and romance stuff.

^ I agree.

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wravyn

I just started Spy Myung Wol/Wol Myung the Spy, and it might be similar to King2Hearts, but the main female is a North Korean spy with limited romantic experience because she's spent most of her life training to be in Special Forces.

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