Valentine's Day is only a few days away, making it an ideal time to list the romantic gestures that viewers love best about k-dramas. Watching k-drama leads share such romantic gestures can make every drama-watching day seem like Valentine's Day.
Back hugs.
Back hugs may be everyone's favorite romantic k-drama gesture and they're featured in such classic dramas as "Boys Over Flowers," "Princess Hours" and "Secret Garden." But despite their prevalence, no one is tired of them yet. They signal affection and commitment. Lee Min Ho gave Park Shin Hye a back hug in "The Heirs," enfolding her in his coat to keep her warm. In "I Hear Your Voice," a back hug is what lets you know that Lee Bo Young is going to let herself love Lee Jong Suk.
The forehead kiss (and other hesitant kisses).
K-dramas are known for their theme kisses but a hands-down favorite is the forehead kiss. There's anticipation for a real kiss but then instead the hero gently and respectfully kisses the heroine on the forehead. Lee Min Ho also gave Park Shin Hye a forehead kiss in"The Heirs." In "Pinocchio," Park Shin Hye and Lee Jong Suk have a variation on the forehead kiss. He kisses his own hand and then places it on her forehead. At another point in a drama, he leans forward to kiss her and she blocks it with her hand. He kisses her hand and then they kiss for real.
The piggyback ride.
This gesture shows that the k-drama male lead will take care of his girl should she ever become suddenly sick or incapacitated by too much soju. In "She Was Pretty" second lead Choi Si Won gives hwang Jung Eum a piggyback ride and that's when Park Seo Joon knows he has some competition. Park Hae Jin gives Kim Go Eun a piggyback ride after a drinking session in "Cheese In The Trap."
Offering his coat when she's wet or chilly.
In "One More Happy Ending" Jung Kyung Ho's character gives Jang Na Ra his coat because she's all wet. It's a tender gesture but his romantic rival, played by Kwon Yool, decides that it should be his coat on the woman he is dating. So he removes Jung's coat and replaces it. An alternative to the coat scene is the coat/blanket scene where the hero covers the sleeping heroine so she won't get cold.
Offering your umbrella.
Umbrellas play a role in many romantic k-drama scenes. For example, in "My Beautiful Bride," Kim Moo Yul and Go Sung Hee share several tender scenes under an umbrella. It's usually the male lead, but not always, that has an umbrella. In "The Producers," even though Kim Soo Hyun wanted his umbrella back, it played an important role in the relationship between him and IU. She even called him "the umbrella man."
Couple outfits.
When a Korean couple is ready to go public with their relationship, they may want to dress alike, whether that means wearing coordinating track suits or power suits. Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye wore matching sneakers and identical California t-shirts in "The Heirs."
What do you think of these romantic k-drama gestures. Touching or annoying? Would you like more in your life? Are there other gestures you would prefer?
