Why, Why WHY is it that in every fricking kdrama there is the same kind of love triangle.  Srsly, i just watched the first half of the first episode of the Healer and I'm already planning on dropping it, because I can already see the same pattern forming as in all the previous kdramas i've already watched or dropped. 

1. The main lead guy is a "bad boy" with oh-so-much-drama in their life and 80% of the screen time is spent on capturing how cool he is and how he has to go through so much more pain in life than the other characters. 

2. The main lead girl is hard working, independent, smart and strong - but only for the first few episodes. After falling in love she becomes a humble good girl willing to do anything to help "the bad boy" go through whatever hardship he is going through. 

3. The second lead guy is a good guy, stable, thoughtful, friendly, calm and over all _mature_. His only real purpose to exist is to create an image that the "bad boy" is having some competition. 


Argh! I'm so tired of this :D I always fall fro the second lead and struggle till the end of the drama, hoping to see him on the screen. Needless to say, I always end up wanting to puke watching the main girl running to the "bad boy".

Guess this is just some really bad second lead syndrome i'm having? I don't know if I'm making any sense, but I hope there is someone out there who understands my pain :') 

Could you please recommend some dramas where there would be romance with the-more-mature male lead and not the "bad boy". Or do such dramas even exist? I do kinda like how there are two guys after the girl tho, I just never seem to fall for the main male lead :)

Dramas that I have seen:

Boys over flowers - I never really fell for any of those guys actually :/

Scarlet heart ryeo - Not enough words to describe how much I love Wang Wook. <3<3<3<3<3

Empress Ki - Wang Yoo is the same as Wang Wook :3<3<3<3

Rain or shine/ just between lovers - Seo Joo-Won <3<3 (I didn't actually finish this drama but hey :))

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon - I liked how Do Bong Soon kinda kept her strong personality through the drama. I wasn't head over heels for In Kook Doo, but I liked him 10 times more than Min-Hyuk.

Thank you for reading and have a lovely day <3<3<3<3<3

Wow so true, I don't watch too many k dramas but I watch a lot of c-dramas, I totally agree with you.  I hate falling for the second male lead though cause he never finds love:(

It's kinda a known fact that the main guy gets the girl and the second lead is more for the audience. So to love them more than the main guy is suppose to happen lol Just move on to another drama to get over it, its what I do.

I personally HATE Healer but the love triangle is kinda meh cause she falls for the main guy and the 2nd guy never stands a chance. City Hunter is basically the same story so I would stay away from this one as well.

The drama with the worst love triangle has to be Jealousy Incarnate- the sml is straight perfection but the girl doesn't chose him. Just stay away from this one.

Cheese in the Trap- the sml is really nice towards the fl and the popular opinion was that she should have ended up with him BUT from a more mature stand point her ending up with the ml makes more sense. I loved this one but its not really a popular one.

My recommendations:

  • Splash Splash Love
  • Chicago Typewriter
  • Lawless Lawyer
  • Love Shuffle
  • Divorce Lawyers
  • The Eternal Love
  • Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms
  • Tokyo Tarareba Musume
  • Orange Days
  • Sm:)e
  • Soulmate
  • 5-ji Kara 9-ji Made
  • Weightlifting Fairy KBJ

Some of these have a love a triangle but most of them don't

seems like you watch dramas of similar type that is targeted (mostly) on younger audience/harem-ish dramas. Rest assured there are many dramas without SLS! :)

my suggestions are:

Because This Is My First Life - ML and FL are kinda quirky but well written, the story revolves around several pairs, as for the main pair there is a second male lead for a while but he never had a chance

Another Oh Hae Young - story with more mature characters

Marriage, Not Dating - comedy/romance, male lead is a bit stuck up rich boy and female lead is hardworking, independent but kinda stupid. sort of a hate to love story trope. enjoyable drama, i didnt feel any SLS but not that i am thinking about it maybe there is chance for SLS :D

Shopping King Louis - a little childish but adorable as hell, male lead is rich and bit over the top and girl is poor hardworking and naiive. Male lead losses memory and she tries to take care of him. No real second male lead... i think

Weightliftin fairy Kim Bok Joo - male lead is quite sweet. Female lead starts the story being stupidly in love with SML but only a kind of puppy love. 


bonus: Reply 1997 - a high school romance/comedy/friendship. I've never met a person who would pick SML over ML :D

Reply 1988 - massive second lead syndrome but it was still worth it, haha!

Bloody Romance 

Eternal Love 

Princess Agents 

Legend of Fu Yao 

Love Me If You Dare 

Prince of Lan Ling 


Many C-dramas have mature male lead(s), unless you are looking for "idol" drama, then the male lead(s) are usually childish/"bad-boy".