Second Leads Who Meet Their Match

Truly the most humane second female lead I've ever encountered, Yoo Hee Jin comes sailing in on a cloud of first love, tragic illness, and a noble sacrifice that ricocheted. She's the femme chaebol perfect rival to feisty Cinderella Sam Soon. 

What I love about Yoo Hee Jin is how relatable and humane she is. And it relieves me enormously that she appears accompanied by a devoted suitor. I really wanted Sam Soon to get her man, but I also wanted Hee Jin to find her own happiness! 

This is my favorite pair the spares drama of all time.

This quirky romcom constructs a love hexagon, not only pairing the spares, but also starting off with an added dimension: disposable fiancé. And the chain of unrequited love is partially fuelled by the female leads' intensely watchable frenemyship.  

These second leads are my favorites in dramaland. Their jaded bickering is so refreshing, despite the fact that I signed on for the idealized first leads.

Okay, this ensemble piece's main love thing is an open triangle with second male lead syndrome. 

However, there's a control group of warm, quirky, minor and supporting character love lines. Not that I don't want to visit the leads' high drama realm of childhood-sweethearts + destined-enemies-to-lovers! It's just that the supporting relationships make me more content with living in the world of ordinary, silly humans.

There's a minor character romance  between eccentric reporter Jang and long suffering camera woman Jae Hwan - which even has its own love triangle, excluding antagonistic wannabe Joo Ho - yet another rival news agencies point scored for YGN against MBC!

And what's even better is that Jang and Jae Hwan's romance mirrors another potential love arc at YGN. At the end of the drama, that arc has yet to be fulfilled, but can the head canon of so many fans be that far wrong?

This slow burn romance and wuxia adventure plus Tang dynasty political intrigue drama features bonus second leads. The first leads are both martial arts and sword/arrow slinging powerhouses frequently called on to assume false identities. But the second leads are a more traditional pairing. 

Leyan (fan name: the Rabbit) a sheltered princess,  shows her courage after being kidnapped. Hao Du (fan name: the Wolf) stamps down his feelings for her while clinging to his stoic bodyguard persona... and the audience wonders how long he can keep those feelings suppressed.

Righteously complex and personable second lead characters get full arcs, and their eventual spare pairing goes beyond afterthought. They're not plot elements to be tied up in a neat happy ending compliant bow, but rather people who I wanted to see get their own drama.

Bonus love line with extra comic relief: a noona romance between two well-rounded, yet somewhat personally obnoxious, definitely memorable, very entertaining characters.

This sunny romcom has two bonus couples, so viewers get to enjoy not only the adorable, steamy first leads, but also:

1.  The lightly melo tale of rich boy + sick girl, which comes with a side of parental loss, estrangement, and reunion.
2. The campy sitcom of dorky poor boy + comic rich girl, and its slapstick delights.

While this mockumentary devotes most of its attention to the leads' on again off again relationship, I'm still out of proportion entranced by the second female lead. Clear-sighted, loyal, helpful, nurturing, she earns her role as implied pair to the poignantly spare second male lead. 

Legendarily awesome bonus second lead romance. This drama, while it has its highs, lows, and suspenseful moments, has the easy to watch appeal of a Hollywood movie. 

It's second lead couple Sunny and Reaper for the win in this lush reincarnation story. Sunny and Reaper's love story is unrelated to jealousy or attraction related to the leads, but there's some karma tying them to the first male lead, and, naturally, to each other.

Four - count 'em, 4(!) - love lines. The first male lead, Kim Do Jin, has quite the trial getting the female lead to turn her attention towards him and away from of his friends, Kim Soo Ro. But Soo Ro has his own object of attraction, and in their forties, all the guys are in an adulting space. Soo Ro's baby sister is deeply enamored of another friend, Choi Yo On. And the fourth friend, Lee Jung Rok, is flirting way too much for a married man.