Han Seo Jun
Ye Ji Hoon
Choi Young Do
Yoon Ji Hoo
Give these 5 Korean miniseries a try!
You know how everyone complains about Second Lead Syndrome (SLS), and how they always get SLS in a love triangle? But what about the people who never get SLS? What about me?
*Pictures & Letters Highlighted Red Contain Links*
*This article also contains minor/major spoilers*
To get started, there are a lot of dramas that have SLS.
To name a few: Boys Over Flowers, Who Are You: School 2015, Cheese in the Trap, The Heirs, True Beauty, Start-Up, 18 Again, and there's plenty more.
You see, these dramas have affected many people with SLS, but these dramas affected me with Second Lead Hate (SLH) & Male Lead Love (MLL). I absolutely hate second leads when it comes to a love triangles. It doesn't matter if they are the nicest person ever, I will still find something to hate about them. Once I've found out who the ML is, I close off my heart to anybody else but him.
Maybe it's because I'm scared that if I open my heart to the second leads, I'll fall in love with them and ship them with the main leads, ending up with a broken heart and a buttload of tears.
Exhibit A: My sister managed to convince me, after talking for about 30 minutes, to like Han Seo Jun better than Suho and open up my heart to Seojun, and we all know how that turned out. Not great ;-; thanks a lot, sis.
- Second Lead Hate & Male Lead Love -
~ 18 Again ~
The second lead, Ye Ji Hoon, annoyed me to no end. He was everywhere. Always up in the FL's business & the ML's business, and the kids' business. I couldn't handle him. Every time I heard the words: "but you're just a kid", coming from his mouth, I swear I wanted to slap him through the screen or throw some ice water at him. His story was pretty cute with his kid, but nothing beyond that.
~ Who Are You: School 2015 ~
When I started this drama, I was already a MAJOR fan of Nam Joo Hyuk, so there was literally no chance I could get SLS from this. HOWEVER, for the most part, I enjoyed Gong Tae Gwang's character, just not as a ship with Lee Eun Bi. I did enjoy watching him when he wasn't going after Eun Bi. Their friendship made me happy.
~ Boys Over Flowers ~
While I'm not one for Goo Joon Pyo, I didn't like Yoon Ji Hoo. Honestly, I have no reasons NOT to like him, but because he was the SML I wasn't rooting for him. It's been a while since I've seen BoF, but I remember not liking him and wishing he would get away from Geum Jan Di.
- Second Lead Syndrome -
~ The Heirs ~
The first time I've ever experienced this foreign "SLS" was when I was watching The Heirs. I mean... could you blame me? The only person with an interesting story was Choi Young Do... Kim Tan and Cha Eun Sang were the most boring, most bland, most frustrating characters ever written, but we got lovely Choi Young Do over here saving the day with a story worth everything.
~ True Beauty ~
The second and last time I experienced SLS was with True Beauty. Han Seo Jun, you wonderful man. Why did you have to take my heart and shatter it into a million pieces? Then again, personally speaking... he deserves a better person than Lim Joo Gyung. Not surprisingly, I kept my heart closed off for like 10 episodes before my sister talked to me about him and "opened my eyes + my heart". I LOVE HIM. His character was very intriguing and not boring in the slightest. His character was very complex, and I understood him on a level. I especially loved the chemistry he had with all of the characters.
- Male Lead Love -
To describe MLL, I simply mean that once I know who's the ML, I immediately root for him. This way, I don't have to deal with the heartbreak of the SL not ending up with the FL. I'm not picky with my MLs, so all they have to do is be likable enough and that's it for me to root for him. I know this sounds rather... simple, but it's the only way I can avoid the sad reality of Second Lead Syndrome. If you don't fall for the wrong guy, you'll never have to suffer a day in your life. :)
Tips To Not Get SLS
- Do not fall in love with anyone right when you begin.
- Make sure to go through each character, before selecting who you think is the ML.
- Now close off your heart, and don't let it melt by the attraction of the SL.
- Do not let anyone talk you into liking the second lead, or you'll end up like me in True Beauty.
- Continually convince yourself that the ML is the better person for the FL.
- Remind yourself that it's the FL's choice of whom she ends up with.
*Disclaimer: Tips are not 100% fault-proof*
BANNER DONE BY @Sudarsh The Earth_Lover (I love you so much and I miss you girlie <3)
What do you say?
Are you affected by SLH & MLL, or are you affected by SLS?
Feel free to share your experiences & opinions! All are welcome! :)
PS: Remember to be nice in the comments and respect others' opinions!
- Thank you so much for taking the time to read & I hope you enjoyed the article! -
Edited by: Tine (1st editor)
