INTRODUCTION
Side couples: for some people, they are a waste of time, and for others, they are the sole reason they continue watching the TV series. In the past, we weren’t so blessed with side couples since the whole plot circled around the main leads, but as the years passed, we got more side couples from scriptwriters to enrich the plot.
For me personally, the love for side couples began with Boys Over Flowers, where I witnessed the bloom of love between So Yi Jung and Chu Ga Eul. They were the beginning of my journey, and the journey keeps on going. Sometimes I do feel that side couples are boring, but usually I do feel that the side couple’s story is so interesting that they could have a TV series of their own.
In this article, I want to look at some side couples who stole the whole series for me, and we would be so blessed if they had their own TV series. Keep in mind that I am going to be giving only synopses for the side couples, not the main TV series, because the secret mission of this article is to lure you into the listed TV series with the story of side couples! |  |  | Moo Yeon is an assassin working for Kim So Hye's father, even though he hates the job. The only joy in his life is spending moments with So Hye, which are fewer because she is the Crown Princess of Joseon. | So Hye is the Crown Princess and is married to the future king of Joseon. She gained the position thanks to her father, but despises it because she lacks freedom in lifestyle, and love. jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj | SYNOPSIS
100 Days My Prince's second couple's story is a forbidden romance between a devoted assassin and the future queen of Joseon, who wants nothing more than freedom. While they are both engrossed in their feelings, something bigger and darker is awaiting them to ruin their secret happiness. 
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|  |  | Park Ji Wan is a manhwa author and is very romantic; thus, she decided to enroll in a TV program for dating. She is very self-conscious about her weight, but despite this, she decided to keep going and enter the brutal show. She is very bubbly, soft-spoken, loves food, and always speaks nicely. | Jang John is a handsome and self-made rich man who works as a professional chef. At first glance, he comes off as arrogant and attention-seeking, but that's all a mask that he uses to hide his true feelings. He enrolls in a TV program for finding love, and there he meets Park Ji Wan. jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj | SYNOPSIS
Love is for sucker's side couple's story focuses on a love story that blooms on the set of a dating show, where bubbly, self-conscious manhwa artist Park Ji Wan meets a cold chef, who at first glance finds Ji Wan weird and unwelcoming. As the show continues, both learn more about each other, and love starts to bloom, but what if the producers don't want them together? 
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|  |  | Wang Eun is a prince who loves to enjoy his free time playing games and pranking his other brothers. He dislikes politics, and if he could, he would probably play games for the rest of his life. | Soon Duk, at first glance, looks like a fierce warrior, but deep inside, she is just a young romantic girl who likes the playful prince, helping him with his mischief. | SYNOPSIS
Moon Lover's side couple's story takes place in Goryeo, where a young prince has to marry a young, fierce fighter, Soon Duk. Since the prince wants to play for the rest of his life and dislikes responsibilities, he is against the marriage, but he has no say in it and thus gets married to Soon Duk. Marriage can be stressful, especially if it's an arranged marriage, but soon Duk and the prince find that love can bloom after marriage as well. 
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|  |  | Guy is a loyal friend, somewhat of a good student, but most importantly, a passionate football player. He is in the "poor" friend group, but he always defends his friends against the rich bullies. | Nawa is a rich boy who is part of the bully group that picks on poor students. Other than bullying and spending his money, he likes basketball as well.jjj | SYNOPSIS
Nawa and Guy belong to two completely different social classes and groups of friends. Because of unforseen circumstances, they are suddenly forced to spend time together, even though they hate each other. Constant bickering, though, leads to understanding and sudden love. 
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|  |  | Sung Bora is the eldest daughter of the Sung family and is very studious, honest, and bold. At first glance, she comes off as cold, but inside she is very soft and craves warmth. She is pursuing a degree in law. | Sung Sun Woo is a bubbly and outgoing boy who spends most of his time with his close friends from the neighborhood. Other than his friends, he loves his younger sister and his mother, who is a widower. | SYNOPSIS
Reply 1988 tells a unique story between fierce and righteous Sung Bora and a younger boy, Sung Sun Woo. Sun Woo likes to spend his free time with his friends and harbors a secret crush on his friend’s older sister, Sung Bora. But life isn’t easy, and the two have to face many obstacles on their way towards happiness. 
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|  |  | Shi Kyung is a member of the royal guard, which protects the fictional royal family in the TV series King 2 Hearts. He is righteous, highly skilled in his field, but also compassionate and ready to risk his life for others. | Jae Shin is a princess and a member of the royal family. She is playful, spoiled, and bratty, but most importantly, lonely. Due to circumstances, she becomes completely dependent on Shi Kyung.jjjjjjjjjj | SYNOPSIS
Shi Kyung is a royal guard with a duty to protect the royal family. Others would say that he is married to his job. Due to unforseen circumstances, he meets Princess Jae Shin, who likes him at first glance. But tragedy hits the royal family, and Shi Kyung must choose who he will protect. 
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|  |  | Pete is working for the mafia, specifically for the Main family, which holds massive power but has internal family issues. While Pete, at first glance, looks cheerful and playful, he is still a highly skilled killer who doesn’t hesitate to protect his boss. TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT | Vegas is the heir of the mafia, specifically the Minor family, which has constant issues with the Major family, which runs almost all business. Many would describe Vegas as manipulative, vicious, heartless, and cold, as he is never known for his good side. From all his family, he only loves one person, his younger brother, Macau. | SYNOPSIS
The forbidden romance and the romance that should never happen—many would describe the love between Pete and Vegas as this. Not all love blooms from happiness and beautiful moments, and Pete would know the best since he found love when his mission went wrong—when he was captured by the one he should have spied on—Vegas. |
|  |  | Cha Joo Ik is a perfectionist and a bold man who is working as the chief editor for a publishing company. He is oftentimes described as being heartless due to his on-point remarks about the books he has under his wing. TEXT TEX TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT | Na Ji Na is an author who is popular for her romance novels. Even though she is popular with romance novels, she is not popular with her own personal love life. Her failed first love is haunting her even years later, making Ji Na unable to move forward. | SYNOPSIS
Ji Na is a popular author in the romance genre, even though she is failing miserably in her personal love life. Her books get picked up by Joo Ik, who isn’t sugarcoating his words and directly tells Ji Na that in order to write better main leads, she needs to move on and find a new love in her personal life. What continues is the journey of self-discovery, misunderstandings, but most importantly, the beginning of new love. 
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CONCLUSION
Writing this article was a big joy for me, even if it took me hours of nonstop sitting and editing. Some of you may be curious about how I picked the couples listed, so before I end this article and bid you goodbye, let’s talk about my reasoning, shall we?
It was obvious that I would be starting this article with a pair from “100 Days My Prince," because for me, the couple carried the whole show to the point that I was skipping through the episodes to see how their story would continue. What truly captivated me about them is the forbidden aspect of their love, which I am sucker for. Both characters were very complexly written, which I am very thankful for. We didn’t receive a playful heroine and brooding hero who has his eyes only for revenge; instead, we got a strong heroine who would do anything to protect her newfound family and a hero who struggles with his duty and love of his life.
The next pick was a couple from “Love is for suckers,” which till this day remains among my top side couples because we do not have a lot of TV series or even movies that talk about issues with confidence, and most importantly, usually plus-size people get treated poorly and remain as very minor characters who are there for the laughter, not romance. This is the reason why it was so refreshing to watch this love bloom. This TV series also got rid of the stereotype that only skinny people get to date other skinny people—that is such a myth. This couple had such a rich storyline that it completely overshadowed the main couple, who I simply skipped over completely.
With “Moon Lovers,” it was also a very easy pick. Even though the couple had very minimal screen time, they totally captured me and many others. The contrast between the hero and heroine was stunning and a breath of fresh air. I think scriptwriters got way too used to writing macho male leads, not giving chance to playful and boyish male leads. Also, female soldier? Sign me up, because I like this!
Another couple that, for me, overshadowed the main couple was definitely the NawaGuy couple from Dangerous Romance. When the trailers came out, I definitely didn’t think that another couple would overshadow the main couple, since we were promised heavy angst and an enemies-to-lovers trope, but those who have seen the series know that we kind of got tricked. The meter for enemies-to-lovers quickly plummeted down, but then we got Nawa and Guy, who kept the hate-love meter constantly high and truly delivered us what we wanted—the hate-to-love trope.
The Reply 1988 couple was also a top pick of mine, and to this day, I consider them the best couple from the whole Reply franchise. Once again, we are greeted by a somewhat taboo relationship where the woman is older than the man, but that is not the only issue the two have to overcome. I can’t get into details in fear of spoilers, but the dynamics and opposite personalities truly shaped their whole relationship.
Even though “King 2 Hearts” is considered an older series and thus many new viewers miss it, it is still my favorite, and I am completely smitten with the couple. Honestly, both couples truly entertained me, and I love them both. I think the reason I love the side couple is because they were very real and showed us raw situations and raw reactions. The females here weren’t "ladylike," but at the same time, they were completely “ladylike” because even ladies poop, gentleman!
When talking about side couples, one cannot miss the popular side couple from the Thai series "KinnPorsche." I cannot say that they overshadowed the main couple, but I know some people do think they did. I love both couples equally, but Pete and Vegas' love story is unique because it arose from a traumatic event that some people find triggering, and I don't blame them. I like how their story was not sugarcoated and showed that such a type of affection does exist in the world.
“Doom at Your Service” is another Korean TV series that stole the hearts of many, mostly because of the main couple. Of course, I love the main couple as well, but the story of failed first loves and the struggle of overcoming them truly captivated me and totally gained my attention, so I had to include these two on the list.
With that said, I hope you enjoyed this lengthy article, and if you were unfamiliar with these series, I hope I piqued your interest with these blurbs that have an impact on the main storyline. I won’t be bidding you goodbye forever, since I am sure we’re going to get many more side couples in the future.
Dear reader, which side couple is your personal favorite? |
Travel Korea: Historical TV Series
