The Top Ten Obstacles To Kdrama Love

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secrets
City Hunter
The Heirs
Youre Beautiful
Love Rain

Kdrama love is not without its obstacles. Otherwise the happy ending would happen shortly after the drama's beginning. But every season offers new variations on obstacles that in real life might make or break a relationship.

1. Revenge. A classic kdrama obstacle is revenge and sadly love does not always win out. In "Secrets," Ji Sung has to extract revenge on Hwang Jung Eum because he thinks she killed his first love. But he realizes that he loves her before he knows she is innocent. In "City Hunter," Lee Min Ho has been raised to revenge his dead father. He has been warned never to fall in love.

2. Money. He's rich and she's poor or vice versa. Consider Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye in "The Heirs." And even if the couple is okay with the disparity in wealth, their families are against it. The wealthy rarely approve of the poor potentially using up all their well-earned resources.

3. You're related. You might turn out to be a secret sibling, as is hinted at in "You're Beautiful" or you might become stepsiblings of the person you love, which happened to Yoona and Jang Geun Suk in "Love Rain."

4. One of you is a criminal, even if you're not guilty. You either just got out of jail where you served time for a crime you did not commit, as in "Padam, Padam," or "Secrets" or you are innocent and on the run as in "Two Weeks." Or you might actually be a real criminal as was Jo In Sung in "That Winter The Wind Blows."

 5. One of you has a bad personality that needs some work. It's almost always the man who needs a personality transplant but occasionally it can be a woman. Think Kim Sun Ah in "I Do I Do."

6. One of you is not human. Your love is either a ghost or a mythical creature known as a gumiho. This is a difficult obstacle to overcome but kdramas have done it. In "Gu Family Book," Lee Seung Gi was prepared to give up eternal life for Suzy.

7. Time traveling interference. Either you traveled back in time to fix things, as was done in "Nine" and thereby ruined your relationship. Or your future self traveled back in time to mess up your dating life, as happens in "Future's Choice." And all that traveling back in time can cut into the time you have to actually date.

8. Political intrigue. If it's a historical drama, political intrigue can make a mockery of your love plans. A poisonous plot separates the royal couple in "The Moon Embracing the Sun." As tough and brave as Ha Ji Won is in "Empress Ki, she is currently a pawn in court battles.

9. You are too nice. While this is a good quality to have in real life, when it comes to kdramas, if you are the second lead, you will probably never get the girl. Think Shinwoo in "You're Beautiful" and Ji Hoo in "Boys Over Flowers."

10. Age difference. The characters worry about dating because there's too big an age gap but eventually learn that age is just a number.

Can you think of any other obstacles that at least temporarily prevent kdrama characters from becoming lovers? Let us know your favorites

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