Looking back on our year in K-Drama, the theme that stood out to us the most was having heart flutter at K-Drama male leads who are totally smitten with our leading ladies.
More often than not, those men had to put their lives on the line to protect the women they loved. But with their persistence and undying love, they came out triumphant and earned their much-deserved happy endings. Here is a look at some of the 2024 men who stole our hearts and had us swooning.
Park Soo-ho (Knight Flower)
“I don’t care if the woman I love is a widow, divorced woman, or even an alien. I just want her by my side.”
When we first meet him, Soo-ho is a rule-stickler chasing after the masked legendary do-gooder to catch them even if they both share the sentiment of helping people in need, since in the eyes of the law the masked figure is a wanted criminal.
But after getting entangled with Yeo-hwa and learning her secret, Soo-ho went as far as to suggest she run away from home to protect her from Lord Seok. Not to mention beating up Yeo-hwa’s husband after learning he had another woman. That is the power of love, indeed. And even if romance wasn’t the main focus of the drama. Soo-ho’s yearning gaze was enough to melt our hearts.
K-DRAMA REVIEW: “Knight Flower” Flaunts An Array of Fascinating Moments In Full Bloom
Yeo Jeong-woo (Doctor Slump)
“We might have been arch-rivals in high school, but now I am dying to go out with her.”
For someone who was always surrounded by his so-called friends and had fans cheering for him, Jeong-woo was left completely alone after hitting rock bottom, no thanks to that unfortunate incident. It is at this point that he got reunited with Ha-neul, his former arch-rival, and also the only one who believed in his innocence.
Although Jeong-woo took a bit more time to realize his feelings for Ha-neul, his actions spoke louder than words. Even when we were hit by the harsh breakup, Jeong-woo never left Ha-neul alone. The punch he landed on Kyung-min’s face after learning what he did to Ha-neul couldn’t feel more satisfying. Our Jeong-woo is the epitome of a green flag.
K-DRAMA REVIEW: “Doctor Slump” Delivers Sweet and Consoling Salve When You’re Feeling Down
Baek Hyun-woo (Queen Of Tears)
“Wanting a divorce and celebrating the news of my wife’s terminal illness has nothing to do with sacrificing my life to protect her.”
Granted, Hae-in’s family was awful and Hyun-woo had a hard time cleaning up their messes. Also, Hae-in was wrong to leave Hyun-woo all alone with her family. No wonder the guy wanted a divorce after not even seeing a therapist helped him get better. But just as Hyun-woo was about to mention the divorce to Hae-in, he was shocked by the news of Hae-in’s terminal illness.
Being happy that he can finally be free without having to go through a divorce was a cruel thing to do. Still, Hyun-woo redeemed himself by following Hae-in to Germany. Yet, unluckily, everything went downhill because of Hae-in’s family’s dumbness, and we had to see our leads get divorced. Still, Hyun-woo stuck with Hae-in through thick and thin even when she had no memories of him, getting shot to protect her in the process. Hyun-woo might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but he more than made up for that through his actions and love for Hae-in.
K-DRAMA REVIEW: “Queen Of Tears” Gifts Mesmerizing Love Tale That Endures Tough Times
Ryu Seon-jae (Lovely Runner)
“Even if you are from a different timeline, I am in love with all your forms.”
We were surprised in a good way after learning that Seon-jae was the one who fell for Sol first and even though the girl barely knew his name before she lost her memories, Seon-jae has always kept Sol in his heart and lived his life blaming himself for not being able to save her even though Seon-jae is another victim of the evil Taxi Driver.
During all the trials and even after Sol made the foolish decision to erase herself from Seon-jae’s memories, the sweet guy had eyes only for Sol and fell in love with all her versions. Protecting Sol was always Seon-jae’s first priority. Seon-jae wasn’t just a green flag and a forest of green trees.
Seo Ji-hwan (My Sweet Mobster)
“I might be a former gangster but I turn cute when drunk.”
The real Hyun-woo or not, Ji-hwan stole In-ha’s heart and our hearts by extension with his sweet actions. And by the time the cohabitation era started, we were already rooting for him to get the girl. Ji-hwan was a pure soul who was forced into living as a thug by his gangster father. But the truth is, Ji-wan was biding his time to break free from his father and live an honest life.
The best part was Ji-hwan lending others a hand to lead an honest life, too. The kindness he showed to everyone around him was enough to declare him the best boss ever. And even if he was a bit dumb in approaching In-ha, Ji-hwan will go down in our books as the sweetest mobster ever.
K-DRAMA REVIEW: “My Sweet Mobster” Delivers a Delightfully Fun and Campy Ride with Heartfelt Moments
Kim Ji-wook and Bok Gyu-hyeon (No Gain No Love)
“Two half-brothers who have loserism genes run through their DNA.”
We don’t need a DNA test to believe Ji-wook and Gyu-hyeon are brothers. Watching them act like losers before the women they love is enough to prove those two are brothers. Fake marriage or not, Ji-wook spared no effort to make Hae-young happy. As for Gyu-hyeon, though his relationship with Ja-yeon started on the wrong foot, Gyu-hyeon won over Ja-yeon through his sincerity. And the best part was how he gracefully accepted Ja-yeon without caring a fig about her abusive father.
K-DRAMA REVIEW: “No Gain No Love” Gladdens with Addicting Rom-Com and Heartfelt Moments
규현이 봉사하러 온 보육원에
루시퍼의 등장이라…
루시퍼는 사실 빨래 요정이었던 거야🧚♂️[월화] 저녁 8:40 | tvN X TVING#손해보기싫어서 #NoGainNoLove#tvN_TVING_오리지널_드라마 pic.twitter.com/xmDaEzWt4k
— tvN drama (@CJnDrama) September 11, 2024
Kim San-ha and Kang Hae-joon (Family By Choice)
“One is sharp-witted, and the other is dumb. Yet when it comes to the girl they love, they are both losers.”
Between a mature San-ha and a trouble-making Hae-joon, those two have nothing in common except for being losers in love. The only difference might be that San-ha has been aware of his feelings for Ju-won all along, yet it took a thick-skulled Hae-joon a decade and more to realize Dal’s feelings for him and even more time to realize his feelings for her.
Another trait this duo shares is having jealousy push them into confessing their feelings. Actually, if it weren’t for Ju-won and Dal’s potential dates, we might be still waiting in frustration for San-ha and Hae-joon to open their tight-sealed mouths and confess.
K-DRAMA REVIEW: “Family By Choice” Threads Heartwarming Stories about Family and Love
Baek Sa-eon (When the Phone Rings)
“I might treat my wife coldly, but I won’t tolerate it if anyone puts her in danger.”
With a year full of losers in love, Baek Sa-eon felt like a treat to end the year with, though, just like his precedent (the other Baek), he initially got off on the wrong foot. When we first meet him, Sa-eon is nonchalant to his wife and even tells her kidnapper to call him when there is a corpse. And then he is frantically searching for her when she falls off a cliff and acts as her caregiver until she gets discharged. The truth is, Sa-eon has always been in love with Hee-jo, but he acted coldly on purpose lest a day come when they had to get separated.
3 years of miscommunication is a long time, but “thanks to” the kidnapper or more precisely, his phone, Sa-eon and Hee-jo could finally communicate better and let out their real feelings. These two went through so much at the hands of evil people, but luckily they got their happy ending to make up for all the suffering.
— MBC DRAMA (@mbcdrama_pre) January 5, 2025
Making us swoon is nothing new to K-Drama male leads, but those gentlemen upped up their game and set the bar too high that 2025 male leads will have a tough task. But then again, let’s hope 2025 K-Dramas turn out even better.
Photos and Videos: MBC Drama, JTBC Drama, tvN Drama
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