Love story with original setup

Often the sort of love lines you describe are found in secondary pairings. Two that come to mind are in Miss Korea and Be Melodramatic. There are some low-key love stories that seem quite credible, they often don't end with "happy ever after" or even with the leads a clear couple - A Sharply Graceful Girl would be one example, Hayako Sensei another. You might also enjoy checking out Le Coup de Foudre - it seems quite formulaic in some ways but is apparently based on the writer's own life, the female lead character has the writer's own name.

Hmm I feel like this might be kind of subjective, but I’ll give it a shot. 

20th Century Boy and Girl- a guy and girl who liked each other as kids reunite as adults. I thought the way they portrayed the awkwardness was somewhat realistic, and the way they tried to handle their remaining attraction for each other.

Fight for my way- once again, childhood friends dealing with their romantic feelings for each other. It’s scary to think about making the leap to a romantic relationship with someone you’ve known forever, because what if it doesn’t work out? Then you’re losing a friend, so wouldn’t it be safer to just not do anything? 

Something in the rain - okay, give this one up like halfway because the mom drama is too much, but the first 8 episodes or so are a great building up of this romantic relationship between a woman and her younger brother’s friend. The attraction and internal conflicts seem very authentic. I think the cinematography and music really contribute well to this. 

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