What's a "meet-cute?" It's a scene in a romantic comedy in which the two people who are meant to be together meet in a funny or embarrassing way that somehow tangles up their destinies.
The meeting sets up a situation that temporarily makes it less likely that the two characters can fall in love but still somehow points to it in the end.
Take "Lie To Me." In that drama Yoon Eun Hye is sick of being asked when she will get married. Drowning her work sorrows at a club. She's so drunk that she has to be taken to the hospital by Kang Ji Hwan who does not even know her. When she tries to pay for the hospital bill, people see them together and rumors start. She starts pretending that he is her husband. It leads to a long series of misunderstandings and eventually a real relationship.
Although she was destined to marry the prince in "Princess Hours," Yoon Eun Hye first meets him when she messes up his sneakers and then sees him again when she overhears him talking to his girlfriend. Both are embarrassing situations that cause them to feel awkward around each other. Those sneakers come in to play later on to demonstrate her genuine affection for him.
Meet-cutes are often embarrassing or set up an antagonistic situation. In "Personal Taste," Son Ye Jin meets Lee Min Ho on a bus. He steals her seat. She accuses him of staring at her body and then trashes the model he is taking to a very important meeting. He could not be more inclined to dislike her and later on is prepared to use her to meet his goals. In the end it is her home that helps him realize some of his career dreams.
And how about "Mary Stayed Out All Night?" Moon Geun Young accidentally hits Jang Geun Suk with her car. He's ready to walk away but she insists on a contract against a future lawsuit. It's a scene that mirrors the entire rest of the drama in that it concerns his desire to avoid entanglements and Mary's involvement in a legally binding contract.
In "I Do, I Do," Kim Sun Ah meets Lee Jang Woo when he runs her over with a motorcycle, but her life is so hectic, she enlists him to drive her somewhere. In the end he will take her exactly where she wants to go, even though she did not know she wanted to go there.
In "My Lovely Sam Soon," she meets Hyun Bin in the men's room. She's gone there to cry her eyes out after getting dumped by her cheating boyfriend. She couldn't feel worse or look worse. And for someone who is not self-confident it might be the worst possible moment to meet a potential employer or romantic partner.
And disguises also help create adorable meet-cutes. If she's pretending to be a boy or he is really a spy, not only will the characters grow to love each other but there can also be some angst about the choice they made.
What are your favorite k-drama meet-cutes? Let us know.
