Though the tried and true pattern of Korean dramas wasn't nearly as conspicuous for me when I was younger, things have since changed. Perhaps I've matured (hardly likely), or maybe all scriptwriters are issued some kind of drama-writing-for-dummies manual that lists all the standard corners that are to be covered (more reasonable).





Regardless of the how's and why's, the fact still stands that K-dramas coincide with a pace that approaches hysteria. The overlap can happen in underlying plot lines, backdrops, or cliche scenes, to name only a few. But mind you, that's not to say I'm complaining. There's only so much scriptwriters can do with the human experience. In fact, I'll go so far as to say I applaud them for stretching their imaginations with some of these dramas.





But for the purpose of this article, let's appreciate what happens when the tank runs dangerously low on creative inspiration for characters. Here are some of of the archetypical characters that faithfully stick with us through the years and span across dramas:





1) The Chaebol

(Lee Min Ho as Goo Jun Pyo - 'Boys Over Flowers')





Going off a whim here, you already saw this coming, didn't you?





The chaebol is to a Korean drama what Iron Man is to the Avengers - both are indispensable. If you can proceed without incurring emotional trauma, try picturing the Avengers assembling without Tony Stark. Miserable, isn't it? Everything just goes dark. Where would the Avengers be without Stark's cryptic jests? Where would all the dry humor be sans this self-proclaimed genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist?





Speaking of genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist, it seems our K-drama chaebols aren't too far out of Stark's rank - understandably, we're looking past the glossy red, explosion-proof suit that can close alien portals, mind you.





The chaebols are the unbelievably good-looking and self-righteous rich boys. They rarely see past their ego and they're escorted through their elite lives with a holier-than-thou smirk that make girls feel lightheaded. But looking past all the haughty arrogance, chaebols are inseparable from all K-drama genres because they're your classic bad-boy-with-a-soft-heart-once-you-dig-deep-enough prototype.

2) The girl who gets the fairytale ending (90% of the time)

(Han Hyo Joo as Go Eun Sung - 'Shining Inheritance')





Or, if you really want to get technical, the female lead. These ladies anchor the drama and bear the bulk of the burden on their shoulders. We sympathize with their past and place our hopes in their futures. Their stories captivate us, their idiosyncrasies engross us, and their romantic escapades fluster us.





The female leads are hard to dislike (for the most part). Despite people who might have wronged them in the past or present, they confront their situations with a childlike single-mindedness that we can't help but envy.





Their personalities are as nuanced as it gets - we have some princesses, tomboys, get-rich-or-die-trying blue collared workers, stingy lawyers, and beloved queens. But that's only scratching the surface, of course.

These women simultaneously make us fall in love with them and have us criticizing them for making the wrong string of decisions. But through it all, we find ourselves living out the drama vicariously through these heroines (or anti-heroines).





(Jung So Min as Oh Ha-ni - 'Playful Kiss')





3) The best friend

(Lee Kwang Soo as Park Jae Gil - 'Nice Guy')





As is the case in any K-drama, the main character simply must have a loyal sidekick or confidante - a "biffle," if you so kindly will.





Though they're certainly not positioned at the forefront of the drama, the best friend characters hold a special place in our hearts. With enough personality and sass, they can even catapult themselves to widespread fame.





I take a particular liking to the best friends who provide comic relief from the drama - that's right, Lee Kwang Soo, I'm looking at you. Take Kwang Soo's character in 'Nice Guy', for instance. Though the drama itself is rife with backstabbings galore, Park Jae Gil considerably cools down the mood of the drama, rendering the underlying tone a bit more playful.





But to be honest, it's Lee Kwang Soo, and such is the story of his life:

4) The Frenemy

(Joo Won as Lee Kang-to, Park Ki Woong as Kimura Shunji - 'Bridal Mask')





Where would K-dramas be without a healthy rivalry at the heart of the plot? It could very much be a love triangle, a sibling rivalry, or the classic best-friends-turned-mortal-enemies situation. The novelty is unheard of, I know.





The frenemy is the quintessential outsider. Though we often find ourselves hating his or her guts, a drama devoid of the antagonist is rather bleak. Without antagonists, our lead characters wouldn't have any highs or lows - instead, his or her feats would frankly plateau off without those electron-charged moments that make our hearts drop.





5) The ass-kickurz





(Lee Min Ho as Lee Yoon Sung - 'City Hunter')





Beautiful actors can seldom go wrong shooting fake guns on screen. That simply works against the laws governing good-looking people. The more I think about it, there's something about male and female leads wielding dangerous weapons and doing all kinds of stunts that unerringly jumpstart our adrenaline.





This applies to dramas as recent as 'Iris 2' or traditional dramas like 'Jumong', which was filled with abundant battle scenes. I can't be the only person with a soft spot for action sequences. Does anyone else get all weak in the knees or have butterflies in your stomach while watching war scenes? Or one-on-one combat? Ugh - I'm smitten.

(Lee Joon as Yoon Shi Hyuk - 'Iris 2')





6) The freaks extrasensory characters

(Lee Jong Suk as Park Soo-ha - 'I Hear Your Voice')





I'm wholeheartedly kidding. There's no way I can call them freaks given how well I know myself and how readily my friends could vouch for me.





Over the last few years, K-dramas have increasingly started to tie up the loose ends of worn-out plot lines, like those of love and revenge, with a supernatural dimension. We're now seeing characters who are part mythical creatures on the small screen, or characters who have extraordinary powers.





But the supernatural isn't exclusively reserved for the characters. We can find such extraterrestrial instances embedded in the plot lines entirely, like time traveling through different eras.





Though subjective, I appreciate how scriptwriters are leaning more and more towards the fantasy genre. There are certainly dramas that take the superhuman element to extremes, so much so that it becomes too cheesy. But like everything, when done with moderation and expert screenwriting, the drama proves to be worthwhile.





(Lee Seung Gi as Choi Kang-Chi - 'Book of the House of Gu')





7) The no-nonsense mother who needs to take extra doses of chill pills

(Park Joon-geum as Moon Boon-hong - 'Secret Garden')







She's the timeless figure in K-dramas. As a matter of fact, she's just as, if not more, iconic as her chaebol son. Though her eyes could very well burn holes through your clothes (even if they were made of metal) and make you feel guilty for reasons you cannot remember, at the end of the day she just wants what's best for her son. I promise if you choose to think of it like so, it'll be considerably easier to understand why it seems like she hates everything about the human race.





Granted, these moms are fragile, menopause-ridden women with closets crammed with luxury furs. And so the curious newcomer might venture to wonder how dangerous they can possibly be.





Dear friends, do not underestimate their overly-powdered faces - they can easily make Hannibal Lector look like Mr. Rogers.



(Lee Hye Young as Kang Hee-soo - 'Boys over Flowers')





8) The gender bender

(Yoon Eun Hye as Go Eun-Chan - 'Coffee Prince')







For some strange reason, we tend to dote on the girl-pretends-to-be-boy drama genre. But given how frequently producers started to pick up these storylines after the success of 'Coffee Prince', I'd say the concept has lost a bit of flavor.





Though the freshness wanes, I don't think anything can take away from the hilarity and accuracy of some of the transformations of these top actresses. The hairstyles, the outfits, and the way they carry themselves across the screen are all so delightful to watch. Especially when their love interest (who, no doubt, was questioning his sexuality all those times he was around her) finds out she's a girl after all.





Finally. Because that didn't take you too long or anything, you handsome actor.

(Park Shin Hye as Go Mi-nam - 'You're Beautiful')





9) The mini-me's

(Kim Yoo Jung as Yeon Woo, Kim So Hyun as Bo Kyung - 'The Moon that Embraces the Sun')





Though their air time is sharply limited, child actors set the tone and standard for their older counterparts to follow. Considering how much capital is invested into each drama, that's quite a truckload to place on the shoulders of these prepubescent kids.





But it's always amazed me how well they perform under all that pressure. They're not only entertaining the domestic audience, but international viewers as well. I've yet to see a child actor lower the quality of the drama - and if it means anything, that says a lot considering how much we accomplished when we were their age.





(Park Ji Bin as Geum Kang San - 'Boys over Flowers')





We need to take a moment here: This is Geum Jan Di's beloved younger brother in the present day. Apparently, he hit some kind of magical puberty that skips over the awkward pimples-errwhere, pudginess that most of us are gifted with. This isn't even fair.

(Jang Dong Gun, Kim Soo Ro, Kim Min Jong, Lee Jong Hyuk - 'Gentleman's Class')





It might be a hormonal thing - but there's something about gathering a group of fairly good-looking men together that pull our heartstrings. I'm certain it's the same situation given a group of beautiful women who conveniently happen to be close friends, no?





I'm so attracted to these kinds of tightly-knit friendships (where each friend is stunning in his or her own way) that we find in dramas. The reason being there aren't any dull moments. Each friend is as flawed and conflicted as the next friend, and so it usually ends up being the blind leading the blind.