7 K-Dramas Where He Has Secretly Loved Her For Years
There’s just something about a male lead who has been secretly in love with the same woman for years. The way he quietly cares for her, remembers the little things, and keeps his feelings hidden make the eventual romance that much more satisfying. These K-dramas have some of the best pining male leads who will have you swooning over their unwavering devotion and rooting for them to finally get the girl.
1. “Lovely Runner”
After hearing the heartbreaking news of top star Ryu Sun Jae’s (Byeon Woo Seok) death, devoted fan Im Sol (Kim Hye Yoon) travels 15 years into the past and meets him as a teenager. Determined to change his future, she tries to save the person who once gave her comfort through his music.
One of the best parts of this series is seeing just how deeply Ryu Sun Jae loves Im Sol. As the story unfolds, you realize just how long he’s been yearning for her and how much he’s willing to sacrifice for the person he loves. His unwavering devotion makes their romance that much more heartfelt, and you can’t help but root for him to finally get the chance to be with her.
Watch “Lovely Runner” here:
2. “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo”
With dreams of becoming a college weightlifting champion, Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung) isn’t afraid of doing whatever it takes to achieve those goals. A strong girl with strong determination, Bok Joo isn’t easily distracted, but when she meets Jung Joon Hyung, played by Nam Joo Hyuk, life gets a little more complicated.
Joon Hyung and Bok Joo’s relationship is so fun to watch, especially knowing that his feelings for her eventually turn into something more. Their childhood friendship is full of playful teasing and bickering, but underneath it all, Joon Hyung comes to realize just how special Bok Joo is to him. Seeing him fall for someone who knows him so well makes his eventual confession all the more heartwarming!
Watch the drama now:
3. “Dive into You”
Yoon Ha Na (Kim Ji Yeon) is a top actress whose life takes an unexpected turn when her soul switches places with her twin brother, Yoon Ha Ru (Jang Se Hyuk) while also getting sent back into the past. Determined to save her first love Jung Woo Jae (Park Seo Ham), a former judo prodigy-turned-bodyguard, Ha Na gets a second chance to change his fate.
When this drama first starts out, it seems like Ji Yeon’s character Ha Na is the one who has always been pining for her close friend Woo Jae. But as the series progresses and the characters travel back in time, it becomes so sweetly evident that Woo Jae has actually been head over heels in love with Ji Yeon all along. His stolen glances, inner monologues, and determination to protect her no matter what make their love story that much more heartwarming to watch.
Start watching the first episode now:
4. “I’ll Go to You When the Weather Is Nice”
In “I’ll Go to You When the Weather Is Nice,” Mok Hae Won (Park Min Young) decides to leave Seoul and temporarily move to the countryside with her aunt. There, she meets her old high school friend Im Eun Seob (Seo Kang Jun). Eun Seob has been in love with Hae Won since they first met and is happy to hear that she won’t be leaving for a while. The two become friends again, and as they get to know each other more, they fall in love.
Perfect for when the weather starts getting colder, “I’ll Go to You When the Weather Is Nice” is the ultimate comfort K-drama. And with Seo Kang Jun’s light brown eyes following Park Min Young around, you’ll be just as warmed up by Eun Seob’s quiet devotion to Hae Won. He has loved her ever since she showed up as the odd new student at his school, watching her from afar without ever finding the courage to confess his feelings. As adults, though, he becomes more direct about how he feels, making their slow-burn romance all the more swoon-worthy!
Watch the drama here:
5. “Kiss Sixth Sense”
Seo Ji Hye plays Hong Ye Sul, a woman who has the ability to see the future with a kiss. When she happens to trip and kiss her boss Cha Min Hoo (Yoon Kye Sang), she sees that they become romantically involved. The only problem is that she can’t stand him!
One of the best parts of this drama is seeing Yoon Kye Sang take on a romance role, which makes it such a treat! As the usually stoic and cold Cha Min Hoo, he has secretly loved Ye Sul for years but never got the chance to confess his feelings. Seeing this side of him, especially as he starts to let his guard down around her, is so endearing. You’ll find yourself swooning over how much he cares for Ye Sul and how he slowly turns into a puppy dog around the woman he loves!
6. “Love Next Door”
Choi Seung Hyo (Jung Hae In) is an architect who runs his own firm. He reunites with his childhood friend Bae Seok Ryu (Jung So Min), who has recently quit her job and is trying to figure out what comes next. Their unexpected reunion brings old memories and complicated feelings back to the surface.
Who doesn’t love a male lead who has been in love with the same woman for years? Seung Hyo has had feelings for Seok Ryu since they were young, and even when life took them in different directions, those feelings never really went away. There’s something so heartwarming about how he continues to care for her even when they’re apart, making their eventual romance all the more satisfying. After years of keeping his feelings to himself, seeing them finally get together makes it all worth it!
7. “She Would Never Know”
“She Would Never Know” is based off a popular web novel. It involves the love story between two office workers who work for a cosmetics brand. Won Jin Ah plays Yoon Song Ah while Rowoon plays her junior coworker Chae Hyun Seung. Chae Hyun Seung falls in love at first sight with Song Ah, and the two engage in a passionate romance.
In this sunbae-hoobae storyline, viewers get to see the exact moment Hyun Seung falls in love with Song Ah, and watching him quietly yearn for her makes the romance so much sweeter. Even though she’s his senior, he never lets that stop him from wanting to be by her side and showing her how much she means to him. Rowoon does such a good job portraying Hyun Seung’s unwavering devotion, making it hard not to swoon over a man who knows exactly who he wants and is willing to wait for her.
binahearts is a Korean-Canadian published author, content creator, and influencer whose ultimate biases are Song Joong Ki and BIGBANG, but has lately been seen obsessing over Hwang In Youp. Make sure you follow binahearts on IG as she journeys through her latest Korean crazes!
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