@Wanderingjinny, thank you very much for your suggestions, added and yes if somethings else comes to mind do tell :)
@Spring, added some of your suggestions as well, thanks!
I think I need to elaborate a bit better about sticky situation list because it seems things are getting a bit blurry and it's totally my fault. So sticky situation overload is when:
1. Through the series of events hero life sucks to the point where one starts to wonder where he will get a break, but the hero stoically endures while the viewer is worried whenever things will end well.
2. Hero is dragged into many situations where he risks and endures great bodily or/and mental harm. Should happen many times not just once (every sageuk in existence seems to have one episode that involves being thrown to prison and tortured, I'm talking about more than a one time thing).
3. There is angst! Angst and manly tears are important. I'm a bit wary of melodramas because it easy to get to the point of things being ridiculous, so it is a fine balance here.
4. The hero is stoic, self-sacrificing, loyal to a fault type.
All of the above must happen. The whole point of such dramas for me is the quality of the hero, the obstacles he has to overcome and the way it is shown. The more i think about it the more I conclude that it's not so much about violence and gore, as it is about the angst and the mood.
For instance I saw the devil while very interesting movie does not qualify, because the main point of that movie is "who is the devil" and the protagonist is a very different type of hero. Healer is another excellent drama but while the hero posses the quality of the hero I'm looking for, the drama as a whole is rather light on points #1 and #2 and even #3 is more refined/subtle.
Two weeks qualify because in order for the hero to achieve his goal he is hunted, shot at, stabbed, all the while he agonize over the fact that he might not able to make it to his goal, which is to save his child.
East of Eden qualify because never mind all the beating the hero receives from random mafia guy, the hero's sole purpose in life is to help his family no matter the personal cost and he constantly pays.
Strangely Crazy for You while was suggested as noona romance also qualifies, because the hero does excellent job at torturing himself in almost every single episode, no need for bad guys.
Hidden Identity is a bit on the fence. There isn't that much angst and it's not so much the main cast that qualifies, but there is one supporting character who is the stoic, loyal type and it really sucks to be him in that drama. I'm still pondering if I'm going to keep it, but for now it's in.
Also, there are so many wonderful kdrama suggestions, but almost no jdrama or any other country drama, I wonder if its because the majority here watch mainly korean drama? Jdrama, cdrama, tdrama, etc. all are welcome.
