K-dramas are known for their depiction of love and relationships. However, in many cases, it becomes clear that the couple in question are just not meant for each other, or other circumstances keep them apart. In this article, we will talk about those couples who we feel should not have ended up together as well as those k-dramas where our main leads have not ended up together.
1. Nevertheless
Nevertheless, we follow Yoo Na Bi who is the female protagonist who is a student in the sculpture department of Hongseo University. We follow her as she recovers from a previous relationship. Despite this Na Bi still desired to be in a healthy relationship. One night while she is in a bar, drinking alone she gets approached by our main male lead, Park Jae On who mistakes her for being his blind date. There are several red flags present in this drama. Jae On hit on Na Bi while he was waiting for someone else, he uses a similar move on her as he uses on other girls, he often lies to her about seeing another woman, and he becomes possessive and jealous even when they are not in a relationship. He also often denies being in any relationship with her in front of other people. We see that Jae On is someone who doesn’t want to be in a committed relationship with Na Bi and yet despises when other men get interested in her. In this series, the main lead has a lot of red flags, and it becomes clear that the two leads are not meant for each other.
2. Boys Over Flowers
In Boys Over Flowers, we have Gu Jun-Pyo as our male protagonist. We soon find out that Jun-Pyo is the typical entitled rich boy. He loves terrorizing other students in Shinwha High School and often time takes immense pride in his money and status. We see that Ju-Pyo tries to get Jan-di who is our female protagonist to fall in love with him. He sees her as a trophy to win over. This series follows the cliché of the cold-hearted, rich boy falling for the warm and sweet female protagonist. Despite being in love with the female lead, we also see Jun-Pyo being a jerk to her as well as other people. Many fans of the series strongly believe that Jan-di should have ended up with the second lead Kim Hyun Joong.
3. Flower Of Evil
In Flowers of Evil, we have Baek Hee-Sung who is married to our female protagonist Cha Ji-won who also is a detective. There's only one problem in their seemingly happy marriage and life and that is that Hee-Sung is a killer. Throughout the series, we see that Hee-Sung has a seemingly calm and sweet exterior. However, he uses his daughter and wife to appear as an ordinary man and frequently uses different tactics to manipulate his wife. We are glad to report that in the end, our female protagonist does not end up with Hee-sung. In the end, she does not end up with anyone and instead, she chooses herself and we are glad to see that she got the happy ending that she deserves.
4. Doctor Cha
Doctor Cha is a charming series, that follows Cha Jeong-Suk, our female protagonist who decides after twenty years of being a housewife to start her career as a doctor. We follow her as she becomes a medical resident and throughout the drama, we root for her and her blossoming medical career. We have Seo In-Ho she is married to at the beginning of the series, and we also have Roy Kim who is another doctor and is infatuated and charmed by Cha Jeong-Suk. Throughout the series, it becomes clear that we are rooting for Jeong-Suk to end up with Roy. The ending of the series is very refreshing as Cha decides to choose herself and her career as a doctor and does not end up with either Roy or In-Ho. Despite Roy being charming and a green flag it was clear that Jeong-Suk needed time to grow and live for herself.
5. Yumi’s Cells
Yumi Cells is one of the most interesting K-dramas that I have watched. This series can use both live-action as well as animation. We follow, Yu-Mi, an ordinary working woman. We follow her as she tries to navigate her life and find love. We also follow the cells that work inside her. These cells are responsible for handlining her emotions and are representations of what emotions Yu-Mi is feeling. We also have Koo-Woong the male lead in season 1, a game developer who develops feelings for Yu-Mi. Even though both our protagonists do not end up together we still watch them grow together and try to navigate their lives.
6. Autumn In My Heart
In Autumn in My Heart, we have Jun Seo and Eun Seo who are raised as a brother and sister in a wealthy family. We find out later that Eun Seo is not biologically related to Jun Seo and the rest of the family who raised her. As Eun Seo ventures out to find her biological family, Jun Seo and her adoptive family leave Korea. Years later Eun Seo, who works at a hotel bumps into Jun Seo, and they slowly begin to fall in love with each other. Several fans find it off-putting that Jun Seo and Eun Seo have a romantic relationship especially considering the fact they were raised together as siblings, even though they are not biologically related.
7. Your Name
Your Name is a very gritty, thrilling series. We follow our female protagonist, Ji-Woo Yoo who is on a quest to exact revenge on the people who had murdered her father. She ventures into the crime world and gets adopted by a crime boss who vows to help her and places her in the police department. Our male lead here is Jeon Pil-do, a cop who works in the same department as Ji-Woo Yoo and develops a close bond and a romantic relationship with her. It was clear from the beginning that romance has no place in this drama, and we are proven right when both our leads ultimately do not end up together. Despite this, we are happy as Ji-Woo can exact her revenge in the end.
8. Youth Of May
In Youth of May, we follow Haee-Tae and Myung-Hee as they fall in love and try to navigate their lives during the Gwangju Uprising in South Korea. Through this uncertain time, we watch their love blossom. However, despite this in the end both of our protagonists do not end up together. This series depicts that love sometimes is not enough to make two people stay together.
9. Now We Are Breaking Up
In this series we follow, Young Eun, a hardworking and intelligent woman who is extremely good at her work. However, the same cannot be said for her romantic relationships as she is often considered by others to be cold-hearted. On the other hand, we have Yoon Jae Kook, a charming wealthy, and handsome photographer. Soon both start developing feelings for each other. The ending here is quite vague as fans are uncertain if both do end up together. We see that Yoon Jae had decided to travel the world while Young Eun stayed back in Korea. The series ends with both our protagonists bumping into each other again.
10. The Heirs
In this series, we are supposed to root for Kim Tan, our male protagonist, and Cha Eung-Sang, our female protagonist. However, the problem arises because Kim Tan is an extremely possessive boyfriend and has quite a lot of red flags which include being overly jealous and possessive as well as invading Eung-Sang's privacy on several occasions. Again, we have the same tired trope of the toxic rich male lead falling for the poor but lovely female lead. Throughout the show, we see very little if any sign of improvement and growth by Kim Tan.
