I have been a fan of Korean dramas for years now, and there’s not a single day that I haven’t watched a single episode, like watching K-Dramas has been part of my daily routine. Over the years, I’ve seen several couples and identified one trope that I think is superior to the rest!
The enemies-to-lovers trope in K-Dramas offers a different kind of dynamic since it’s not something that we commonly see in most shows. If the couple were initially enemies, that would add a new aspect to their relationship, making us root harder for them to get together!
I’ll go over some of my favorite examples of this trope in K-Dramas and convince you why you need to add them to your watchlist.
“Dr. Romantic 2” Couple
Both pairings in “Dr. Romantic” are fantastic in their own ways, but the second season gave me my favorite tropes: academic rivals and enemies-to-lovers. Eun Jae and Woo Jin first met as university classmates during med school. Despite being competitive with one another in their studies, Woo Jin has no problem expressing his feelings for Eun Jae by being there whenever she needs him.
Now, the two have fallen for each other after working together at Doldam Hospital and we’ll see a new chapter of their lives since Ahn Hyo Seop and Lee Seong Kyung are confirmed to be back in the third season!
“Vincenzo” Couple
I can’t talk about the enemies-to-lovers trope without mentioning these two! When Italian mafia consigliere Vincenzo and South Korean lawyer Cha Young initially crossed paths, they didn’t get along very well. Following a chain of unfortunate happenings, the two began to join forces in order to get their revenge, and in doing so, they discovered they were falling in love.
I’ve also observed that the majority of couples who go from being foes to lovers experience a slow burn, and Vincenzo is the epitome of this trend. It took forever for Vincenzo and Chayoung to realize their feelings for each other!
“Angel’s Last Mission: Love” Couple
After seeing this couple, I realized that the “enemies-to-lovers” cliche is one of my favorites. Their first encounter took place during Yeonseo’s lowest point when she was blind, and he was a guardian angel. Yes, a literal angel because this is a fantasy drama about an angel who was punished after saving a woman on the brink of her death.
What makes this enemies-to-lovers couple special is their constant bickering that you’ll just smile while watching the two. Shin Hye Sun and Myungsoo’s chemistry is one of the best!
“Our Beloved Summer”
Here, let’s talk about enemies to lovers who we first met in high school! Yeonseo and Ung are the literal opposites because she’s the top 1 in their class, and he’s the last one in ranking, but the two found common ground when they started working on a documentary together!
Fast forward, they became a thing, broke up, and were given a chance again to rekindle their love 10 years after! This is quite remarkable because they started out as enemies, turned into romantic partners, then rivals, and then reconciled into lovers again!
“It’s Okay, That’s Love” Couple
In “It’s Okay, That’s Love,” Jang Jaeyeol and Haesoo are the epitome of a successful relationship between two people who were once fierce enemies. The two first met as panelists when both of them were invited because of their jobs! Hae Soo is a psychiatrist, and Jae Yeol is a famous author, and they both even had an argument during the live broadcast!
The beauty of the enemies-to-lovers trope is that we’ll see how beautiful their relationship develops, and we really witnessed it from these two. They showed that love alone cannot heal mental health issues, but it can help in overcoming them. I also want to highlight that Zo In Sung and Kong Hyo Jin are one of the best pairings of all time!
“I Am Not a Robot” Couple
It’s not often that we see a robot concept in a Korean drama; therefore, this is one of my favorite pairings. There was a lot of tension between Min Kyu and Ji Ah initially since they didn’t have a positive first impression of each other. Ji Ah’s life has taken an unexpected turn, and now she’s going to have to play the part of an artificial intelligence robot in front of Min Kyu.
Their strange encounter paved the way for Ji Ah to see a side of Min Kyu he hasn’t shown anyone else, while also providing Min Kyu with the solace he needed to finally open up to Ji Ah and ultimately fall for each other.
“Alchemy Of Souls” Couple
So the most recent enemies-to-lovers couple I adored so much is Mudeok and Uk of “Alchemy Of Souls”! I’m a sucker for fantasy dramas where the main characters go from wanting to kill each other to risking their lives to protect each other. The growth of their connection was one of my favorite parts.
“Full House” Couple
And this list wouldn’t be complete from the OG enemies to lovers couple! The chemistry between Song Hye Kyo and Rain was fantastic, and I think “Full House” is one of the first K-dramas in which I have encountered this trope. Having the cohabitation trope introduced when the two decided to move in together and engage in some top-notch teasing is another reason I enjoy this drama so much.
See? The enemies-to-lovers trope is really something we all need to watch because the amazing dynamics of the couple really give more flavor to the drama! I have a lot more favorite tropes we’ll talk about next, so in the meantime, let’s binge-watch these shows on KOCOWA!
