Celeb crushin’: K-drama male leads

Played by: Kim Soo Hyun

Min Joon’s adventure on earth started when he was, er, alienated from his extra-terrestrial group who had come to visit our planet. Then 400 years later, when it was just about time for him to go home, he met haughty Hallyu goddess Cheon Song Yi (played by Jun Ji Hyun), whom – as most K-dramas go – he doesn’t fancy at first but slowly finds himself falling in love with. Cue loads of squeal-worthy romantic moments such as the “Fifteen Second Fairy” kiss and their red carpet smooch at the end.

Why we love him: Can you imagine how awesome it would be to date someone who can teleport, control time, move objects with his mind and is super strong? But of course, his best “superpower” would be his ability to love with all his heart and willingness to risk everything in order to ensure your safety and wellbeing – we’ll take those over telekinesis et al any day.

Related:
Celeb crushin’: Kim Soo Hyun
Kim Soo Hyun’s fan meeting in Singapore

Played by: Ji Sung

It isn’t easy playing a man who turns into six other different personalities under various types of distress, but Ji Sung pulled every one of them off with astounding finesse (which is why we think his recent win at the MBC Drama Awards is so well-deserved). Whether he was the warm and gentle Cha Do Hyun (the “main” personality of his body), the brooding, guyliner-wearing Shin Se Gi, the hilariously sassy and oppa-crazy Ahn Yo Na, or even the shy seven-year-old girl Nana, every role was a magnetic presence on screen.

Why we love him: The best thing about Ji Sung’s character – or should we say, characters – in Kill Me, Heal Me is not just because it’s so fun to watch all his portrayals, but because there’s bound to be at least one that grabs your attention the most. It’s like a K-pop boy band: there’s someone for everyone.

Related:
Ji Sung and Lee Bo Young welcome baby girl
Ji Sung, Hwang Jung Eum, Park Seo Joon and at the 2015 MBC Drama Awards

Played by: Ji Chang Wook

Although he started off aloof, selfish and cold-hearted (which is not surprising of a guy who’s in the midst of saving up to buy an island and live there all by himself), that all changed when spunky reporter Chae Young Shin (played by Park Min Young) came into his life. Soon, his ambitions became decidedly simpler: to settle down, get hitched, have kids and just be with the love of his life. Now, who doesn’t dream of turning a guy’s life around for the better like that?

Why we love him: Any girl would benefit greatly with someone like Jung Hoo looking out for her. With his acute attention to detail and unmatched combat skills, you can be sure you would always be safe and taken care of, even from the most ruthless of thugs (plus, he’ll remember all the little things like what you like or don’t like, or important dates!).

And even if the deadly, intense night errand guy is not your cup of tea, there’s the adorably bumbling Park Bong Soo, the alter ego Jung Hoo takes on in order to infiltrate Young Shin’s company – his wide, confused and clueless eyes would be enough to make us drop everything and run to his side whenever he needs help.

Related:
Talking scents and showers with Ji Chang Wook
Ji Chang Wook visits Taipei

Played by: Lee Min Ho (centre)

His lush head of curls may be a grooming disaster and his conceited personality (who asks someone to lick ice cream off his shoe!?) should be a turnoff, but that certainly didn’t stop the chaebol heir (and Lee Min Ho himself) from amassing hordes of fans throughout his native South Korea and beyond. To be fair, we suppose the love only fully blossomed when viewers started to witness the transformation Jun Pyo went through after falling for Geum Jan Di (played by Ku Hye Sun) a.k.a. the classic “bad boy who changes for love” trope. Irresistible.

Why we love him: We hate to admit it, but Jun Pyo sort of made us wish for a hot bully with a hidden heart of gold – and the bank account to match – who would fall madly in love with us, leave his mean ways behind, and treat us like a princess.

Related:
Lee Min Ho is sweet like chocolate at Ferrero Rocher event
Lee Min Ho and Suzy still together

Played by: Joo Ji Hoon

Crown Prince Lee Shin is pretty much the royal version of Gu Jun Pyo – conceited, insensitive and a pain in the butt to female lead Shin Chae Kyung (played by Yoon Eun Hye), until all that nastiness melts away to reveal a lonely and sensitive soul who finds solace in a white stuffed bear (which soon became an icon and has a prominent spot in Jeju Island’s Teddy Bear Museum). Although reluctant in his arranged marriage to Chae Kyung at first, he eventually opens up, falls in love (of course) and they are happily married (by choice this time) in the end.

Why we love him: First of all, he is a prince! Second, we love seeing how Lee Shin and Chae Kyung weather all kinds of storms together before getting their fairy-tale ending. Third, we have to credit both Ji Hoon and Eun Hye for the fabulous chemistry they shared in character – anyone else wished they would get together in real life?

Played by: Lee Jong Suk

It’s impossible to mention good noona (older sister) romances in K-dramas without including I Hear Your Voice. After Jang Hye Sung (played by Lee Bo Young) bravely provided testimony in court that landed Soo Ha’s father’s murderer in prison, Soo Ha found himself harbouring a decade-long crush (which, of course, blossomed into a full-blown romance by the end of the series) and vowed to protect her – a promise he got to keep when the killer was released and set out to exact his revenge on Hye Sung. Let’s just say his mind-reading powers, gained when his father died, came in a handy quite a few times throughout the show.

Why we love him: Whether you’re a noona or not, it’s hard not to go “aww” at Soo Ha’s earnestness, selflessness, kindness and vulnerability. Plus, his telepathic abilities will certainly come in handy in times when you just don’t know how to express yourself (and we’re pretty sure he will respect your wishes to stay out of your thoughts).

Related:
Lee Jongsuk unveils his wax figure at Madame Tussauds
Lee Jong Suk, Song Ji Hyo, Suzy and more attend Burberry event

Played by: So Ji Sub

It’s extremely rare to see a naked-looking couple canoodling in bed next to each other in a Korean drama, but Oh My Venus gave us just that with Young Ho and Shin Min Ah’s Kang Joo Eun. Considering their relationship started when Joo Eun, a former internet celebrity, blackmailed Young Ho, a Hollywood personal trainer, to get her back into shape, that is really not a bad development at all.

Why we love him: If Young Ho were our fitness coach, we would be the most diligent gym-goers ever (bonus points and effort from us if we get to check out his rippling muscles and chocolate abs, just like we were treated to in the very first episode).

Another thing we loved is the fact that instead of shaming Joo Eun into becoming skinny again, he placed more emphasis on health and a balanced lifestyle, which is definitely a huge step forward from what we’re used to seeing from other kimchi-land productions.

Related:
So Ji Sub would rather be called sexy than handsome

Played by: Cha Seung Won

Dokko used to embody the stereotypical superstar male diva, in that he was charming and charismatic in public, but an arrogant and immature man-child in private. However, this is K-drama land, and soon enough, he underwent the classic nasty-to-nice transformation when he developed feelings for Gu Ae Jung (played by Gong Hyo Jin). When she rejected his poetic confession, he set out to win her heart, slowly becoming much more tender-hearted and gentlemanly in the process.

Why we love him: Well, who hasn’t fantasised about having a top celebrity fall in love with them, and to top things off, even change their unsavoury ways for them? We certainly wouldn’t mind, and neither did the throngs of admirers who didn’t let Seung Won’s age (he was already in his 40s when the drama was filmed) and relationship status (he’s married with two kids) get in the way of their fangirling.