When Shin Se Kyung's character developed a fever after getting rained on in a recent episode of "When A Man Loves," it served as a reminder that kdrama characters are not like the rest of us. How often do kdrama characters develop a fever after getting wet? Often. How often do you see this in real life? Rarely. Here's a few ways they differ from us non-fictional types.
Kdrama characters seem vulnerable and at the same time resilient. Getting wet, even for a few minutes, often results in a fever and yet they recover quickly. In "Personal Taste," Lee Min Ho is burning up with a fever, which he got from sleeping in a car for a few minutes. But once Son Ye Jin kisses him, he's fine.
And how about selective amnesia? It's pretty rare in real life, but kdrama characters get it all the time. They can remember one person but not another, some details about the past but not others. And in an instant their memory returns.
Ditto on comas. Kdrama characters can spend months in a coma and suddenly wake up completely coherent and as neat as if they just had their hair done.
They may wake up from a coma suddenly, but they will sleep through all sorts of things. Jo In Sung just assumed Song Hye Kyo would sleep through his kiss in "That Winter The Wind Blows" despite the fact that she had never been kissed. Kdrama characters sleep through having their face touched, having people fall on them, like Park Shin Hye falls on Jang Geun Suk in "You're Beautiful" and having people apply makeup, as in "Princess Hours." They should bottle that sleep potion.
Everyone in kdramas must have done track in high school because they assume they can chase down a bus, a cab or a runaway girlfriend. So, there's no need to finish the conversation you are having, because you can always chase after her and continue it.
Kdrama characters have poor peripheral vision since they can never see the person who is stalking them. Standing just around the corner, behind a person or parking your car next to them will not result in detection. And the simplest disguise, such as a hat or glasses will fool them. They are also bad at telling if a boy is really a girl.
And finally, Kdrama actors cry actual tears. People cry in real life all the time but how often do you see tears streaming down someone's face. Think Yoon Eun Hye and Park Yoo Chun in "Missing You." Those actors must have consumed bottles of water to prevent themselves from becoming dehydrated.
That said, kdrama characters are probably more interesting than many real people, so they are allowed to have their quirks. Can you think of any other ways kdrama characters differ from real people? Let us know.
