Kdramas are known for many things and among them is the famous love triangle in which a female lead in kdramaland would have to choose between two equally handsome capable men who fight for her heart.

While in most cases, the first male lead is the chosen one, there has been some instances when the audience begged for the female lead to pick the second lead, this happens because fans become too invested in the secondary character and believe him to be a better fit for the female lead.

While it is quite uncommon, sometimes, the second male leads end up overshadowing the first male lead and taking up a sizable fanbase that extends beyond that of the first male lead.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at some kdramas where the secondary male lead overshadowed the first male lead and discussed why it happened.

Jung Hae In in “While You Were Sleeping”

Jung Hae In had been acting for a while before accepting what could be labeled his breakout role in the hit drama “While You Were Sleeping.” Soon, eyes shifted towards the nice-guy who plays a police officer with a secret.

Jung Hae In played the role of Jan Woo Tak, a supportive friend for both the first male and female lead, he ends up falling hard for Suzy’s character Nam Hong Joo, fans caught a serious second male-lead syndrome for Jung Hae In at the time, and while many fans knew at heart that its almost impossible for Jan Woo Tak to be with Nam Hong Joo, it still hurt a lot when he couldn’t help but watch from afar while she fell for Jae-Chan (Lee Jong Suk).

Kim Seon Ho in “Start-up”

“Start-up” is a 2020 kdrama about startups, it revolves around 4 characters who navigate the world of startups, Dal Mi (played by Suzy) is the hot-shot rising talent who wants to take over the tech world by storm, by her side is Nam Do San (played by Nam Joo Hyuk), a genius who falls in love with Dal Mi at first sight.

Kim Seon Ho plays the secondary male lead Han Ji Pyeong who is Dal Mi’s first love, through a series of events, Dal Mi confuses Han Ji Pyeong with Nam Do San. While Han Ji Pyeong falls hard for Dal Mi.

As the drama progressed, many fans began to gravitate towards Han Ji Pyeong whom they considered to be the better male more mature male lead who always treats Dal Mi delicately without becoming overbearing or annoying.

He became her safety net and would always be there for her in case anything went wrong. Coupled with Kim Seon Ho’s charisma and amazing performance, Han Ji Pyeong became the most liked character in the show. The show is credited for making Kim Seon Ho a well-known actor and a rising hallyu star. The actor gained more than a couple of millions of new followers after the drama aired.

He also topped the Weekly Most Buzzworthy Actor Ranking outranking Suzy and Nam Joo Hyuk.

Many fans became too invested in his character and many hearts were broken when he didn’t end up with Dal Mi.

Hwang In Yeop in “True Beauty”

Another case where the second male lead syndrome was in full swing.

Hwang In Yeop is a newcomer to the entertainment industry and while he’s been gaining momentum recently, his popularity exploded when he played the role of Seo Joon in “True Beauty.” He played the rough cool guy who has a heart of gold.

“True Beauty” tells the story of Im Ju Kyung (Moon Ga Young) who has a complex about her appearance, she hides it with makeup and falls in love with Su Ho (played by Cha Eun Woo). While Seo Joon also falls for Im Ju Kyung.

While many fans were aware of his ultimate fate, as the drama progressed, many became more invested in the chemistry and potential romance between Im Ju Kyung and Seo Joon, and while it never quite took off, many fans thought they’d make a great couple and wished for Seo Joon to end up with Im Ju Kyung.

Many fans began to develop a serious crush on Seo Joon, Hwang In Yeop also gained many new fans through the drama and his followers count on Instagram exploded as a result. Fans consider his character to be one of the characters that caused the biggest second male lead syndrome in a while in kdramland.

Park Eun Seok in the “Penthouse”

Park Eun Seok has largely flew under the radar prior to the massively successful SBS drama “Penthouse” despite the fact that he’s been around for a while. When the drama aired and his character was unveiled, people couldn’t stop gushing about the identity of the actor behind the character Logan that stole the spotlight and took over people’s attention.

While its difficult to categorize Logan as a second male lead since the ensemble of “Penthouse” is so huge, he is definitely a key character that people couldn’t stop talking about.

As a result, Park Eun Seok gained many new fans who became very curious him, he went on to appear on many hit Korean variety shows to show new sides of himself. He also topped the Weekly Most Buzzworthy Actor Rankings outranking all of the sunbae actors in the same drama with him, which is unheard of for a supporting character in a kdrama.

Park Eun Seok was also labeled a scene-stealer by many fans for his stellar performance.

He is currently reprising his role for the second season of the “Penthouse,” fans can’t wait to see what he has to offer.

Which one of these actors stole your heart? and is there anyone we could’ve probably missed? Let us know in the comment section below!