K-Dramas are known for different popular tropes and how well they executed them. I have a lot of favorites, but no one comes close to friends to lovers!
Friends to lovers trope proved that love doesn’t always happen at first sight. One of the reasons viewers enjoy this trope is that they can relate to it. From being in denial, suppressing it thinking it might ruin the friendship, or thinking if they should cross the line and confess!
There are different kinds of friends to lovers tropes like childhood friends to lovers, high school classmates to lovers, and long-time best friends to lovers. Having a solid foundation such as friendship truly gives the couple different chemistry. Let me introduce these K-Drama couples who proved that friends to lovers trope is SUPERIOR!
“You Drive Me Crazy” Couple
Starting the list with the romantic comedy “You Drive Me Crazy” couple: Han Eun Seong (Lee Yoo Young) and Kim Rae Wan (Kim Seon Ho), who have been friends for 8 years!
A four-episode mini-drama about the relationship of two best friends who accidentally slept with each other. The mini-series doesn’t only have the popular friends-to-lovers trope but also the cohabitation trope where Eun Seong temporarily moves into Rae Wan’s place because of a broken pipe in her house.
“You Drive Me Crazy” perfectly showed the shift in dynamics in their friendship after they slept together and how their past regrets were put aside because they didn’t want to ruin what they had resurfaced.
“The Time We Were Not in Love“
The wholesome friends to lover couple who built a solid 17-year-long relationship together are Oh Ha Na (Ha Ji Won) and Choi Won (Lee Jin Wook) of the romance drama “The Time We Were Not in Love.”
Now 34 years old and have been best friends since high school. The two have been present for every milestone in each other’s lives, making their bond precious and hard to differentiate if what they have is love as friends or lovers.
“The Time We Were Not in Love” realistically portrays the struggles of two long-time best friends who didn’t know what to do when they started catching feelings for each other.
“Hospital Playlist” Couple
The standard friendship to lovers couple is Lee Ik Jun (Cho Jung Suk) and Chae Song Hwa (Jeon Mi Do) of the medical slice of life drama “Hospital Playlist.”
A slow-burn romance of two doctors who have been best friends for 20 years. The two have a lot of missed chances being together, but it didn’t stop Ik Jun from trying to correct what he failed to do years ago.
We witnessed Song Hwa and Ik Jun’s beautiful romance in two seasons, so it’s more satisfying to see that they ended up with each other after knowing that they hid their feelings for 20 years so it wouldn’t ruin their squad’s relationship.
“Dr. Romantic 2” Couple
Starting as college rivals, Cha Eun Jae (Lee Sung Kyung) and Seo Woo Jin (Ahn Hyo Seop) of “Dr. Romantic 2” experienced a lot of things together.
Set in Doldam Hospital, the two experienced a lot of hardships and learned from the best doctor, Master Kim (Han Seok Kyu). The two started as college rivals, university friends, and co-workers in a faraway hospital to become lovers! What a ride for the two.
“Still 17” Couple
A beautiful yet tragic story of two schoolmates who experienced a horrendous accident is Gong Woo Jin (Yang Se Jong) and Woo Seo Ri (Shin Hae Sun) of the romantic comedy “Still 17“.
“Still 17” is a feel-good drama about second chances and forgiving oneself to love and move forward. It follows the story of a 17-year-old girl who fell into a coma and wakes up 13 years later and a 30-year-old man who had a traumatic experience 13 years ago. The schoolmates met 13 years later and formed a beautiful friendship that blossomed into romance.
“Pinocchio” Couple
The childhood friends to workplace lovers are Choi Dal Po (Lee Jong Suk) and Choi In Ha (Park Shin Hye) from the fantasy romance “Pinocchio.”
It’s a love story of two people who lived together and became trustworthy reporters. The drama portrayed the lives of local news reporters as they engage in fierce battles and hunt for truth 24 hours a day.
“Pinocchio” is a different kind of childhood friend to lovers because the two experienced growing up together. They shared many memories from the same school, job, and home together!
“Happiness” Couple
One of the best examples of the friends to lovers trope came from the apocalyptic K-Drama, “Happiness,” starring Han Hyo Joo & Park Hyung Sik
Set in a time when there’s a zombie outbreak, we witnessed one of the best pairings ever. Yoon Sae Bom and Jung Yi Hyun started as high school classmates then they became best friends and ended up in a fake marriage to own an apartment! Despite being in a fake marriage, all of their actions are genuine towards each other.
“Fight For My Way” Couple
The list wouldn’t be complete without our favorite best friends to lovers: Ko Dong Man (Park Seo Jun) and Choi Ae Ra (Kim Ji Won) of the romantic comedy “Fight For My Way.”
A slice of life drama starring two best friends while fighting to achieve their dreams. The drama shows that the two are really meant to be seeing how they transitioned from two longtime best friends to lovers.
“Fight For My Way” has the best casts, chemistry, plot, theme, and couple. Really a must-watch drama for everyone!
At this point, I hope we now all agree that the friends-to-lovers trope in K-Dramas is the best, and let’s meet these couples by subscribing and watching on KOCOWA!
Who’s your best friends to lovers K-Drama couple? Leave us a comment below!
1 Comment
My all time favorite is Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. Jun-hyung and Bok Joo.