table of content table of content
- 1. She falls… and of course, HE is there
- 2. The second glass (or more) of soju always spells disaster
- 3. The umbrella that appears out of nowhere
- 4. The Cold-Hearted Chaebol in Love with the «Ordinary» Girl»
- 5. They met when they were kids… obviously
- 6. The Love Triangle and Our Perpetual Bad Choices
- 7. «I’m leaving you because I love you»
- 8. The kiss after 12 episodes… and she turns into a statue
- 9. Fever Requiring Intensive Care
- 10. The back hug: the one you can’t even really bring yourself to hate
- 11. Amnesia Pulled Out of a Hat
- 12. The wrist grabbed in the middle of an argument
- 13. The Contract That Was Definitely Not Supposed to Get Romantic
- 14. The car that appears at exactly the worst possible moment
- There are others we could mention…
- Why do we love these clichés so much?
When you first start watching K-dramas, everything seems incredibly romantic. After watching a few dozen series, it’s a different story. You start to see certain scenes coming 3 episodes ahead.
Is she ordering a second soju? She’s going to end up drunk. Is it starting to rain? Someone’s going to pull out an umbrella at just the right moment. Has the nice supporting character been in love with the heroine for 15 years? Sorry, buddy, but you’re in for a rough ride. We grumble, we roll our eyes… and yet, let’s admit it: A K-drama without a few good old clichés wouldn't quite be a K-drama anymore.
So here are those situations we know by heart, but secretly love to experience again.
1. She falls… and of course, HE is there
Gravity works in a very peculiar way in South Korea. A heroine might trip on a staircase, slip on a puddle, or mysteriously lose her balance in the middle of a perfectly flat sidewalk: The hero will always be within 50 centimeters of her so he can grab her around the waist (after a clever maneuver on the part of the FL – female lead).
This is naturally followed by a 15-second stare. No one moves. The music starts.
They look at each other as if they’ve just figured out the meaning of life. In real life? We’d probably both be on the floor.
2. The second glass (or more) of soju always spells disaster
In K-dramas, soju isn’t just a drink—it’s practically a plot device. As soon as the green bottles start piling up on the table, something is bound to happen. A confession of love might just slip out, a frustration held in for ten episodes might explode, or our heroine might decide that this is exactly the right moment to tell her crush just how handsome she thinks he is.
The problem arises when it's time to head home. Fortunately, the male lead usually has remarkable stamina and can carry her on his back for several blocks without showing the slightest sign of fatigue. The combination of a night of drinking and carrying her on his back has, in fact, become one of the genre's classic tropes.
And the next day? She obviously doesn't remember a thing, while he remembers every word. Otherwise, it wouldn't be nearly as funny.
3. The umbrella that appears out of nowhere
It's raining. She's alone. Of course, she doesn't have an umbrella. We, sitting in front of our screen: 3… 2… 1…
There it is. An umbrella (a yellow one—even better) slowly appears above her head. She turns around. IT'S HIM. Of course it's him.
And let's be honest: even after watching this scene fifty times, with the right soundtrack and the right slow-motion effect, it still works. Be careful, though—sometimes certain K-dramas flip the script, and it's the girl who's holding the umbrella!
4. The Cold-Hearted Chaebol in Love with the «Ordinary» Girl»
He owns a building, 3 hotels, 12 cars, and probably half of Seoul. She struggles to pay her rent and works at a café. Naturally, they’re a perfect match. From Boys Over Flowers à The Heirs Through an impressive number of romantic stories, the cold and arrogant rich heir remains a staple of K-dramas.
And her mother? Ah, her mother. An impeccable suit, an outrageously expensive handbag, and a gaze capable of freezing an entire room. At some point, she’ll probably offer the heroine money to make her disappear.
Because in the world of the chaebol, apparently, A bank transfer is still a perfectly reasonable way to manage one's son's love life.
5. They met when they were kids… obviously
Episode 12. Flashback. A little boy. A little girl. A swing. And suddenly: BUT THEY ALREADY KNEW EACH OTHER!
Because apparently, Seoul has a population of 10, and all soulmates crossed paths when they were 8 years old without remembering it. Sometimes, one saved the other. Sometimes, they shared a piece of candy. Sometimes, their families were related.
Is it essential to the story? Not always. Will the screenwriters still pull out that childhood photo to prove that their love was meant to be since 1997? Absolutely.
Come on, name at least 3 dramas that feature this cliché!
6. The Love Triangle and Our Perpetual Bad Choices
This is probably the greatest collective heartbreak for K-drama fans: the second-lead syndrome. The second suitor is kind. He listens to the heroine. He comes to pick her up when she’s feeling down. He brings her food. He respects her decisions. He’s loved her for years.
In short, this man is perfect. So obviously… SHE WON'T CHOOSE HIM.
And here we are at Episode 14, completely emotionally invested in a relationship that didn't stand a chance from the very first episode. We knew it. But we held out hope. Again…
7. «I’m leaving you because I love you»
This one could really make us scream at the screen. Everything is finally going well. They’re in love. They could just be happy. But no. One of them suddenly decides: «To protect her, I have to disappear from her life.»
Why talk to him when you can make a decision on your own that will make absolutely everyone unhappy? And so begins a series of sad glances, rain, happy memories, and heart-wrenching soundtracks.
And there we were, watching TV: COME ON, SAY SOMETHING! Three instances of suffering that could have been avoided with a 4-minute conversation.
8. The kiss after 12 episodes… and she turns into a statue
We've been waiting for him for hours. The glances. The hands that brush against each other. The near-kisses interrupted by a phone call.
And then, finally… HE KISSES HER. And what about our heroine? 👁️👄👁️ (But it could also be the other way around—maybe he’s the one with his eyes wide open.).
Motionless. Eyes wide open. Arms at her sides. As if she’d just been the victim of a surprise attack rather than being kissed by the man she’s been in love with for 10 episodes.
Fortunately, recent K-dramas are increasingly featuring kisses that feel a little more natural. Our nerves are grateful.
9. Fever Requiring Intensive Care
In real life, a slight fever usually means rest, staying hydrated, and taking medication if necessary. In a romantic K-drama, it can turn a character into a patient who needs constant monitoring throughout the night.
Above all, it’s the perfect excuse to bring two characters closer together. One stays by the other’s bedside, prepares something to eat, and places the inevitable damp cloth on their forehead. This providential illness is one of those plot devices regularly used to create a moment of intimacy without having to force the romance forward too abruptly.
The next morning, the patient usually wakes up feeling great and finds his makeshift nurse asleep next to the bed. It’s a cliché, terribly predictable… and often way too cute to really complain about.
10. The back hug: the one you can’t even really bring yourself to hate
They’ve just had an argument. She decides to leave while he stays behind, unable to express how he feels. She takes a few steps, the music starts to build, and, just before it’s too late, he runs toward her and wraps his arms around her from behind.
There you go. Visit back hug.
We can make fun of many romantic clichés, but this one remains remarkably effective. The hug from behind has, in fact, become one of the iconic gestures of affection in Korean romances. It allows a character to hold the other close without even needing to speak, and when the scene is well acted, it sometimes takes just a few seconds to make us forget that we’ve already seen it in twenty other dramas.
We've decided we'd like to keep this one after all.
11. Amnesia Pulled Out of a Hat
Our heroes are in love, the main obstacles have been overcome, and there are still four episodes left. That's a bad sign.
After an accident, one of the characters opens his eyes in the hospital and asks, «Who are you?» At that very moment, thousands of viewers probably sigh in unison.
Amnesia allows a relationship to start over from scratch and is one of the favorite devices of classic melodrama. It’s sometimes used with finesse, sometimes much less so, but it has one obvious emotional advantage: it lets us watch two characters fall in love all over again. So we grumble about the device at first, only to melt when those feelings mysteriously start to return.
12. The wrist grabbed in the middle of an argument
For a long time, it seemed impossible to walk away from a conversation in a K-drama without risking having your wrist grabbed.
She turns to leave after an argument; he stops her, and the movement immediately leads to a tense face-to-face encounter. In other versions, he simply drags her away without even asking if she wants to go with him.
Visit wrist grab is clearly one of those clichés that haven't aged as well as the umbrella or the back hug. In fact, recent dramas often use it differently or poke fun at it. But there’s no denying its historical significance: anyone who’s watched the major Korean romances of the 2000s and 2010s has probably seen enough to last several lifetimes.
13. The Contract That Was Definitely Not Supposed to Get Romantic
Two people need each other for purely practical reasons. So they sign a marriage contract or enter into a fake relationship with extremely specific rules: each keeps their own private life, there’s no jealousy, and, above all, no feelings.
From the moment that last rule is stated, the audience obviously knows that it will be the first to be shattered.
That's exactly what makes the trope so enjoyable. The suspense doesn't lie in knowing if The characters will fall in love, but it remains to be seen which one will realize their feelings first—and how many ridiculous situations it will take before the other one sees the obvious. We know the destination, but the journey is often a delight.
14. The car that appears at exactly the worst possible moment
There's a simple rule: when a character stands in the middle of the road for too long in a K-drama, be wary.
A pair of headlights appears in the distance, a horn blares, and everything suddenly slows to a crawl. Someone pushes someone else, a phone falls to the ground, and the episode may end with a particularly cruel black screen.
The most fascinating thing is still the timing of these drivers, who always seem to show up just as a character is about to make a crucial statement. There are 30 seconds left in the episode and someone is crossing the street? By now, we’re well enough accustomed to this to know it’s best to brace for the worst.
There are others we could mention…
- patting someone on the back to comfort them; ;
- ultra-toxic parents; ;
- the white truck that runs over the hero or heroine; ;
- Can you think of any others?
Why do we love these clichés so much?
Because, deep down, We don't always watch a K-drama to be surprised. Sometimes, that's exactly what we want—to reconnect with those little familiar cues.
We want to know that after a night of soju, we’ll probably end up being carried on someone’s back. We want the umbrella in the rain, the look that lingers far too long, the soundtrack that kicks in at just the right moment, and the back hug that will make us melt, even though we had sworn just thirty seconds earlier that «honestly, this is such a cliché.».
These scenes almost become a game between the show and its audience. The more you watch, the better you get at recognizing them. And when a series manages to take one of these old clichés and to divert it or make us feel something despite everything, it's even better.
Because we can make fun of it all we want… The day a K-drama takes away the umbrellas, the love triangles, the bottles of soju, and the dramatic slow-motion scenes, we’ll probably be the first to ask where they’ve gone.
What about you? Which K-drama cliché always makes you roll your eyes… but you’d miss terribly if it disappeared?
