The death of Second Lead Syndrome in dramaland

by Unit

Kim Sun-ho in Start-Up

Second Lead Syndrome: the dramaland phenomenon that presents the audience with a love triangle and has us rooting — against all odds and hopes — for the second male lead to end up with the female lead. Think Jung-hwan in Answer Me 1988 and Ji-pyeong in Start-Up. The Second Lead Syndrome (SLS) is usually self-inflicted because dramaland has one unchanging rule: the male lead will always get the girl. So why do we set ourselves up for the pain that comes with SLS? It’s because dramaland gives us — or rather, used to give us — the sweetest, kindest, most supportive, been there since forever, loveable, (insert other related adjectives) second male leads. Perhaps, to compensate for the cold-hearted, emotionally constipated, and toxic will-wrist-grab-and-kabedon-you-without-your-permission male leads of yore.

Sure, the cold-hearted male lead eventually warms up to the female lead after putting her through the wringer, and they live happily ever after. But we silently judge the female lead for going through all that suffering when the second male lead was right there offering his stressless love for free! Fans of Ji-hoo (Boys Before Flowers) and In-ho (Cheese in the Trap) could sing songs and write essays about why the guys deserved to end up with Jan-di and Seol respectively. And I know I judged Hye-jin (She Was Pretty) and didn’t finish More Than Friends because…SLS. Even when the male lead is the sweet and supportive one while the second lead is the “bad boy” (think Soo-ho vs. Seo-joon in True Beauty), there’s something about watching the bad boy soften in love and pine after the female lead that tugs on your heartstrings and makes you wish the female lead gives him a chance. You know it’s never going to happen, but you root for him anyway.

Yook Sung-jae in Who Are You–School 2015

Second Lead Syndrome was a thing because second male leads used to be a worthy competition. They fell in love and went after that love either silently or openly, and the principle behind their affection was to win the female lead’s heart, not to “snatch/steal” her away from the male lead. It was never about the competition, it was just them and their feelings against the world. Unfortunately, love is not math. There is no formula to the triangle. Hence, we helplessly watched as the second leads captained their doomed ships to the bitter end. And we chose to stay onboard maybe due to the underdog effect, or because we were moved by their unwavering commitment to emotionally invest in what was clearly a hopeless romance. But sometimes, things are not as clear. Like in the case of Who Are You–School 2015 — which, to date, I don’t understand and will never forgive Eun-bi (and the writer!) for her choice. How could anyone choose Yi-an over Tae-kwang? IT MADE NO SENSE!

Sadly, dramaland does not make second male leads like Gong Tae-kwang anymore. The ones who try their hardest to woo the female lead, but don’t push their luck too far. The ones who put their best foot forward in the face of rejection and yearned to death. We were willing to develop SLS for them and have our hearts broken because they were worth the pain. Unlike the current crop of second male leads who are worth dust! These entitled cowards only exist to serve as stumbling blocks to the main romance and annoy the viewers. Love triangles back then expanded into a square to include the audience. The male lead was for the female lead while the second lead was for the audience. Not everyone experienced SLS, but most of the non-experiencing audience didn’t mind the presence of the second lead in the story. Their purpose was to drive the romance forward in the most bittersweet of ways, and everyone in the equation understood that. But now? The only thing viewers want from second male leads is for them to get off our screens and go to hell.

Kim Mu-jun in Dynamite Kiss

I’d rather have a romance without a love triangle because they’re a pointless source of torture for the second leads and the audience. Unfortunately, dramaland loves its triangles and we will never be rid of this trope. But there has to be a reorientation around the trope because we are fast losing ancient texts. Second male leads are starting to act like they own the show and are entitled to the female lead’s feelings — to the point of actively trying to sabotage her romance with the male lead. Errrm, no, guys, that’s not how it works. At the risk of sounding like a condescending chaebol mother speaking to the poor female lead, second male leads ought to know their place in the female lead’s life, in the drama, and in the dramaverse at large. The “second” in their name is not a suggestion, it’s their destiny.

I don’t understand the recent trend of second male leads who repress their feelings, only to start running amok in the plot when the male lead enters the picture. Hello, K-drama writers, who gave y’all the devilish KPI of writing unlikeable second male leads and love triangles in already-fun rom-coms that don’t need the extra drama? From Dynamite Kiss to Positively Yours and Perfect Crown. These second male leads had the golden opportunity to confess their feelings first because they’ve been in the female lead’s life for practically their entire lives! But no, they chose to stay at rest until acted upon by the external force of the male lead. If the plot demanded these guys to catch feelings so badly, Show could have diverted their focus to the romantically available second female leads within the same plot! But why waste time on an equally compelling secondary romance when the writers can just shoehorn a love triangle and call it a day?

Noh Sang-hyun in Perfect Crown

One of the biggest reasons Second Lead Syndrome exists is because dramaland has always had a bias for its male characters. It’s why second male leads are written as poor, pitiful beings who only want to love and be loved. In contrast, second female leads — who also want to love and be loved — are often villainized. Dramaland writers have now decided to level the playing field, sorta. But rather than create that balance by writing more likeable second female leads, they have chosen to drag the second male leads into the pit of villainy. And the worst part is, they don’t realize they’re killing a long-standing dramaland phenomenon in the process. Goodbye, Second Lead Syndrome. Welcome, Second Lead Fatigue.

Our Universe especially pissed me off because this drama essentially neglected its male lead in favor of the second male lead! It was so bad, I was actively rooting for Tae-hyung and the adorable Woo-joo to start a life of their own, far away from the foolishness that was the love triangle in this show. The uncle-nephew duo sure deserved better than the wishy-washy Hyun-jin who had no sense of boundaries and allowed her annoying sunbae to insert himself into their lives. It’s always those darn sunbaes and oppas who had a headstart but didn’t act until it was too late. But rather than bow out gracefully after blowing their chance, they choose to make their missed opportunity everyone’s problem. This category also includes exes like Seong-chan (Still Shining) and Jae-yeol (Filing For Love) who refuse to move on from their failed relationships, and make us viewers unwilling company to their misery. (On a lighter note, Our Universe was Bae In-hyuk’s karma for his annoying second lead stint in My Roommate is a Gumiho. I disliked his character a ton!)

Kim Jae-wook in Filing for Love

Second male leads have gone from being romantic rivals to antagonists. I’ll even argue that this current set of second leads don’t genuinely love the female lead, they just love the idea of her. The bragging rights that come with knowing her first. The satisfaction of having her in their lives as an emotional support female friend. A possession, rather than a person with agency. She never becomes a romantic option until she falls for someone else. And it was never about not wanting to risk their “friendship,” because what is love without the risk? How can you claim to have feelings for someone if she’s not worth the effort to even try exploring those feelings with her? Then they have the audacity to be arrogant and entitled when the male lead joins the race — and it’s not even a race because they were never at the starting line in the first place! Love comes to those who put in the work, not those who sit on their hands expecting the romance to fall into their lap. Ain’t nobody rewarding that brand of laziness and cowardice.

Dramaland female leads are notoriously dense in matters of the heart, which is why a sensible love interest needs to speak up. “Actions speak louder” is not an applicable concept in dramaland, because unspoken feelings don’t count for shit. It is why as much as I liked Jung-hwan (Answer Me 1988), he didn’t cut it as a love rival for me. He had all the time in the world to confess. And at some point, Deok-sun liked him too — whether or not her friends planted those feelings in her head. Even if I wanted to be sympathetic to Jung-hwan, he ultimately lost me when he played off his eventual confession as a joke. But he took his loss in stride and did not sabotage Taek or act entitled to Deok-sun’s feelings. And best of all, he owned up to his hesitation as the iceberg that sunk his ship — a self-awareness his recent dramaland counterparts so badly lack.

Ryu Joon-yeol in Answer Me 1988

I’m all for exploring and pushing the boundaries with storylines and tropes, but it’s best to stick to the original template when it comes to second male leads. This is not to say all second leads have to yearn and pine and make us all heartbroken in the name of SLS. Tae-sung (Lovely Runner) and Ji-ho (Head Over Heels) managed to be fun and loveable in a love triangle with an unshakable OTP. And for dramas that want to shake their OTP, Ji-soo (The Practical Guide to Love) is a great example of how to write a romantic rival without sacrificing the character on the altar of unlikability. Ji-soo was even better written than the OTP, and he deserved more than being the third leg in such a mundane love triangle.

In the end, feelings don’t have an on and off switch, and no one deserves the pain of loving in vain. The audience will always prefer a secondary romance to a love triangle. But since dramaland has vowed to hold onto triangles till its dying breath, we’re better off with second male leads who’ll give us the feels rather than the ick — or worse, the blandness. Looking at you, Eric (Sold Out on You). Bring back the Second Lead Syndrome. Make us love our secondary leads. Let them steal our hearts. Because, frankly, that’s the only one they have a chance of getting in the first place.

Lee Ki-tae in The Practical Guide to Love