The genuine followers of K-dramas who have watched many of them know just by the trailer what prototypical characters will be there. Apart from protagonists and antagonists, many characters in K-drama are prototypical.
1. The Rich Man
On top of the list, with no shock, is the male lead. If you are a long follower of K-drama, you know that 99.99 percent of the male lead is wealthy and a CEO. The typical story is that he only cares for his girlfriend and falls in love with a simple woman. To be honest, only a few characters can pull such a role without making it overly done. Gu Jun Pyo, played by Lee Min-Ho from Boys Over Flowers.
2. The Simple Girl
The prototypical female lead mostly shown in many K-dramas is that she is poor, and even though she is pretty, a lot of people say that she is ugly. What I think should change about female leads is their kindness, and it is overly shown, which makes it cringe and frustrating to watch as they don’t even take a stand for themselves. Like Kang Mi-rae, played by Im Soo-hyang from My ID Is Gangnam Beauty.
3. The Best Friend
I think what makes K-drama more entertaining is having a loyal sidekick as the male or female’s lead best friend who guides and gives them talks about how they have fallen in love or pep talk about life. The best friend is still in the spotlight, and we aren't complaining because best friends are the main heroes of one's life. Like Han Sung, played by Kim Taehyung of BTS from the Hwarang.
4. Extraordinary Mother
In so many K-dramas, the male lead’s mother is shown as the villain of the love story. Take the money and leave my boy alone. As for a wealthy CEO, a simple girl will never be suitable. Or forcing their girl child to find a perfect husband. It's such a typical character that the audience is more afraid of their mother than the villain. Like Kim Mi-yeon, played by Gil Hae-yeon from Something In The Rain.
5. A Frenemy
Without villains and frenemies, the story of the protagonist can never succeed. In most K-dramas, it is shown commonly about sibling rivalry or enemies to lovers rivalry about leads is something we love to be honest. How it feels that at first you hate their guts, but in the end, you just love them. Baek Kyung, played by Lee Jae-wook from Extraordinary You.
6. Second Lead Syndrome
K-dramas have traumatized us when the second lead syndrome comes into the picture. It mostly started with the 2009 hit Boys Over Flowers’s second lead, Yoon Ji-hoo, played by Kim Hyun-joong. But let's be honest, writers write the second lead more beautifully and lovelyly than the main lead, which makes people love the second lead more.
7. A Red Flag
Let's be honest! We are in the era where we love red color or just can say that villain. Back then, villains never had their backup story, but now writers are realizing villains do have a good impact on people. So, they show the villain's past story, which makes the audience sympathize with them. Ryu Shi-oh, played by Byeon Woo-Seok from Strong Girl Nam Soon, is one of the famous villains nowadays.
8. The Bros
What makes K-drama more enjoyable and entertaining is the friendship group of male leads who consist of every kind of personality. As seen in the Boys Over Flowers K-drama, the four boys from wealthy backgrounds are so different. It makes the story more enjoyable, as boys are the best.
9. The Best Side Character
Apart from friendship groups, a side character pops up now and then, and that screen time is enough to make the audience fall in love with the side character. Jo Min-ja, played by Kim Mi Kyung from Healer, is one of the best characters in the K-drama.
10. Unlikable Protagonist
Gone is the time when people loved pure and kind characters, especially female leads because only some can pull that off. Frequently, male and female protagonists are shown so toxic or clumsy that audiences don’t like them. Like Oh Ha Ni, played by Jung So Min from Playful Kiss.
