K-Dramas gave me delulu, and I'm thriving

Dearest gentle reader,

It is with great regret and little shame that I must confess that I have been terribly, unavoidably ruined and ruined, not by scandal or by a man's betrayal but rather by Korean dramas.

It is responsible for the most treacherous tales of love, loss, and longing. With every glance, every teardrop, every slow-motion wrist grab, I found myself spiralling further into a realm of fiction so intoxicating, it makes one believe that courtship should involve fainting spells and orchestral music.

However, reality is rather unkind.

Of Gentlemen and Gripping of Wrists

One cannot discuss K-dramas without addressing the iconic, much romanticized wrist grab, a gesture that, in any Regency ballroom, would most certainly be frowned upon (if not reported to the Queen herself).

In dramaland, it is the epitome of passion. A gentleman stops a lady mid-flight, hand clasped around her delicate wrist, eyes burning with angst. In my reality? If a man so much as brushed my elbow in a crowd, I would assume he was reaching for the last piece of chicken.

The Rain Scene, or Lack Thereof

How frequently the heroines of K-drama find themselves caught in the rain, eyes brimming with unshed tears, only to be shielded by the noble sacrifice of an umbrella-holding suitor.

Meanwhile, I once found myself beneath a relentless Lagos rain, which ended in a bad but extremely funny accident( a story for another day). I came back home to a soaking wet bed and cursed the day I picked up playful kiss to begin my K-drama journey.

The Second Lead Tragedy

Ah, the second lead. That tender soul who cooks, listens, and carries emotional trauma with the grace of a tortured poet. He is the man we all should love, and yet, he is perpetually overlooked for the emotionally unavailable man who glowers for a living. Perhaps the most annoying second lead tragedy is Boys Before Flowers. Till this day, I do not understand the romance in that drama. Gu Jun Pyo was the most toxic K-drama character ever created. He forced his way into Geum Jan Di's life by bullying her, but the fact that she fell for him, I simply cannot understand. But I do know that, I do not romanticize that love story.

I, too, have passed over perfectly kind gentlemen for men who reply "lol" to heartfelt messages. It is a sickness. And I blame Seoul.

The Realities of Romance

K-dramas portray love as a long, aching journey full of unspoken truths, simmering glances, and one conveniently timed forehead kiss that rewrites an entire relationship.

In reality, to find a man who kisses your forehead before your lips in this 21st century seems rather farfetched. I believe that men like that are still out there, but you have to dig through the earth to find that gem. Tragic and not cinematic.

In Conclusion, With a Heavy Sigh

I have been misled. My expectations have been tarnished, tainted, and thoroughly embroidered with fantasy. Blame it on Crash Landing on You because that man is a man. He went through so much to protect his woman, and perhaps, the film felt so real that they had to get married in real life.

And yet… I do not regret it. Because somewhere between the heartbreaks and hot teas, I still believe that perhaps, just perhaps, there is a man out there, sleeves rolled, ramen steaming, a past he never speaks of, waiting to fall in love with me beneath a flickering streetlamp.

Until then, I shall remain seated, bonnet on, subtitles loaded, and heart wide open.

Yours in delulu,

Sonia