Although this trope is rare where the female leads are shown as the characters who fall in love first and that too with a loner, some shows hit the mark with these. It is always a beautiful site to see our female protagonists gain strength and do the things they have wanted to. With that, here are 10 K-Dramas where the popular girl falls for a loner.
1. It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)
It is a story about our main lead, Moon Gang Tae, who is a health worker at a psychiatric ward. He has not just the looks but also the ability to sympathize and the patience it takes to handle people, among other qualities. He lives with his older brother and doesn't have many friends. Here comes our other main lead, Ko Moon Young. She is a popular children's book writer with antisocial personality disorder and is very arrogant and rude. She falls for Moon Gang Tae, who rejects her love until they finally fall.
2. Dream High (2016)
It is the story of six students who only want to achieve their dreams of being music stars in the industry. Go Hye Mi, our main character, majored in classical music but had to end up giving up her dreams when she had to pay off her father's debt. She meets two students living in the countryside as she tries to escape the loan shark.
3. Moment At Eighteen (2019)
After being traumatized due to being expelled for bullying, Jun Woo rejects everyone in his life. So, when the class president of his new school, Hui Yeong, greets him, he rejects his kindness, too, feeling intimidated by his popularity. One day, when an incident occurs and someone's watch is stolen, they all accuse Jun Woo of being the culprit. Hui Yeong uses his popularity to fuel this whole rumour, too. Soo Bin, our female lead, has been watching Jun Woo for a long time and sees him in a different light, unlike others. She naturally starts gravitating towards him. Everyone knows that Hui Yeong has a crush on her, but to Soo Bin, Jun Woo is the one she likes, and she opens him up.
4. Thirty But Seventeen (2018)
After getting into an accident, Woo Seo Ri, a violin prodigy far away from home in Germany, falls into a coma. She was seventeen when she got into an accident, and when she finally recovered, she was thirty. Our main lead, Gong Woo Jin, is someone who does not want to have a relationship with other people. He wants to live independently due to the trauma he faced thirteen years ago. What happens when they meet and end up falling in love? When their lives were paused at seventeen in different ways, and they try to open the door to happiness together?
5. Ho Goo’s Love (2016)
Ho Goo is a man who has never dated. One day, he runs into his first love, Do Hee. She is a popular girl and a member of the national swimming team with a desire to win everything. She talks like she is one of the guys, and when both meet again, something starts developing between the two. Whether it is good or bad, only time will tell.
6. My Love From The Star (2013)
A classic drama that was famous internationally. It is about our main character, Jun Ji Hyun, who is known to be an extra and arrogant actress. She cannot be without make-up, even if it means she is put in a life-or-death situation. An alien, Do Min Joon, landed on Earth 400 years ago. He has extraordinary powers like enhanced hearing, faster speed, and enhanced vision. He meets Ji Hyun, and something develops.
7. Extracurricular (2020)
This show is centred mainly around high school students who commit crimes to earn money and everything they face. Ji Soo, our protagonist, goes from being a model student to a criminal in the blink of an eye when she commits an unthinkable crime. Jung Da Bin, the school's bully, is the one who ends up getting caught in her crime. Park Joo Hyun ends up becoming her partner in crime.
8. Touch Your Heart (2019)
Our main character, Oh Yoon Seo, is a famous actress known for her beautiful features. However, her acting is known to be terrible. After getting involved in a scandal, her career declines immensely. Here comes a famous screenwriter who asks her to play the lead role of a secretary for a lawyer. To get this experience to act reasonably, Oh Yoon Seo worked as a secretary for a few months. Our male lead, Kwon Jung Rok, is an attorney at the very same law firm and is known to be cold and hard. Things take a turn when feelings start developing gradually.
9. Introverted Boss (2017)
What happens when a young and energetic employee joins a public relations firm where her boss is an introvert and severely misunderstood? She makes it her mission to show the world who he really is. Chae Ro Un, our protagonist, has one goal: to expose the boss for who he is and take her revenge: her family's downfall.
10. Be My Boyfriend (2021)
Oh, Ji Na is the most popular girl at school. She is also very talented, pretty, and well-liked. She gets a contract to become a K-Pop Idol trainee to enter a group. Lee Seung Min is just a simple guy. A typical, ordinary Joe, one might even say, who has a crush on Ji Na. Things get complicated when Ji Na proposes to him to start a fake relationship. Can they pull off this complex fake relationship, or will they crash and burn?
