A kiss in a Kdrama is nothing casual. It rarely happens right away or without a big buildup. There's almost a formula for timing that first kiss. Even if there has been a peck on the forehead or the cheek—or an almost kiss or a soju-inspired kiss—the kiss that seals the deal rarely happens until the ninth or tenth episode.
The story line is set up in a way that helps you anticipate that kiss almost as much as you might your own first kiss. And unlike kisses in American films or television, lip-locking usually indicates a serious shift in a relationship between the lead characters. Depending on the context, the kisses range from chaste kisses in which no actual lips are seen to some pretty passionate ones.
Watching Jo In Sung kiss his fake sister while she slept in "That Winter, The Wind Blows," inspired me to think about my favorite Kdrama kisses and why I like them. Here's my list:
Maybe my favorite Kdrama kiss takes place in "Personal Taste," Episode 10. Although So Ye Jin and Lee Min Ho exchange a friendly drunken kiss earlier on, Lee Min Ho reveals his true feelings with this kiss. He says, "Game over," while spinning her panoramically around in front of the other players in the love square.
Nor could I resist the kiss in "Coffee Prince" when Han Kyul, played by Gong Yoo hires what he thinks is a delivery boy, Eun Chan, played by Yoon Eun Hye and then falls in love with her, still thinking that she is a man. The tender scene in which he confesses he loves her whether she is "a man or an alien" is wonderful.
Another favorite is the tiptoe kissing scene in Episode 11 of "Queen In Hyun's Man," which was voted netizen favorite in an online dating site poll last year and may also have convinced Ji Hyun Woo and Yoo In Na to become a real life couple.
Number four on my list is the bruising kiss in Episode 10 of "Flower Boy Ramen Shop," between Lee Chung Ah and Jung Il Woo. This kiss was apparently not at all faked as it led the actress to complain that Jung Il Woo was so enthusiastic a kisser that he scraped her lip.
Last, but not least, were the tear-stained kisses exchanged by Yoon Eun Hye and Mickey Yoochun in "I Miss You." Both actors combined their talent for kissing and crying in some memorable scenes.
Do you have any favorite Kdrama kisses? If so, write and let us know which ones you loved and why you loved them.
