The winning recipe for K-Dramas

Of course, the factors mentioned above are not the only ones to consider to get hooked on a series, after all, the most important thing is the plot. It is a fact that there is a recipe that brings success and that the industry knows very well, but the producers are so creative that they manage to keep each drama they create fresh. For this reason, here is the list of the plot and/or scenarios that you will find the most when watching a Korean drama (Rae, 2021):

• Shower scene. Given that more than 80% of the audience of Korean dramas are women (KOCCA, n.d.), it is not surprising that a scene of this type is presented to us, seeking to make the series even more attractive to the female gaze.
• Gorgeous, well-dressed, and rich mean girl. For every beautiful protagonist there is, you will find her counterpart who will be just as or even prettier than her, but who will not have a very pleasant attitude. In most cases, this girl will be the antagonist of the series, who will be there to bring a character development to our protagonist and show us that money and looks are not everything.
• Poor girl. It’s easier to relate to a character when you share experiences, and one of them is working hard for a living. This plot commonly goes hand in hand with the trope of an heir to a large company or current CEO who falls in love with our protagonist, which gives it a somewhat fanciful touch considering how well-defined social classes are. However, this is precisely why it is there, to feed the viewers’ illusion that it could happen in real life. 
• Evil corporation (Chaebol). Sometimes the villain is not a person, but a very powerful organization. These power dynamics are common in Korean dramas as they add flavor to the story, and what better representation of greed than a conglomerate that can change people’s lives? In relation to the previous point, it is common for the family not to approve of the relationship between the protagonists.
• Childhood friends sometimes turned lovers. Childhood memories are generally full of happy moments, which is why when the protagonist goes through difficult times, that childhood friend appears years later even if they lost contact, to brighten their life as if it were a plan of destiny.
• Childhood trauma story. A sensitive topic, but one that many people struggle with. The causes can vary from drama to drama, but by giving it visibility it hopes to remove stigmas and inspire the viewers to be, not only more empathetic, but also to believe that safeness, love, and understanding are possible to find.
• Amnesia. A cliché widely present in Korean dramas whose main objective is to imply that when two people are destined to be together, they will end up being together despite losing each other’s memories, falling in love again.
• Makjang (막장) drama. Better explained as “trash drama”, this is an excessive premise where the plot focuses on scenarios that lack sense, there are plenty of screams and many secrets. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s there to entertain. It’s the Korean drama being dramatic at its finest.