5 K-Dramas With The Unhealthiest Romantic Relationships, According To Fans

Fans have strong opinions on the love triangle in #4.
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Suzy Gardner
Suzy Gardner

K-Dramas regularly sweep viewers off their feet with their heart-fluttering depiction of romance. But even though many K-Dramas focus on exploring healthy, loving relationships, like well-loved K-Drama Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo…

Couple in “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo”

Many K-Dramas lean into more toxic depictions of romance since it gives writers more opportunities to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Here are five of the unhealthiest romantic relationships shown in K-Dramas, according to fans.

1. “So I Married An Anti-Fan”

So I Married An Anti-Fan told the love story of Hoo Joon (Choi Tae Joon), a globally famous celebrity, and Geun Young (Girls’ Generation‘s Sooyoung), a magazine reporter and Hoo Joon’s “anti-fan.” Although their relationship starts as an “enemies to lovers” trope, viewers actually don’t think their relationship is toxic.

“So I Married An Anti-Fan” main couple

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by u/melschinel from discussion Toxic Romance
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Instead, viewers cite the secondary couple, Jae Joon (2PM‘s Chansung) and In Hyung (Han Ji An), as one of the most toxic K-Drama couples. Unlike the main couple’s relationship, which evolves through the series, their “love” is all about jealousy and possessiveness.

“So I Married An Anti-Fan” secondary couple

2. “Tempted”

Tempted has every essential piece for a dramatic, toxic, and captivating drama. Kwon Shi Hyun (Woo Do Hwan) is the cliche playboy who feels no emotion for the women he sleeps with. He then takes a bet to seduce Eun Tae Hee (Red Velvet‘s Joy), who doesn’t focus on dating and leads a virtuous life. Although they inevitably fall in love, their relationship is established on lies, deceit, and a bet.

A scene from “Tempted”

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by u/KhJ19 from discussion Toxic romance drama’s
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3. “Young Lady And Gentleman”

Although many K-Dramas have received criticism for the age gaps between characters, K-Drama viewers especially found Young Lady And Gentleman problematic after one flashback scene. The drama depicts the love story between Lee Young Kook (Ji Hyun Woo), a single father in his 40s, and Park Dan Dan (Lee Se Hee), an independent woman in her 20s.

Scene from “Young Lady And Gentleman”

Fans tolerated the age gap, as the characters were both adults. However, when the drama showed one flashback scene of their first meeting, Park Dan Dan (played by Kim Min Seo in the scene) was only 13 years old. Thus many viewers found the relationship “creepy” and toxic.

Their first meeting 

4. “True Beauty”

Many K-Dramas focus on love triangles, and viewers tend to enthusiastically root for their favorites. Such was the case for True Beauty, where fans of the series voiced their strong opinions about each character. The K-Drama follows the journey of high school student Im Ju Kyung (Moon Ga Young), who struggles with insecurities about her appearance, managing them with expert make-up skills. During high school, rich Lee Su Ho (ASTRO‘s Cha Eunwoo) and “bad boy” Han Seo Jun (Hwang In Youp) both fall for Ju Kyung’s charms.

The love triangle in “True Beauty”

Although Su Ho was the main love interest for Ju Kyung, many found his behavior problematic, seeing his character as often seeming too controlling or possessive of Ju Kyung.

And while many rooted for the “underdog” second male lead Seo Jun, viewers also found his behavior toward Ju Kyung toxic, mainly focusing on his jealousy and treatment of his friends.

And Ju Kyung herself had many actions that viewers found too toxic and problematic.

5. “Nevertheless”

When K-Drama viewers think of a toxic K-Drama, Nevertheless is likely one of the first to come to mind. The toxic love story focuses on the relationship between Park Jae Eon (Song Kang) and Yoo Na Bi (Han So Hee), who meet at the university they both attend. Both start the drama as characters with no interest in relationships, but upon meeting, everything slowly changes. Throughout the entire drama, their relationship is tumultuous, to say the least, and the constant red flags have fans claiming the drama portrays one of the most toxic relationships.

A scene from “Nevertheless”

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by u/djajk-djajk from discussion Toxic romance drama’s
in kdramarecommends

You can read about some of the healthiest relationships here.

7 K-Dramas With The Healthiest Romantic Relationships, According To Fans

Source: Reddit and Reddit
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