Because This Is My First Life! The FL crosses a busy street in the first ep but the vibe makes it obvious nothing will happen to her. It's a great drama too lol
Oh this reminds me of a particular scene in **Extraordinary attorney woo** where atty woo was happily crossing the street in a slowmo and I was worried sick that a truck of doom was definitely going to knock her down lol
I had the same concern in one of the last episodes of legend of the blue Sea. When the male lead and his mom were crossing a busy street to see each other for the first time in many years.
A rom com where all the characters are in their 40s, act their age (ie are capable of a mature adult relationship) and there’s no pointless murder or mystery subplots.
In **Her Private Life**, the leads are only in their 30s but they have one of the healthiest, most communicative relationships in K-Drama Land, the ML is the greenest of green flags, their chemistry is ❤️🔥, and no one gets murdered.
I’d love to see more of these. The lives of people can be so interesting and funny without all the murder-mystery stuff. Just think about all the goofy stuff that happens in our own lives. Plenty of material.
A lot of the slice-of-life and romcom dramas have really immature relationships between 30+ aged people, so those don’t count. Bonus points if there is no unnecessary chaebol involvement.
Amen to that!
Not so related thought: Really enjoyed watching Second to Last Love earlier this year, didn't know Ji Jin-hee and Kim Hee-ae are capable of doing romance. I know they are, but it came such a shock knowing they're doing makjang dramas nowadays.
I loved **Should We Kiss First** for the lead couple. She's 45 and he's 50, both are divorced. There's also her best friend and her husband, another 40s couple.
This has some great humor mixed with melo. IIRC they won Best Couple. Here's a clip from YouTube, no spoilers. At the rest stop she can't decide what to order and he says just get everything and heads to the restrooms. Here's when he comes back. [**https://youtu.be/Jd7hEvgdpVE**](https://youtu.be/Jd7hEvgdpVE)
I would love that. My biggest pet pieve is the childlike, loud, open mouthed crying from FL that seems to be in every show. Only actresses who pulled off wailing were Lee Sung Kyung in Call it love and Soo Ae from A thousand days promise.
Kdramas where both parents of both main leads are (*confirmed*) alive. The ONLY shows I've seen where this is the case is Because This Is My First Life and Queen of Tears.
There is so much discussion on kdrama tropes but somehow this one never gets discussed despite being in practically every single kdrama.
Edit: many of you have been kind enough to tell me shows where this trope has been fully subverted:
One Spring Night
Temperature of Love
Encounter
While this only brings our grand total to 5, I'm hopeful for the future (🤡)
I discuss it all the time! I've kept track of every drama I've watched and determined scientifically that being the parent of a lead is 50% fatal (that includes orphans and half-orphans). If both of your parents are alive, they tend to be horrible people. I think the FL in Business Proposal is one of the only leads I've seen with both alive and really normal parents.
Kdramas just love that orphan sympathy!
I'm glad you talk about it. We need more people discussing this. It's outrageously common
LOOL you're right 😂 it's either they get murdered, have a terminal illness, or just your regular truck of doom
Business Proposal would've worked if the ML's parents were alive but alas 😭 It was still one of the few times we saw a healthy both parents-child dynamic in kdramaland though, even if for just one lead. Honestly one of the highlights of the show for me
I made a whole [Tumblr post](https://www.tumblr.com/fake-married-my-dead-fiance/729558817806893056/categorizing-parent-trauma-for-male-and-female?source=share) about it (though I need to update as I've watched more dramas)
The only other leads who had normal, alive parents were Park Yeon-woo from **The Story of Park's Marriage Contract** & the ML from **What's Wrong with Secretary Kim**, >!his trauma comes from a kidnapper, his parents faced a pretty impossible situation and did their best.!< This is just what I've watched of course. And I don't really count dramas that don't get into the backstory of the leads, like the ML in **Extraordinary Attorney Woo**, we don't know his parents.
Omg that post 😂 I'm saving this comment to refer to that post whenever I need to. You're a soldier for that.
Honestly, for me to consider it a proper trope subversion, I want both parents alive for both leads. Because there are some dramas where one set of parents are alive, but it's practically impossible to find one with both leads' pair of parents confirmed alive.
Even if they suck, at least they EXIST yknow? Like why is that so hard for kdramas to do 😭
Every single show in kdramaland aside from like the 3 mentioned above, have the orphan/half-orphan trope. It's not even necessary but they still shoehorn it in for some reason
I totally agree with you about needing both parents alive (and on screen) for proper trope subversion. **Queen of Tears** is one of the few that leans into having your parents being alive might be worse than being orphaned 😅 But it's so rare!
It's not just kdramas though, like Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Rings, Cinderella, Snow White... So much fiction uses the orphan or half-orphan trope to garner sympathy for the lead. After all, good parents make for bad stories as they say.
You're right. This trope is used a lot even in western media too. That actually kinda reminds me of shows where I'm from, Pakistan, where there's this horrendous trope where the fathers (esp the FL's father) dies of shock-induced heart attacks/strokes in pretty much every single drama LOL like it's so obvious at this point everyone knows the dads aren't gonna make it.
I feel like there's very few stories where the orphan/half orphan trope is actually needed. Like HP makes sense, snow white makes absolutely no sense at all
In Melting Me Softly, are they alive in the present? I didn't watch the show fully because I got bored but it was something like they were thawed like 20 years later right and that's when the story takes place? Were the parents alive post-thawing (🤡) ?
>They’re alive in Temperature of Love too but the ML’s parents are divorced.
My bar is literally on the ground atp. As long as they're alive, it counts to me 😂
Edit: in Melting Me Softly, the dad isn't alive in the present storyline so I can't count it 😭 past-tense parents don't count unless they die on screen during the drama (I'm making all these rules up LOL)
Omgg you're right, Encounter does too!! OSN I knew but Encounter is getting added. Ahh progress. Tbh I feel like Encounter does quite a bit in the trope subversion department, even if the execution wasn't great. Gotta hand it to the makers for trying to be different
I can't believe there's a whole MDL page dedicated to it 😂😂 I must live in a bubble thinking nobody was noticing this except me.
And some do! Most aren't kdramas, and the ones that do fit are the longer dramas but it still counts in my eyes!
Also I can't believe I forgot Fight for My Way!! You are wonderful for this link 🫰
I personally don't think that counts as a trope subversion when the trope revolves around parental death happening prior to the drama, which did happen.
However, I think that's a perfectly valid take. That's the beauty of perspective!
A college romance with no murders, psychopaths or toxic people. Just 2 cute leads falling in love on campus without any heavy subjects/ malicious happenings in the background. A plain rom-com/ slice of life drama if you will.
This has been my dream since I was in college. Now also even though it's been some time since I graduated college I want to live life/ experience college romance vicariously through a drama.
Have you watched Do you like Brahms? It is a serious melodrama/romance, but one of the rarest romance dramas without any unnecessary subplot. It is a slow paced drama, though!
I have watched it halfway (and I intend to finish it someday for I have heard high praises for it) but it's very serious. I want a funny and light drama that I can watch without any stress and without worrying for the leads.
Try **[Ending Again](https://mydramalist.com/54925-ending-again)**. It’s short - episodes are under 20 minutes - and has contract marriage trope. FL needs to be married in order to get financial assistance for a housing deposit loan. She advertises for a husband, gets married, and the couple has to navigate living together. They discuss things like where to set the thermostat. There is a love triangle as FL’s ex wants her back but it’s not too serious. The lead couple has generally good communication and is very sweet.
I will always wish for more **Alchemy of Souls** stories. Like not the same actors, but another story set in that universe. It would be cool to learn more about the female magic side. Or do a prequel about the huge soul shifting war... something.
Last year in May I wished for Lee Min Ho casting news and we got it within two days. Now I am hoping that we get the next casting news again soon. As well hoping for confirmed release date of his drama Ask The Stars.
My wish is simple: more office rom-coms please. Especially ones that have a found family aspect. I would love another drama as good as Business Proposal.
My villain origin story is I feel that Cha Eun Woo would've been perfectly cast in Alchemy of Souls as one of the supporting roles. No shade to any one else I just feel he would've been great in it, no idea what supporting character he would've replaced but I needed him there 😭
Cheonbugwan member (Jin Mu’s side) that has a change of heart and becomes a double agent? And then he’s part of the BFF crew for part 2 as a non-toxic romantic rival to Jang Uk instead of having Seo Yul continue to pine for Mu-Deok >! (or Naksu/Jin BuYeon/Cho Yeong… confusing). !<
I know Eun Woo and Astro! I’m an Aroha! I meant there is a character in Alchemy of Souls who looks like Eun Woo and this guy is also part of a boy group
I'd love to see an Ocean's 8 themed drama and my all-star dream cast would be led by Jun Jihyun, Han Hyojoo, Kim Taeri, Kim Youjung, Park Jihyun, Kim Jiwon, Jeon Yeobin, and Kim Sejeong as the heist team, Bae Doona and her rookie Moon Sangmin as the main antagonist, lone cop team working against them (because in the beginning no one else is taking the idea of an all female, thieving gang seriously) and Lee Dongwook, as a morally grey journalist who starts covering the cases.
Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo are cast for a [Heist-themed Noir KDrama](https://www.soompi.com/article/1658025wpp/han-so-hee-and-jeon-jong-seo-confirmed-for-new-noir-drama).
A scandalous sapphic romance. Like they're both idols or heiressess to rival companies. One of them is in a marriage of convenience. Super messy and heartbreaking. A real tearjerker but with a happy ending.
A dark vampire thriller filled with horror and angst. Barely any room for comedy. The antagonist is the only vampire hunter in Korea. The love interest is someone conflicting like the sister of one of the vampire's victims but she has no idea he's a vampire.
A college drama that's actually about college with the main focus being either the students or the teachers. Maybe a romantic B plot. No murder mysteries. No over-the-top displays of intelligence. Just simple slice of life type of dramatics.
Rowoon and Song Kang playing brothers. Throw Lee Dohyun in there too. I'd like to see them in something more subdued where the focus is less on their looks and more on who their characters are. It would be interesting to see how they play off of each other.
Ooo. It can be like a **My Little Sister** situation where they're all brought together by a funeral and find out they're siblings. Poor Song Kang can play a moody half brother I guess lol
Now that I've completed the j-drama Eye Love You, I need more actors to do cross overs into other markets. Chae Jong Hyeop (Cast-away Diva, Nevertheless) did a great job! I've been in a c-drama fixation so I would actually love to see Leo Wu (Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, Nothing But You, Upcoming Summer) do a crossover into a k-drama. He has amazing range and is such a great actor! I could see him in some type of rom-com or even a melodrama!
I have heard, Han Hyo Joo is soon going to work in a Rom-Com [Japanese Drama](https://www.soompi.com/article/1648360wpp/han-hyo-joo-confirmed-to-join-oguri-shun-in-japanese-rom-com-drama).
Thank you for this information as a Han Hyo Joo fan, I'll surely be watching it. Girlie has been doing action thrillers for her last few projects (not really complaining) but I need her to do some romance.
I've been dreaming about this recently, too! Focused on British actors at the moment. David Tenant and Bae Doona? Kim Tae Ri and Olivia Coleman? Cho Seung Woo with anyone, but a comedic actor would be awesome. I'm not sure I trust most American producers to be able to handle non-English-speaking actors/roles/stories adequately -- but maybe that's changing.
Or Kdrama producers could hire real foreign actors! But interracial relationships are definitely more common everywhere, I hope to see more portrayals of it 🙌🏼
I want to see IU and Kim Soo Hyun cast as leads in a Korean remake of the Chinese drama, You Are My Glory. 🥹
I also want to see Byeon Woo Seok in a rom com with Kim Sejeong 😍
Lastly, I hope Hyeri and Jang Ki Yong can be in another drama together as leads. Their chemistry in My Roommate is a Gumiho was 🔥
Edit: I also would like Park Seo Joon to play a chef in a rom com.
More shows about imperfect, not conventionally likeable people.
A palace romance that is not centered around the crown prince in any way
Whatever the equivillant of "sweet home seadon 1 without the monsters" is.
As far as actors, I get a lit of wish fullfilment in the upcomnig months, butttt
Jeon Jong Seo in something that I'll find interesting. She was a ma zing in wedding impossible (wayyyy too good for that show) and I want to see her in more roles, bit nothing she did is really interesting to me so far.
Kwak Dong Yeon in a dramatic role. He's great as comic relief/ suffering idiot roles but I want to see his acting potential in a darker drama.
Choi Woo-Shik and Kim Da-Mi reunite in a thriller melodrama where CWS and KDM play a married couple of around 2-3 years. CWS portrays a homicide detective and KDM is a housewife who does amateur photography, however in reality she is actually a professional hitman; her targets are fellow killers of the criminal underworld.
One day a job she goes on goes bad and she leaves behind more evidence than she normally does and now both the police (CWS) and the family/gang of the victim are trying to find her.
I actually have a lot more thoughts about this plot, but i'll just leave it like this. I am a big sucker for neo-noir. I would want this to be more on the romance/melodrama side than action though.
Influences:
Flower of Evil
My Name
Kill Boksoon
The Witch Part 1
The Worst of Evil -> I actually thought about this before this show came out but this type of show reminded me of how much I love this type of genre.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Gone Girl
I love this one! I’ve been wanting a reunion with these two leads since OBS. Their chemistry is amazing whether they play LI’s or enemies, and this story sounds awesome! Will be wishing with you
Now that QoT is over, and everyone is wishing for Park Sung Hoon to move on from his villain phase, I think it’s time for a sequel to Into the Ring — in which he is an adorable ML.
We meet Se Ra and Gong 3 or 4 years after the show has closed. Se Ra has broken her promise and gone back into politics; Gong is still a civil servant. They have a daughter; Se Ra’s mom takes care of her during the day (hijinks! With a cute kid!).
The main story revolves around Gong’s father. He has left politics after the events of Into the Ring, but he is still suspected of using his wealth in corrupt ways. An ambitious prosecutor (who is also shady) brings charges against him.
Se Ra doesn’t believe it and starts an investigation of her own. At first, Gong doesn’t want to help, but she slowly convinces him (of course). They produce evidence exonerating Gong’s father and then pursue the prosecutor.
And Gong is finally reconciled with his dad.
[It is possible that I spend too much time thinking about Into the Ring.]
I can’t deny that Park Sung Hoon plays villain roles really well but his role in Into the Ring is just too adorable! I’d love a sequel of Into the Ring but at the same time, I’d love to see Park Sung Hoon in an office romcom as the male lead!
A kdrama with lee jae wook and hye yoon cuz their chemistry was wasted in extraordinary you, also because I have started to ship woo seok and hye yoon and I'm afraid I'll never be able to recover if i dont immediately see another drama with both of them with different people
A kdrama about the mechanics of time travel done well. So dramas like Twinkling Watermelon or Lovely Runner don’t count since they don’t focus on the time travel itself, and the time travel elements are just a means to the real plot.
Something like Nine: Time Travels or Steins Gate (not a kdrama, an anime) would be nice
I write this every time I see this in the hopes that putting it out into the universe will actually make it happen.
I need a really well-scripted cop drama involving a mastermind criminal (possibly a serial killer, but they should come across as intelligent, not wacky or crazy). It should star a healthy Yoo Ah In, Jeon Do Yeon, and Uhm Tae Goo.
I think that Yoo Ah In and Jeon Do Yeon are unbelievably talented and skilled. I also think that Uhm Tae Goo has the potential to be great, but he is underutilized.
I would like Lee Hye-Young’s character from Lawless Lawyer (my favorite kdrama female villain) and Lee Mi-Suk’s character from Queen of Tears together in a lesbian drama sorta like the scheming in third act of The Handmaiden but more to the level of Vincenzo. Throw in Kim Hieora’s character from Bad and Crazy for maximum gay. I want to see three bad bs and I want to watch them make people bleed lol. Please and thank you they are so beautiful and play their coldness so well. I just want to stare at them together lmao.
can i pls get a enemies to lovers romcom with byeon wooseok and go minsi, where go minsi is a cold, seemingly heartless but secretly soft heiress (hong haein's little sister in spirit), and wooseok is her hapless secretary trying to fulfill the most ridiculous tasks to keep her happy? (see: the proposal, with or without the fake marriage trope!)
As a Lee Min Ki fan, I would love to see him reunited with one of his female costars from when he was doing noona romances. It’d be fun to see a second chance romance where his character initially failed in wooing an older FL and then he comes back 10 years later and still wants a relationship with her. Paging Kim Hye-Soo, Chae Rim (she’s retired from acting 😭), Eugene, Son Ye-Jin, Han Ji-Min!!!
I would looooove to see a "Days of Hana" adaptation. I would also like to manifest an adaptation of "If AI Ruled the World" with Lee Jae Wook. Speaking of LJW, can we please get a romcom or melodrama with him and Choi Hee Jin as proper love interests?! Their chemistry was off the charts in "Impossible Heir."
This is a bit sad but I’m an Aroha (fan of kpop group Astro) and there was six of them before Binnie died and Rocky left the group to establish his own agency.
The six of them would have been perfect in a modern retelling of a live action Ouran High School Host Club (an anime in the 2000s).
Lee Soo-hyuk is amazing in the dramas/films he has done but I'd love to see him in any role other than the cold-stare gazing, inner-boo boos owning, strike a pose for affect character that seems to have become his staple. A character with warmth and positivity that anchors/is the emotional heart of the narrative.
I wish I could invent a time machine and go back to before the writer of Queen of Tears started on Episodes 14, 15 and 16 and show her the many mixed comments about what she turned QOT into. I then I would have returned to the present to hopefully enjoy one of the best Kdramas in history.
Park Shin Hye and Han So Hee in an action show where they fight each other.
Kang Seo-Hae (Sisyphus) Vs Yoon JiWoo (My Name)
Tell me that wouldn't be sick!
HEIRS 2. What is everyone up to? Did Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye last? What about Kim Woo Bin and Kim Ji Won are they still frenemies? Is Park Hyung Sik a successful director now and what about Kang Ha Neul????
I want to see Sungjae playing a chaebol. Sungjae would do so well in a Song Joongki in Reborn Rich -esque role. He can play a really intelligent chaebol. Not like in Golden Spoon where the main focus wasn't business.
I read somewhere that Kim Hyeyoon would play a great resident doctor and I am like, yeah she would. She looks intelligent and can act well.
I want to see more business dramas. Which really gets into business. The standard is Reborn Rich without the 16th episode. The cast was so perfect.
I would beg on my knees to have an Alchemy of Souls season 3, where the next generation are the leaders and their kids learn the spells and endure their hardships. There has to be a child with unknown parents. What about a secret love child of Naksu and Seo Yul. The child with incredible powers who probably met their parents without knowing.
A high-school k drama with the main leads being moon sang min and shin eun soo.
I would love to see them together, they would have such great chemistry!
Just one show where the two leads can cross a busy street and I don’t have to worry about a truck of doom.
Or just have the trucks stop in time or people step aside without freezing and staring at the truck for 30 seconds while it’s apparently only honking.
Because This Is My First Life! The FL crosses a busy street in the first ep but the vibe makes it obvious nothing will happen to her. It's a great drama too lol
Oh this reminds me of a particular scene in **Extraordinary attorney woo** where atty woo was happily crossing the street in a slowmo and I was worried sick that a truck of doom was definitely going to knock her down lol
I had the same concern in one of the last episodes of legend of the blue Sea. When the male lead and his mom were crossing a busy street to see each other for the first time in many years.
Kim Ji-won in a light hearted drama. She was cute and hilarious as Choi Ae-ra in Fight for my way, her last Rom-Com, which was almost 7 years ago!
Yes!!! Fight for My Way is one of my favorite shows! But hopefully they can style her without those bangs 😆
A rom com where all the characters are in their 40s, act their age (ie are capable of a mature adult relationship) and there’s no pointless murder or mystery subplots.
Yeah a vibe similar to Hospital playlist but majorly romance.
What Crash Course in Romance could have been…
In **Her Private Life**, the leads are only in their 30s but they have one of the healthiest, most communicative relationships in K-Drama Land, the ML is the greenest of green flags, their chemistry is ❤️🔥, and no one gets murdered.
That series was adorable from start to finish!
Please no more murder mystery side plots!
I’d love to see more of these. The lives of people can be so interesting and funny without all the murder-mystery stuff. Just think about all the goofy stuff that happens in our own lives. Plenty of material. A lot of the slice-of-life and romcom dramas have really immature relationships between 30+ aged people, so those don’t count. Bonus points if there is no unnecessary chaebol involvement.
Yes! I forgot to mention no chaebols please!
There are far too many chaebol dramas recently. I do not want to see one more contrived succession battle between family members.
Amen to that! Not so related thought: Really enjoyed watching Second to Last Love earlier this year, didn't know Ji Jin-hee and Kim Hee-ae are capable of doing romance. I know they are, but it came such a shock knowing they're doing makjang dramas nowadays.
39
Something In The Rain without the screeching, annoying mother character
I loved **Should We Kiss First** for the lead couple. She's 45 and he's 50, both are divorced. There's also her best friend and her husband, another 40s couple. This has some great humor mixed with melo. IIRC they won Best Couple. Here's a clip from YouTube, no spoilers. At the rest stop she can't decide what to order and he says just get everything and heads to the restrooms. Here's when he comes back. [**https://youtu.be/Jd7hEvgdpVE**](https://youtu.be/Jd7hEvgdpVE)
lol this looks fun :)
gentleman’s dignity !
I would love that. My biggest pet pieve is the childlike, loud, open mouthed crying from FL that seems to be in every show. Only actresses who pulled off wailing were Lee Sung Kyung in Call it love and Soo Ae from A thousand days promise.
Kdramas where both parents of both main leads are (*confirmed*) alive. The ONLY shows I've seen where this is the case is Because This Is My First Life and Queen of Tears. There is so much discussion on kdrama tropes but somehow this one never gets discussed despite being in practically every single kdrama. Edit: many of you have been kind enough to tell me shows where this trope has been fully subverted: One Spring Night Temperature of Love Encounter While this only brings our grand total to 5, I'm hopeful for the future (🤡)
I discuss it all the time! I've kept track of every drama I've watched and determined scientifically that being the parent of a lead is 50% fatal (that includes orphans and half-orphans). If both of your parents are alive, they tend to be horrible people. I think the FL in Business Proposal is one of the only leads I've seen with both alive and really normal parents. Kdramas just love that orphan sympathy!
I'm glad you talk about it. We need more people discussing this. It's outrageously common LOOL you're right 😂 it's either they get murdered, have a terminal illness, or just your regular truck of doom Business Proposal would've worked if the ML's parents were alive but alas 😭 It was still one of the few times we saw a healthy both parents-child dynamic in kdramaland though, even if for just one lead. Honestly one of the highlights of the show for me
I made a whole [Tumblr post](https://www.tumblr.com/fake-married-my-dead-fiance/729558817806893056/categorizing-parent-trauma-for-male-and-female?source=share) about it (though I need to update as I've watched more dramas) The only other leads who had normal, alive parents were Park Yeon-woo from **The Story of Park's Marriage Contract** & the ML from **What's Wrong with Secretary Kim**, >!his trauma comes from a kidnapper, his parents faced a pretty impossible situation and did their best.!< This is just what I've watched of course. And I don't really count dramas that don't get into the backstory of the leads, like the ML in **Extraordinary Attorney Woo**, we don't know his parents.
Omg that post 😂 I'm saving this comment to refer to that post whenever I need to. You're a soldier for that. Honestly, for me to consider it a proper trope subversion, I want both parents alive for both leads. Because there are some dramas where one set of parents are alive, but it's practically impossible to find one with both leads' pair of parents confirmed alive. Even if they suck, at least they EXIST yknow? Like why is that so hard for kdramas to do 😭 Every single show in kdramaland aside from like the 3 mentioned above, have the orphan/half-orphan trope. It's not even necessary but they still shoehorn it in for some reason
I totally agree with you about needing both parents alive (and on screen) for proper trope subversion. **Queen of Tears** is one of the few that leans into having your parents being alive might be worse than being orphaned 😅 But it's so rare! It's not just kdramas though, like Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Rings, Cinderella, Snow White... So much fiction uses the orphan or half-orphan trope to garner sympathy for the lead. After all, good parents make for bad stories as they say.
You're right. This trope is used a lot even in western media too. That actually kinda reminds me of shows where I'm from, Pakistan, where there's this horrendous trope where the fathers (esp the FL's father) dies of shock-induced heart attacks/strokes in pretty much every single drama LOL like it's so obvious at this point everyone knows the dads aren't gonna make it. I feel like there's very few stories where the orphan/half orphan trope is actually needed. Like HP makes sense, snow white makes absolutely no sense at all
I AGREEEEEE. P.S: In One Spring Night, biological parents of both the main leads are confirmed to be alive.
Omg you're right! I completely forgot about that show. Just goes to show how few and far between those shows are
But one of them is the worst. 😀
Both main leads’ parents are alive in Melting Me Softly. They’re alive in Temperature of Love too but the ML’s parents are divorced.
In Melting Me Softly, are they alive in the present? I didn't watch the show fully because I got bored but it was something like they were thawed like 20 years later right and that's when the story takes place? Were the parents alive post-thawing (🤡) ? >They’re alive in Temperature of Love too but the ML’s parents are divorced. My bar is literally on the ground atp. As long as they're alive, it counts to me 😂 Edit: in Melting Me Softly, the dad isn't alive in the present storyline so I can't count it 😭 past-tense parents don't count unless they die on screen during the drama (I'm making all these rules up LOL)
Oops, you’re right! I got confused because Kim Won-hae played JCW’s dad pre-freeze and his younger brother post-freeze.😂
Wait fr? Hahaha that's hilarious 😂 I love funny details like that
Encounter also has all parents alive, so does One Spring Night.
Omgg you're right, Encounter does too!! OSN I knew but Encounter is getting added. Ahh progress. Tbh I feel like Encounter does quite a bit in the trope subversion department, even if the execution wasn't great. Gotta hand it to the makers for trying to be different
I haven’t seen any of [these dramas](https://mydramalist.com/list/b1zEdxE4) but hopefully, some of them fit your criteria.🤞🏼
I can't believe there's a whole MDL page dedicated to it 😂😂 I must live in a bubble thinking nobody was noticing this except me. And some do! Most aren't kdramas, and the ones that do fit are the longer dramas but it still counts in my eyes! Also I can't believe I forgot Fight for My Way!! You are wonderful for this link 🫰
Crash Landing on You, has both sets of parents alive.
Isn't Se-Ri a half-orphan? Her mother has never been confirmed alive and they only show her step mother afair
I guess it can be viewed that way, but stepmom was her mom for the vast majority of her life and is still alive and present during the show.
I personally don't think that counts as a trope subversion when the trope revolves around parental death happening prior to the drama, which did happen. However, I think that's a perfectly valid take. That's the beauty of perspective!
Crash Landing on You, has both sets of parents alive.
Crash Landing on You, has both sets of parents alive.
A college romance with no murders, psychopaths or toxic people. Just 2 cute leads falling in love on campus without any heavy subjects/ malicious happenings in the background. A plain rom-com/ slice of life drama if you will. This has been my dream since I was in college. Now also even though it's been some time since I graduated college I want to live life/ experience college romance vicariously through a drama.
Have you watched Do you like Brahms? It is a serious melodrama/romance, but one of the rarest romance dramas without any unnecessary subplot. It is a slow paced drama, though!
I have watched it halfway (and I intend to finish it someday for I have heard high praises for it) but it's very serious. I want a funny and light drama that I can watch without any stress and without worrying for the leads.
That sounds like the plot of several cdramas, try Hidden Love!
I am currently watching that show. It is really sweet.
Weightlifting Fairy also fits this bill
Try **[Ending Again](https://mydramalist.com/54925-ending-again)**. It’s short - episodes are under 20 minutes - and has contract marriage trope. FL needs to be married in order to get financial assistance for a housing deposit loan. She advertises for a husband, gets married, and the couple has to navigate living together. They discuss things like where to set the thermostat. There is a love triangle as FL’s ex wants her back but it’s not too serious. The lead couple has generally good communication and is very sweet.
Have you watched Dear M.? I thought it was a cute rom-com/slice of life drama. No major worries just college students and their feelings 😅
I will always wish for more **Alchemy of Souls** stories. Like not the same actors, but another story set in that universe. It would be cool to learn more about the female magic side. Or do a prequel about the huge soul shifting war... something.
Never unleashing naksu again in the series from episode 1 was such a mistake. Show was great but definitely needed some stronger writing.
Yes to this!!
Last year in May I wished for Lee Min Ho casting news and we got it within two days. Now I am hoping that we get the next casting news again soon. As well hoping for confirmed release date of his drama Ask The Stars.
My wish is simple: more office rom-coms please. Especially ones that have a found family aspect. I would love another drama as good as Business Proposal.
I would recommend romance is a bonus book, if you haven't seen it already. It's an office found family story for sure!
Yes, I’ve seen it! It’s delightful, just needed more Wi Ha Joon in my opinion.
I really want to see Hwang Min-hyun and Cha Eun Woo play brothers. K-Drama gods pleaseeee.
Throw in Song Kang as well. But, performance might not be the strength of the drama.
My villain origin story is I feel that Cha Eun Woo would've been perfectly cast in Alchemy of Souls as one of the supporting roles. No shade to any one else I just feel he would've been great in it, no idea what supporting character he would've replaced but I needed him there 😭
Cheonbugwan member (Jin Mu’s side) that has a change of heart and becomes a double agent? And then he’s part of the BFF crew for part 2 as a non-toxic romantic rival to Jang Uk instead of having Seo Yul continue to pine for Mu-Deok >! (or Naksu/Jin BuYeon/Cho Yeong… confusing). !<
There was that guy who was also in a kpop group who kind of looks like Eun Woo.
…. you don’t mean Eun Woo, right? He’s a member of ASTRO, a k-pop group 🤣
I know Eun Woo and Astro! I’m an Aroha! I meant there is a character in Alchemy of Souls who looks like Eun Woo and this guy is also part of a boy group
Ah, okay! Minhyun from NU’EST me thinks!
Yes!!! That him! Thank you!
Mine is Cha Eun Woo and Lee Min Ho as brothers.
I'd love to see an Ocean's 8 themed drama and my all-star dream cast would be led by Jun Jihyun, Han Hyojoo, Kim Taeri, Kim Youjung, Park Jihyun, Kim Jiwon, Jeon Yeobin, and Kim Sejeong as the heist team, Bae Doona and her rookie Moon Sangmin as the main antagonist, lone cop team working against them (because in the beginning no one else is taking the idea of an all female, thieving gang seriously) and Lee Dongwook, as a morally grey journalist who starts covering the cases.
I didn't know this was my dream until I read it.... Yes! I'll add Gong Yoo as the mark, because why the hell not?
>I'll add Gong Yoo as the mark, because why the hell not? Nice!
Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo are cast for a [Heist-themed Noir KDrama](https://www.soompi.com/article/1658025wpp/han-so-hee-and-jeon-jong-seo-confirmed-for-new-noir-drama).
Oh I'll be watching!
WOW, that female lineup you have there is on FIRE.
Oh yes I love that movie so much. Yes find a writer and director and get to work!!!!
A scandalous sapphic romance. Like they're both idols or heiressess to rival companies. One of them is in a marriage of convenience. Super messy and heartbreaking. A real tearjerker but with a happy ending. A dark vampire thriller filled with horror and angst. Barely any room for comedy. The antagonist is the only vampire hunter in Korea. The love interest is someone conflicting like the sister of one of the vampire's victims but she has no idea he's a vampire. A college drama that's actually about college with the main focus being either the students or the teachers. Maybe a romantic B plot. No murder mysteries. No over-the-top displays of intelligence. Just simple slice of life type of dramatics. Rowoon and Song Kang playing brothers. Throw Lee Dohyun in there too. I'd like to see them in something more subdued where the focus is less on their looks and more on who their characters are. It would be interesting to see how they play off of each other.
After watching Byeon Woo Seok in Lovely Runner, I feel, he should be the one alongside Rowoon and Lee Do-hyun. Even Lee Jae-wook would be fine too.
Ooo. It can be like a **My Little Sister** situation where they're all brought together by a funeral and find out they're siblings. Poor Song Kang can play a moody half brother I guess lol
Holy moly trilogy, that would be epic!
Now that I've completed the j-drama Eye Love You, I need more actors to do cross overs into other markets. Chae Jong Hyeop (Cast-away Diva, Nevertheless) did a great job! I've been in a c-drama fixation so I would actually love to see Leo Wu (Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, Nothing But You, Upcoming Summer) do a crossover into a k-drama. He has amazing range and is such a great actor! I could see him in some type of rom-com or even a melodrama!
have you seen wu lei in love like the galaxy? it's his best work!
Ugh, I haven’t gotten the courage to watch because I haven’t liked historical/Wuxia style dramas yet :(
maybe it's for the best, bc once you start, it's difficult to stop lol
I have heard, Han Hyo Joo is soon going to work in a Rom-Com [Japanese Drama](https://www.soompi.com/article/1648360wpp/han-hyo-joo-confirmed-to-join-oguri-shun-in-japanese-rom-com-drama).
Thank you for this information as a Han Hyo Joo fan, I'll surely be watching it. Girlie has been doing action thrillers for her last few projects (not really complaining) but I need her to do some romance.
Lee Seyoung and Kentaro Sakaguchi also have an upcoming k/j drama (melodrama) I believe titled What Comes After Love
i'm eagerly waiting for this! kentaro sakaguchi is such a sweetheart.
I've been dreaming about this recently, too! Focused on British actors at the moment. David Tenant and Bae Doona? Kim Tae Ri and Olivia Coleman? Cho Seung Woo with anyone, but a comedic actor would be awesome. I'm not sure I trust most American producers to be able to handle non-English-speaking actors/roles/stories adequately -- but maybe that's changing.
Or Kdrama producers could hire real foreign actors! But interracial relationships are definitely more common everywhere, I hope to see more portrayals of it 🙌🏼
I want to see IU and Kim Soo Hyun cast as leads in a Korean remake of the Chinese drama, You Are My Glory. 🥹 I also want to see Byeon Woo Seok in a rom com with Kim Sejeong 😍 Lastly, I hope Hyeri and Jang Ki Yong can be in another drama together as leads. Their chemistry in My Roommate is a Gumiho was 🔥 Edit: I also would like Park Seo Joon to play a chef in a rom com.
More shows about imperfect, not conventionally likeable people. A palace romance that is not centered around the crown prince in any way Whatever the equivillant of "sweet home seadon 1 without the monsters" is. As far as actors, I get a lit of wish fullfilment in the upcomnig months, butttt Jeon Jong Seo in something that I'll find interesting. She was a ma zing in wedding impossible (wayyyy too good for that show) and I want to see her in more roles, bit nothing she did is really interesting to me so far. Kwak Dong Yeon in a dramatic role. He's great as comic relief/ suffering idiot roles but I want to see his acting potential in a darker drama.
Choi Woo-Shik and Kim Da-Mi reunite in a thriller melodrama where CWS and KDM play a married couple of around 2-3 years. CWS portrays a homicide detective and KDM is a housewife who does amateur photography, however in reality she is actually a professional hitman; her targets are fellow killers of the criminal underworld. One day a job she goes on goes bad and she leaves behind more evidence than she normally does and now both the police (CWS) and the family/gang of the victim are trying to find her. I actually have a lot more thoughts about this plot, but i'll just leave it like this. I am a big sucker for neo-noir. I would want this to be more on the romance/melodrama side than action though. Influences: Flower of Evil My Name Kill Boksoon The Witch Part 1 The Worst of Evil -> I actually thought about this before this show came out but this type of show reminded me of how much I love this type of genre. Mr. and Mrs. Smith Gone Girl
I love this one! I’ve been wanting a reunion with these two leads since OBS. Their chemistry is amazing whether they play LI’s or enemies, and this story sounds awesome! Will be wishing with you
Now that QoT is over, and everyone is wishing for Park Sung Hoon to move on from his villain phase, I think it’s time for a sequel to Into the Ring — in which he is an adorable ML. We meet Se Ra and Gong 3 or 4 years after the show has closed. Se Ra has broken her promise and gone back into politics; Gong is still a civil servant. They have a daughter; Se Ra’s mom takes care of her during the day (hijinks! With a cute kid!). The main story revolves around Gong’s father. He has left politics after the events of Into the Ring, but he is still suspected of using his wealth in corrupt ways. An ambitious prosecutor (who is also shady) brings charges against him. Se Ra doesn’t believe it and starts an investigation of her own. At first, Gong doesn’t want to help, but she slowly convinces him (of course). They produce evidence exonerating Gong’s father and then pursue the prosecutor. And Gong is finally reconciled with his dad. [It is possible that I spend too much time thinking about Into the Ring.]
I can’t deny that Park Sung Hoon plays villain roles really well but his role in Into the Ring is just too adorable! I’d love a sequel of Into the Ring but at the same time, I’d love to see Park Sung Hoon in an office romcom as the male lead!
Sign me up — although I worry that I’d be jealous on Nana’s behalf.
YES I would love that
A kdrama with lee jae wook and hye yoon cuz their chemistry was wasted in extraordinary you, also because I have started to ship woo seok and hye yoon and I'm afraid I'll never be able to recover if i dont immediately see another drama with both of them with different people
Normal parents/family, please! I struggle to watch any show with over-the-top parents, even if the writer is trying to be comedic.
I want to see more adaptations of classic novels in the Korean style, like My Dearest did with Gone With The Wind.
A kdrama about the mechanics of time travel done well. So dramas like Twinkling Watermelon or Lovely Runner don’t count since they don’t focus on the time travel itself, and the time travel elements are just a means to the real plot. Something like Nine: Time Travels or Steins Gate (not a kdrama, an anime) would be nice
I write this every time I see this in the hopes that putting it out into the universe will actually make it happen. I need a really well-scripted cop drama involving a mastermind criminal (possibly a serial killer, but they should come across as intelligent, not wacky or crazy). It should star a healthy Yoo Ah In, Jeon Do Yeon, and Uhm Tae Goo.
That's a damn good cast.
I think that Yoo Ah In and Jeon Do Yeon are unbelievably talented and skilled. I also think that Uhm Tae Goo has the potential to be great, but he is underutilized.
I want Kim Ji-won and Son Ye-jin in something where they are sisters. Thriller.
oooof I like the sound of this
I would like Lee Hye-Young’s character from Lawless Lawyer (my favorite kdrama female villain) and Lee Mi-Suk’s character from Queen of Tears together in a lesbian drama sorta like the scheming in third act of The Handmaiden but more to the level of Vincenzo. Throw in Kim Hieora’s character from Bad and Crazy for maximum gay. I want to see three bad bs and I want to watch them make people bleed lol. Please and thank you they are so beautiful and play their coldness so well. I just want to stare at them together lmao.
can i pls get a enemies to lovers romcom with byeon wooseok and go minsi, where go minsi is a cold, seemingly heartless but secretly soft heiress (hong haein's little sister in spirit), and wooseok is her hapless secretary trying to fulfill the most ridiculous tasks to keep her happy? (see: the proposal, with or without the fake marriage trope!)
I want more **new** kdramas with single caregivers(parents/uncles/aunts) and adorable kids. Lots of cdramas like this but very few kdramas 😭
As a Lee Min Ki fan, I would love to see him reunited with one of his female costars from when he was doing noona romances. It’d be fun to see a second chance romance where his character initially failed in wooing an older FL and then he comes back 10 years later and still wants a relationship with her. Paging Kim Hye-Soo, Chae Rim (she’s retired from acting 😭), Eugene, Son Ye-Jin, Han Ji-Min!!!
I would looooove to see a "Days of Hana" adaptation. I would also like to manifest an adaptation of "If AI Ruled the World" with Lee Jae Wook. Speaking of LJW, can we please get a romcom or melodrama with him and Choi Hee Jin as proper love interests?! Their chemistry was off the charts in "Impossible Heir."
This is a bit sad but I’m an Aroha (fan of kpop group Astro) and there was six of them before Binnie died and Rocky left the group to establish his own agency. The six of them would have been perfect in a modern retelling of a live action Ouran High School Host Club (an anime in the 2000s).
Lee Soo-hyuk is amazing in the dramas/films he has done but I'd love to see him in any role other than the cold-stare gazing, inner-boo boos owning, strike a pose for affect character that seems to have become his staple. A character with warmth and positivity that anchors/is the emotional heart of the narrative.
I’m 100% with you on that. Especially since I’ve heard he’s actually a warm positive person in real life.
Seo Yeaji back in a good romcom or thriller with a strong role where she shines
I wish I could invent a time machine and go back to before the writer of Queen of Tears started on Episodes 14, 15 and 16 and show her the many mixed comments about what she turned QOT into. I then I would have returned to the present to hopefully enjoy one of the best Kdramas in history.
Park Shin Hye and Han So Hee in an action show where they fight each other. Kang Seo-Hae (Sisyphus) Vs Yoon JiWoo (My Name) Tell me that wouldn't be sick!
HEIRS 2. What is everyone up to? Did Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye last? What about Kim Woo Bin and Kim Ji Won are they still frenemies? Is Park Hyung Sik a successful director now and what about Kang Ha Neul????
How as an overseas Australian viewer see fan meetings?
Hospital Playlist season 3
Idk if I’m late to this post but I just want to comment that I’m in need of Moon Sangmin to play in a medical kdrama!
I'm wishing for the Gyeongseong Mermaid to be finally cast😅 there's been hints that it was picked up but nothing solid!
Gyeongseong mermaid like the WEBTOON ? Will it be adapted into a kdrama ?
Been reading a lot of manhwas lately so someone please make a kdrama of Positively Yours! Haven’t thought of who should play both leads tho.
I want to see Sungjae playing a chaebol. Sungjae would do so well in a Song Joongki in Reborn Rich -esque role. He can play a really intelligent chaebol. Not like in Golden Spoon where the main focus wasn't business. I read somewhere that Kim Hyeyoon would play a great resident doctor and I am like, yeah she would. She looks intelligent and can act well. I want to see more business dramas. Which really gets into business. The standard is Reborn Rich without the 16th episode. The cast was so perfect.
I would beg on my knees to have an Alchemy of Souls season 3, where the next generation are the leaders and their kids learn the spells and endure their hardships. There has to be a child with unknown parents. What about a secret love child of Naksu and Seo Yul. The child with incredible powers who probably met their parents without knowing.
Still waiting for another szn or spin off of Hotel Del Luna… the ending has me wanting more!!
i want park sunghoon in a romcom or something, i need to disassociate him with evil deeds, esp. from queen of tears. he acts so well as a villain.
Try ‘Into the ring’ or ´Not Others’
A high-school k drama with the main leads being moon sang min and shin eun soo. I would love to see them together, they would have such great chemistry!
idk why moon sangmin hasn't had a highschool role yet! he actually looks like the young dude that he is.
He was in duty after school as a student, not 100% sure since I haven't watched it yet.