The latest k-drama character to be scared that he might be in love with a sibling is Cha Jae Wan in "Hotel King." In a recent episode of "Hotel King," Lee Dong Wook's character was relieved to discover that he was not a blood relative of the woman he loved.
He has long harbored feelings for the spoiled heiress Ah Mo Ne, played by Lee Da Hae, but mistakenly thought she was his sister. While his DNA results mean his future may be less certain he is now free to love her.
"Hotel King" is not the first time that k-dramas have used sibling relationships, perceived or real, to create complications between lovers who otherwise seemed meant to be.
In "You're Beautiful," for a few brief episodes, viewers wondered if Jang Geun Suk's neglectful mother was also Park Shin Hye's long lost mother. But that was not the case and the characters had one less reason why they should not be together.
Poor Park Shin Hye also had to deal with a sibling romance in "Tree of Heaven." In that drama she played a Japanese teen whose mother remarried a Korean man and brought home a stepbrother for her. The stepsiblings fall in love but she is unwilling to defy the taboo of a romance between those related by marriage.
The stepsibling prejudice is also a central plot point in the romantic drama "Love Rain." There's no doubt that Jang Geun Suk's character was meant to be with Yoona's character. But that was unfortunately also true for their parents who eventually married someone else, lived miserably and never forgot each other. When the older couple reunites and considers marriage, it creates a seemingly insurmountable problem for the younger couple.
The saddest sibling love story may be "Autumn in My Heart." One of the original Hallyu dramas, it's a sad tale of mistaken identify and taboo love. In the 2000 drama, starring Song Seung Hoon, Song Hye Kyo and Won Bin, two baby girls are switched shortly after birth and this complicates their lives and loves with tragic results.
Another notable drama with the suggestion of incest is "That Winter The Wind Blows." But it's only pretend incest. Jo In Sung plays a con man that only pretends to be the brother of the blind heiress played by Song Hye Kyo. But his growing attraction to her threatens to completely blow his cover. In the end his love for her transforms him in so many ways he must admit to his con. While this might land him in jail, it means he's also free to love her.
And what's a k-drama complication for if not to make it sweeter if and when the couple finally gets together.
