“Reunited lovers” is a popular trend in K-dramas, and there are some iconic examples
While sad endings and romance-comedy are on the rise in the K-drama world, there’s a trend that’s a perfect mix, where couples got separated and yet managed to find their way back to each other, and below are prime examples.
Winter Sonata
As a “legendary” K-drama, “Winter Sonata” depicts a rather turbulent love story. In particular, the female lead Yoo Jin and the male lead Joon Sang knew each other since childhood, and fell in love as they reached high school. However, Joon Sang went missing and became amnesiac after an accident, effectively separating the couple.
Luckily, Yoo Jin and Joon Sang reunited later in their lives, and as if destined, fell in love again. They overcame various obstacles and went back to each other’s side, making for an iconic love story. In addition, Choi Ji Woo and Bae Yong Joon’s excellent acting skills brought life to the story, and brought tears to all the audiences.
Angel Eyes
Yet another K-drama where the main couple knew each other as kids, only to be unwillingly separated. The series started out with Kang Ha Neul and Nam Ji Hyun playing the male lead Dong Joo and the female lead Soo Wan, before Lee Sang Yoon and Goo Hye Sun took over and played the characters’ adult version.
For Dong Joo, he was never able to forget his childhood sweetheart and always kept his eyes out for her traces. That was why when he ran into Soo Wan on the street, he was determined to never lose her again. “Angel Eyes” was filled with passionate love and sincerity, making for an emotional and heartfelt story.
Our Blues
Revolving around a seaside village, “Our Blues” covers a lot of stories, and one of them falls into the troupe of “reunited lovers”. In particular, when they were in school, Sun Ah (Shin Min Ah) and Dong Suk (Lee Byung Hun) were extremely close friends. As Dong Suk started to develop feelings for his friend, however, Sun Ah suddenly left, leaving behind a broken heart.
Years later, when Sun Ah returned to her hometown, she crossed paths with Dong Suk, who was still in love with her, and was unafraid to show it. Their story included a lot of healing, tenderness, and is sure to bring tears to the viewers’ eyes.
Emergency Couple
Compared to others, “Emergency Couple” features a more mature relationship, with the female lead Jin Hee (Song Ji Hyo) and the male lead Chang Min (Choi Jin Hyuk) falling in love as they attended medical school together, and getting married despite the protest of their parents. Eventually, they got a divorce after various life hardships, before meeting again as hospital colleagues.
Hilarious and yet meaningful, “Emergency Couple” shows both funny stories of working with your ex, and lessons about how a relationship can mend. Chang Min and Jin Hee were obviously still in love with each other, but they need to learn to better show it and improve themselves to not repeat old mistakes.
Second 20s
Starring the “melodrama queen” Choi Ji Woo, “Second 20s” was quite the healing yet emotional show. The K-drama follows the female lead No Ra, who got pregnant at age 19, and has to spend her 20s in hardship. 20 years later, she reunited with former schoolmate Hyun Suk – who used to have feelings for her. He would then help No Ra “relive” the 20s she had missed out on.
In addition to falling in love as if she were young, No Ra also gets to try out other things such as enrolling in college, going out to parties, and having a dreamy “first love”.
Source: K14
