INDTRODUCTION
I am back with a sequel to the previous article, which many of you loved and related to! Since I am a big fan of side couples, I have decided to bless the MDL editorials with another article about side couples, which for me personally, stole the show! By the way, these articles aren’t only meant for those who have already watched the TV series, but also for those, who are on a hunt for something to watch!
Just like before, this list is compiled from my favorite couples, and there wasn’t any prior survey done, thus, this article represents my subjective feelings. The synopsis, though, are objective and represent what truly happens in the mentioned series!
Now, shall we get started? |  |  | A rookie actor who stars in a popular “makjang*” TV series that is known for the obnoxious plot and over-the-top acting. Despite Ji Hwan’s character being a total jerk, the real Ji Hwan is a humble and gentle man. | A strong, smart, independent woman that isn’t afraid to throw her fists around if it means to protect justice. Many people fear her for being oftentimes very straightforward, but inside, Scarlett wants to experience cute and swoony romance. | SYNOPSIS
WWW’s side couple’s story isn’t set in the world of technology or office, unlike the main couple’s storyline. With this couple, we can enjoy a swoony and atypical romance that nowadays even more people wish to experience—romance between a popular actor and a fan. Even though Scarlett absolutely hates the character Ji Hwan is playing, she can’t help but start to feel something for the actor after their very violent first meeting. One would say it was love at first kick! 
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|  |  | Smart, introverted, stubborn, upfront, and protective! With these words, I would describe the older brother of the main character, who would do anything to keep his family and his closest friends safe. At first glance, he looks hard around the edges, but once you know him, you’ll find out that he knows what passionate love is! | Lazy, extroverted, relentless, honest, and loving! Man may look like a weirdo and the clown of any friend group, but honestly, he is a very reliable man that knows what he wants and how to get to the point he wants to. Even though he may look scary to introverts, his outside matches his inside—he is a giant teddy bear! | SYNOPSIS
This surprising couple of the whole series meets under interesting circumstances. For Man, it was love at first sight, for Type it was dislike at first sight. After all, Man is everything that Type isn’t. He is loud, extroverted, and shabby-looking, while Type always looks polished. But Man being his stubborn self, slowly finds a thorny way to the older man’s heart.
This couple includes the following tropes: age-gap romance and dislike-to-love! 
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|  |  | Seo Dae Young is an NCO officer who is known as a right-hand man to our main lead, Captain Yoo. On the inside and the outside, Dae Young is a strict man with a hint of humor inside of him. Among his peers, he is known as a strict drill instructor. | Myung Joo is a well-known daughter of the lieutenant general, but she keeps trying to get famous for her job as a military surgeon and not as the daughter of a high-ranking military officer. She is cheerful but can be strict, for which many rookies fear her. | SYNOPSIS
Game of push and pull—that’s how we could describe the steamy and feisty relationship between these two army people. They meet in an unexpected situation, but soon, both feel the attraction towards each other. The only problem? Myung Joo’s father isn’t too pleased with his daughter’s selection. Dae Young is determined to keep his distance, but will he be able to resist the beauty when she deliberately chooses to work by his side? 
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|  |  | Jack is a frighteningly cheerful man who, unlike his happy appearance, isn’t your ordinary handsome friend. Under that happy mask is a skilled and cold-blooded assassin that loves to play with his victims. His speciality? Knife. But other than playing with his victims, he is also a very good chef. | Li An—nickname Zhao Zi—is a young member of a criminal police squad that specializes in IT technology. He is known not only for his computer skills but also for his insane flexibility. His weakness? Food and naive mindset. | SYNOPSIS
Two men from two completely different backgrounds meet because of a single case. While Li An is assigned to his partner to protect the mafia leader and secretly spy on him, Jack has a completely different mission—not assigned by his boss—to win the cute detective over with his exceptional cooking. But don’t get fooled—the romance may look swoony, but the danger only escalates when Li An learns the true identity of his pursuer. 
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|  |  | A loyal guard to the future sect leader, who is skilled but also extremely warm-hearted. On the outside, he is known for being strict and a father-like figure to the messy cousins of the Gong household, but on the inside, he is a simple man who wants to protect everything he loves. | A less important but valued member of the Gong household who loves to poke her nose in all the household affairs. Her one ultimate mission? To gain affection from the skilled guard, Jin Fang, by any means. In her mind, she is a perfect femme fatale, but oftentimes she looks like a party clown in other people’s eyes. Don’t get fooled though! Even though she is quirky and unpredictable, when in need, she will ruin her perfect manicure to protect you. | SYNOPSIS
The world of My Journey to You is dark and filled with assassins, but among the martially skilled people lives Gong Zi Shang, a young lady who loves to poke her nose in everyone’s business (with love). Since she was a little child, she loved to follow the loyal guard, Jin Fan, wherever he went. As the years passed, Zi Shang tried to improve her seduction skills, but on first glance, it looked like Jin Fan wasn’t bothered by the presence of the young lady. On the inside though, he had to keep reminding himself that he was just a guard and she was a high member of the Gong household, thus their feelings could never have a real chance to bloom. 
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|  |  | A young high schooler who works part time at his uncle’s night diner. Cheerful, free-spirited, but also troubled young boy who wants to find his life’s dream and desperately reach it. His uncle and others would call him a troublemaker, but in his own words, Li Ming simply wants to live his life to the fullest. | A deaf boy who struggles with his place in this world. A studious and introverted boy who wants nothing more than for people around him to truly listen to his voice and not get squeamish with his handicap. | SYNOPSIS
What was supposed to be a food delivery turned into an...attempted burglary? The two young boys meet under interesting circumstances, and at first glance, you wouldn’t bet your finger that a spark would fly between them. But they did, and it was through one simple thing: communication. Heart was used to the deafening silence around him—from his peers and even his own parents. One day that silence was broken by a loud and extroverted boy who didn’t give a damn about Heart’s lack of hearing and simply treated the other like any other human being. The start was messy, but soon the two boys find themselves confessing their love in a truly unique way. 
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|  |  | A Russian gumiho traveled a long way to South Korea only to meet the powerful Lee Rang, who took her under his wings. Just like her savior, Yoo Ri is cruel and doesn’t hesitate to get her hands dirty, but deep inside she craves a warm home and a loving family. |
A bubbly veterinarian who is also a gumiho and a good friend of the main lead, the ex-mountain lord, Lee Yeon. Some would call him a loyal sidekick, but Shin Joo has an identity of his own outside of helping the once powerful spirit. He is not only smart but also loving towards all beings—even the bad guys. | SYNOPSIS
It’s a common rule to not fall in love with thieves, but rules were broken by the handsome veterinarian, whose heart was stolen by the blue-eyed fellow gumiho named Yoo Ri. The love of a gumiho is eternal and thus cannot be picked, and Shin Joo learns this the hard way when he realizes that the one he fell in love with is a cruel gumiho who works for the antagonist. 
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|  |  | A powerful water goddess who currently lives among the humans on Earth and is pursing an acting career in which she is very successful—except she can’t do kissing scenes. For the lack of experience in kissing, she thanks her one-sided crush, Ha Baek. | A powerful wind god who is currently living on Earth in order to help his friend, Ha Baek, and his one-sided crush, Mu Ra. At first glance, Bi Ryum looks nice and friendly, but deep inside, he isn’t the naive and innocent man that everyone sees. | SYNOPSIS
From childhood rivalries to one-sided crushes until finally, to love. The stormy love between the goddess of water and the god of wind started when they were both young and promised to different people. While Mu Ra always dreamt of marrying her other childhood friend, Ha Baek, her other friend dreamt of marrying Mu Ra. Despite many years passing by, there is no sign of affection from Mu Ra towards Bi Ryum until the said god takes the matters in his own hands. While Ha Baek clearly shows Mu Ra how cold one-sided love feels, Bi Ryum shows Mu Ra how hot his own one-sided crush burns.
And in the middle of all the chaos, they have to protect the Earth realm and their friend Ha Baek, who fell for a human. 
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CONCLUSION
Congratulations! You have officially reached the end of my article, where I have ranted about my personal favorite TV series side couples! Just like with the previous article, in this one, we will also break down why I have picked the couples you could have read about. If this part bores you out, you can skip it—I am simply thankful that you have reached this far!
I wasn’t sure which couple to start with, since basically all of these couples belong to my top-favorite list. With that being said, I wanted to start with a somewhat unknown couple. Let’s be honest, the series “WWW” wasn’t overly famous, and it isn’t even known for this couple, rather than the main one. I, myself, haven’t reached out to the series because of the main couple, but because of the side couple, for which I found a fan-made video on Youtube. They immediately captured my heart! Not only is the female lead an absolute badass who throws fists around, but it shows a unique love story between an actor and a fan, which I feel isn’t so common for some reason. Like, I can’t think of a well-made swoony TV series where the main plot focuses on this kind of story.
My next pick is unusual among the fans of 2gether—at least, I feel like it! While everyone was raving about the main couple of this Thai series, I was on the sidelines silently cheering for this specific side couple. I don’t even know why, honestly, because the power dynamics between the side couple and the main couple were somewhat the same. The premise was that the enemies somewhat became lovers. Is it the acting? Is it the chemistry? Or is it the circumstances under which the couple has met each other? Who knows, but I know that Man and Type captured my attention more than Saraleo and Tine. Sue me—I got Depp’s beautiful lawyer ready!
Another pick is the ultimate classic, okay? Descendants of the Sun primarily captured our hearts with the main couple + people in military uniforms, but what truly captured me more than the main couple was the obvious side couple, which was constantly bickering but also sending lovely dovely glances at each other. I think I like that aspect the most: Dae Young loving Myung Joo but stopping himself with cruel words in order to stop the feelings from growing. And on the other hand, I love how Myung Joo doesn’t give a shiiiiiiii and simply pursues the man she loves—quite boldly.
History 3: Trapped is a tricky series—I won’t lie about it. Keep in mind, I have been in the drama world for way too long, so back then we were all collectively screaming that we got something different and not the overdone school romance with LGBT romance! Finally, we have received mafia romance! A romance outside of school gates! Does it have flaws? Yes. Is it realistic? Hmmm, 50-50? I love both couples, but who wouldn’t love the quirky psycho who plays with his knife but also provides good food? Weirdos always fascinated me, and Jack belongs to the sack of weirdos.
If you know me, then you know how picky I am with Chinese TV series, mostly historical and wuxia/xiaxia ones! I am a perfectionist, and the CGI can make me faint if it’s badly done, along with cringey storylines and weird sets, but when I finished My Journey to You in one sitting, I knew that a miracle happened. I know some of you might be asking why I didn’t put Gong Shang Jue and Qian Shang Guan as my favorite side couple. The answer is simple: the director said that they are the main couple as well, so... I stick to his words and consider them and the other couple as the main couples of the show, which left me with one side couple—Jin Fan and Zi Shang. Honestly, I went into the series craving for cold-blooded assassins and lots of drama. I hate the comedy aspect in what is supposed to be a serious plot! When I first spotted Zi Shang on the screen, I was like, ‘’Noooooo, another drama ruined by comedy elements,’’ But surprisingly, the elements were very minimal, and instead of creating a fake feel to the plot, it created a sense of realness. Just like in any situation, even in the absolute worst ones, you will encounter something humorous. Just like at a family dinner, you will have that odd family member who does clownery! Basically, Zi Shang is the family’s odd member, and I honestly loved that element! She is Q.U.E.E.N., and I love her boldness and unique style! I cheered for her romance and went nuts for the little specs of her scenes in between the serious plot! When I went into Moonlight Chicken, I was extremely happy that we got a mature plot with mature actors. I thought my heart would be stolen by the problematic things happening, but instead of that, it made me frustrated because something was missing. I think reasoning was missing a lot with the main couple, and thus my attention shifted to the side couple, which was Li Ming and Heart. Honestly, I fell in love with them, and this is saying someone who is sick of high school series, okay? The boys were high schoolers, but their story didn’t circle around that aspect and instead focused on something much more important—the visibility of uniqueness! So many years have passed, but we have so few series and movies where disabilities are represented, and THAT is a problem! I think the director quickly realized why people loved the side couple so much, and maybe that’s why in his next project a blind community was represented on a full scale!
With Tale of the Nine-Tailed, it was easy! For some weird reason, I didn’t like the main couple at all—they felt cold. On the other hand, we got a side couple with a unique first meeting and a certain dangerous aspect in it, and I simply love that.
With Bride of Habaek, it was also very easy! I loved Mu Ra! Yeah, many of you might call her a whiny b-word, but I loved that! I loved how annoying she was and all posh, and I loved when Bi Ryum managed to get through that shield of hers and capture her heart. I wasn’t sure whether to put this couple on this list, because I know that this series wasn’t overly popular, but to hell with it! I love this couple!
Now we have officially reached the true end of this article, and I once again ask you, What is your favorite side couple? *makjang = a stylistic, tonal, or narrative element in dramas that chooses to play up outrageous storylines to keep viewers hooked despite how ridiculous the stories become (Naver). |
The Beauty of Tone Deafness
