Because there's more to these heroines than their love interests

More than their effortless beauty and innate obliviousness to the advances of their love interest, a lot of thought goes into conceptualizing the female lead. She must be three-dimensional, with her own quirks and flaws, and have an ultimate goal that always seems to be either impossible or a hair's breadth away. Though her life may not always be sunshine and rainbows, we still watch as she dusts herself off and decides on her next line of action. 

Here are 5 female K-drama leads that we can look up to. Because there's more to these heroines than their love interests.

1. Yoon Se-Ri (Crash Landing On You)

"She's one of the most fearless characters I've seen in a K-drama." - C.L.O.Y fan

The pre-pandemic series Crash Landing On You was spearheaded by actors Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin. The former takes on the role of Yoon Se-Ri, the conglomerate heiress and entrepreneur who finds herself crash landing in North Korea. Literally. 

Born into privilege, she makes a name for herself in the business world by establishing her own brand, Se-Ri's Choice. Following her venture's success, she is named as the successor to her father's business. But life ultimately takes a turn when her paragliding trip goes north and she finds herself on the wrong side of the demilitarized zone. If there's something we can admire from Se-ri, it's her adaptability and her independence. The ability to see the bright side of things and to think on the spot not only explains her individual success as a businesswoman, but also her charm as a character as she goes along her quest to return home.

2. Seo Dal Mi (Start-Up)

"Seo Dal Mi is my comfort character. She makes me believe that I can achieve my goals despite all odds." - Start-Up fan

Other than giving us LSS over Red Velvet's song Future, Start-Up succeeded in creating one of the biggest cases of second lead syndrome. Other than the compelling backstory that brought the love triangle together, the story follows aspiring CEO Seo Dal Mi, whose dream is to establish her own company. To make this happen, she drops out of university and takes up a part-time job before she discovers an opportunity at South Korea's fictional Silicon Valley, Sandbox. 

Seo Dal Mi shows us the power of our dreams and proves that college isn't the only avenue for success. Through ambition and hard work, she showcases how her personal experiences built her character and helped her become the leader she wants to be. Despite the hard decisions, she always follows through even if they don't always turn out for the best.

3. Kim Myeong Hee (Youth of May)

"I related to her character and her struggles with second chances." - Youth of May fan

Set in the 1980s, Youth of May tackles a dark time in South Korea's history, the Gwangju Uprising. Nurse Kim Myeong Hee spent most of her life lying low after an unfortunate incident that endangered both her life and her family's. A second chance at happiness blossoms upon meeting top medical student Hwang Hee-Tae. 

Their lives are seemingly intertwined by fate even when they try to pull away. Myeong Hee and Hee-Tae eventually decide to be together despite the risks. For once, Myeong Hee chooses her own happiness after years of putting others before herself. It may be selfish, but the historical placement of her character shows us how standing up for yourself sometimes takes more courage than standing up for others.

4. Kang Sol A (Law School)

"She embodies how I feel as a student who wants to make a change in the world." - Law School fan

Kang Sol A, or simply Kang Sol when she's not being compared to her top student classmate of the same name, personifies what it means to be a struggling, broke, and sleep-deprived student. As a 1L student at Hankuk Law School, she braves the scene and tries her best to juggle her studies, part-time job, and problems at home. 

Though she visibly struggles in class, her intuitive approach and proactiveness allow her to learn through hands-on experience on real cases. Because she makes mistakes, she knows it's okay to lose and fall. But despite her failures, she keeps her morals straight and stays true to her principles. It is through her grit, compassion, and perseverance that she is able to grow and thrive as an aspiring law practitioner. This makes her a good student, a dependable friend, and a reliable older sister. Kang Sol shows us that progress is not linear, and that our best can vary every day.

5. Chae Song Hwa (Hospital Playlist)

"Chae Song Hwa has shown to the audience how hardworking doctors like her can be, especially in the pandemic we are experiencing right now." - Hospital Playlist fan

As the only female lead in the drama, Jeon Mi-Do represents women in STEM as a neurosurgeon in the drama Hospital Playlist. The idyllic character is a committed surgeon who always goes beyond her duties to help her patients, and who speaks up for her team as well. Her down-to-earth attitude makes her a likable character on and off-screen for both her colleagues and viewers alike. 

Another thing to admire about Chae Song Hwa is her ability to balance her personal and work life. She teaches her students through lived experiences that cannot be learned from textbooks. Outside the hospital, she likes to go camping on weekends alone. We can see this as a form of self-care wherein she is allowed to detach herself from work and enjoy the tranquility of life in solitude. 

No matter where you start in life, we all have different paths to success. It takes patience to remind ourselves that there's a reason why the things we want may seem to take longer to achieve compared to others. We're each going at our own pace that can't be measured by the same meterstick. It is in the times that we do fail, that we should root for ourselves just as much as we did for our favorite characters. Because the mistakes we make, and the lessons we learn matter more than all the achievements that will come out of them. Hwaiting!

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