Romantic / Takes a lot of time and hardship to become a couple

May 8, 2021 04:22 pm

Can anyone please recommend a nice romantic drama where it takes a lot of time and hardship for the leads to become a couple? For me, the drama ends when they become a couple :D I like watching how they fall in love and how they fight with their feelings.

I like dramas:

- there is a reason why they can not become a couple (NO adultery, cheating, big age difference or blood relative plz)

- love / hate relationships

- They are around 30 years old. No high school drama please (although all versions of hana yori dango still hold a special place in my heart)

- Happy ending

-preferably made in korea

I watched tons of dramas for over 15 years... So I would appreciate it if you can recommend as much as you can as there is a high chance that I already watched everything....

Thank you very much...

May 8, 2021 09:16 pm

She Was Pretty - Korean office drama. The ML was in his mid 20s and the actress was 30. I guess you can say there are reasons why they couldn't get together, but not good reasons. The ML starts to fall for the FL while he's dating someone else (ironically, the FL's friend who is posing as the FL at her request) but I don't recall any cheating / adultery. There's a bit of a love / hate dynamic for complicated reasons: the ML had a crush on the FL when he was a kid before moving abroad. At that time he was not conventionally attractive and the FL was. They agree to meet when the ML returns to Korea as an adult, but the FL, feeling self conscious because she is no longer conventionally attractive (by Kdrama standards) asks her attractive friend to pretend to be her. The ML and FL's friend start to date. Then the ML meets the FL and is annoyed that this dysfunctional person has the same name as the girl he likes (without realizing she is actually his first love). He gets more annoyed as he starts to develop feelings for the FL while dating the FL's friend. They get a happy ending.
The Princess's Man - Historical korean drama. The ML actor was over 30 and the FL actress was in her mid 20s. The dynamic was more love --> one hates the other based on a misunderstanding --> love than love / hate. Doesn't have any of the things you're looking to avoid and it does have a mostly happy (there's a little bit of bitter sweetness) ending.
Come and Hug Me - Korean melodrama with romance and some crime / action. No love hate dynamic but also none of the things you're looking to avoid (except that there's this weird thing where the FL's adopted brother (not the ML) seems to have romantic feelings for her). The ML was in his mid 20s and the FL was in her late 20s. The ML and FL met in school and both like each other pretty quickly, but the ML tried to avoid the FL because his father was a dangerous man and he was afraid of exposing other people to that danger. The two separated and lost touch after the ML's father killed the FL's parents. When they meet again many years later, they still have feelings for each other but the ML feels, understandably, that he cannot / doesn't deserve to be with the FL. They get a happy ending.
The King in Love - Historical korean drama. The actors were in their late 20s. No love / hate dynamic. The reason the lead couple couldn't get together sooner is because the ML's cousin and closest friend also loved the FL and neither the FL nor the ML wanted to betray him / destroy that friendship. Ultimately the SML gives them his blessing and they have a happy ending.
A Piece of Your Mind - Korean drama. The ML actor was over 30 and the FL actress was in her mid 20s. No love / hate relationship or adultery (although the role that the ML's first love plays in preventing them from getting together sooner is pretty unique).
In Time With You - Taiwanese drama. The actors were in their late 20s. Not really a love hate dynamic, but a little bit of rivalry at first. The ML and FL were class representatives in school, with the ML representing the boys and the FL representing the girls where the two halves never agreed. The ML already had a crush on the FL at this point but a boy in their class pretended to like a girl in order to manipulate her, which made the FL not trust any boys who confessed their feelings. The ML decided to become her friend instead. Years later, the two are best friends. The ML still has (semi-repressed) feelings for the FL, but the two are never single at the same time. I don't recall any actual cheating / adultery, but they also don't exactly act like platonic friends. It takes them a very long time to finally get together.
The Imperial Doctress - Chinese historical drama with mature leads. The ML actor was in his 30s and the FL was in her late 20s. Not really a love / hate dynamic. Technically there's some adultery here, but I generally strongly dislike adultery and wasn't overly put off given the circumstances in this one. Their happy ending / getting together happens in like the last 30 seconds of the drama. It definitely takes them a long time!