walkwithheroes | Secondary Guys Can Get the Girl, But Can Secondary Girls Get the Guy?

I had this thought the other day: Korean dramas are changing. Now a days, Secondary Guys sometimes get the Lead Girl; see How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor, Beautiful Days, Dr. Champ, Queen of Reversals, among others, for examples. And, Secondary Girls can get their own storylines, too. No longer do they have to be the bitchy and evil woman trying to snag a man that clearly isn't interested. No, she can be her own person with her own story and possibly her own love interest. See IRIS, Gloria, Secret Garden, and Someday for a few examples.

So, that makes me wonder: will there ever be a drama where due to whatever reasons (writers, fandom want, chemistry between actors, etc) the Secondary Female Lead will get together happily and end up with the Male Lead? Personally, I'm not sure that the writers and producers would do this, even if online fans demanded it. Why? Because, the Female Lead is (usually) the bigger star and because we usually met her first. Most Korean dramas seem to be aimed more at females than males. When I watch a Korean drama, I notice that we usually met the female lead first. We get to know her and we are meant to root for her. As viewers we are meant to identify with the Female Lead. It might not work if she doesn't get the Male Lead. . .right?

Well, maybe.

There was that little drama called Style, where Lee Ji Ah was said to be the Female Lead. The average K-drama heroine - a twenty-something working girl looking for success in work and in love. Only, the viewers identified with and rooted for Kim Hye Soo's character - the Secondary Female - who was Lee's character's mean boss. In the end, the drama focused a bit more of Kim's character and she broken K-drama's biggest unwritten rule - she got the man in the end.

Maybe K-dramas are changing more than I thought. And, maybe, just maybe the new breed of Secondary Female Leads can get the Male Lead. Maybe the new breed of Secondary Females are getting to be their own people. I for one, can totally get with that.

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This is a very interesting question. You're right about being introduced to the lead character first and identifying with her, because we learn more about her for longer...but I wonder if any drama could logistically advertise a story where the secondary gets the guy...it would almost seem like the secondary girl becomes the lead somewhere along the line.
But, if they established that she was the secondary from the beginning, like the format in Style, then perhaps it would work for more dramas. If it was due to star power, they could hire the more popular actress as the secondary, but then, would people see it in the same light they see her as a lead female?
I would be interested to see this implemented more in the future :)

.but I wonder if any drama could logistically advertise a story where the secondary gets the guy.

Doubtful. What I think is that it would have to be a change in the middle of the drama. Due to fans or chemistry. From what I understand, in dramas if the secondary male gets the lead female, it usually changes toward the middle of the drama and is usually due to fan reactions. So, perhaps it could be done the same way with secondary females? The drama advisers and plans for FL and ML to live happily ever after, but fan reaction is (for whatever reason: dull female lead, chemistry, etc) is positive for the SL and ML, so half way through the story changes. The FL can get what she wants, just not the ML.

they could hire the more popular actress as the secondary, but then, would people see it in the same light they see her as a lead female?

Maybe or maybe not. I've seen several dramas where a more famous woman has played secondary lead to a lesser known up-and-comer. It usually happens with a network wants to prop a newbie or when an actress (or actor) is getting back into tv after a long period away.

it usually changes toward the middle of the drama and is usually due to fan reactions
Gotcha. I've only started delving deeper into kdramas, so I haven't noticed the patterns. But knowing that some of these shows can and do change writers midway, especially with their live-shoot system, I can see this happening more and more.

I've seen several dramas where a more famous woman has played secondary lead to a lesser known up-and-comer
Oh yea, true. But, if they were almost equal in acting experience, only one had slightly more star power than the other...I wonder how that would play out.
Thanks for your in-depth answers :)

Yup. Even when they don't change writers, they still change storylines due to fan reactions, scheduling, etc. And Korean dramas and their live-shooting is just one big mess sometimes, but is good on other levels, because they can change things that fans just aren't liking.

But, if they were almost equal in acting experience, only one had slightly more star power than the other...I wonder how that would play out.

I'm not sure. I'm sure its happened though. It happens a lot with the male lead and secondary lead.

Secondary Guys Can Get the Girl, But Can Secondary Girls Get the Guy?

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