Shy to confident, rude to understanding: Here are 5 KDramas with the best character glow ups!

Can we all agree that one of the best moments in KDramas is when we see a character grow. Especially when it’s an exceptional development! Plenty of KDramas have been released, are ongoing and will start their filming too. But gone are the days when the audience only loved cheesy romance and jealous exes. What the audience looks for now, is also the depth of the character. It’s not easy to craft a wonderful story in the limits of 16 episodes, but some try to give us an incredible journey of the characters. 

Just like how a fan gets involved in a novel, so it is with the dramas. A character that stays the same throughout the series, with no ups and downs, is a bit boring. Take for example, the gynaecologist Yang Seok Hyeong in Hospital Playlist. There was little to no development of his character - even though quite a few (major) things had happened in his and his friends’ lives. He was still the same shy, hard-to-express-his-feelings guy by the end of the season. 

However, there are some shows who have done great when it came to showing great, realistic character developments! Let’s take a look!

Nam Do San in Start Up 

When it comes to Start Up, many KDrama fans stand divided. Some love it (mainly because of the swoon-worthy performances by Nam Joo Hyuk and Kim Seon Ho) and some call it average (because of its story). Its ending is a different discussion altogether. In all of this, what’s commendable is our lead Nam Do San’s growth. In the first couple of episodes, he’s shown as the nerd who can write amazing codes and develop programs but battles with shyness, awkwardness and a real case of self-doubt and inferiority complex. By the end, he becomes an exceptionally confident businessman, who now takes matters into his own hands and doesn’t mind standing up for proving his point!

Ko Moon Young in It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
 

Seo Yea Ji’s acting of Ko Moon Young, as an author with antisocial personality disorder was absolutely flawless. She breathed fire and exhaled chaos every single time she got obsessed with something or somebody. But this obsession goes up a notch when she gets romantically involved with Moon Gang Tae and he ends up becoming her target. As a person with an antisocial personality disorder, it's hard for her to come to terms with having shared attention (as Gang Tae has a bigger responsibility of taking care of his autistic brother, Sang Tae). By the end of the series, as all the three characters overcome their trauma, Ko Moon Young starts understanding the love of sharing and even takes on the responsibility for Sang Tae.

Lee Young Joon in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?

Can a chaebol with a narcissistic personality, who's used to people working at his will, change for the better for his loved one? The answer is, yes. Of all the many KDramas that depict young, rich CEOs being in love with themselves, Park Seo Joon’s Lee Young Joon will always stay on top of my list. He’s funny, very much aware of his “aura”, and egoistic. But the entire show is a great rollercoaster ride that makes him turn into a more affectionate human being by putting Ms. Kim, the love of his life, above him. 

Yoo Jenny in The Penthouse: War In Life

While only a rare bunch of characters stay the same throughout the show, there are many who develop into something completely unpredictable. One of the characters that I liked is that of Jin Ji Hee’s Yoo Jenny, the daughter of Kang Ma Ri. She goes from a bully, trying to make her stand in the group of wealthy kids to the one who turns out to be the most compassionate, with a soft heart. Even after knowing that her mother works in a bathing house, she takes it in the most mature way possible - which wasn’t what anyone of the viewers would have expected. 

Cha Yu Ri in Hi Bye, Mama! 

Kim Tae Hee’s acting as Cha Yu Ri, a ghost-mother reincarnated for 49 days, stays unparalleled to any other ghost roles ever done. The audience’s hearts break at the same time Cha Yu Ri’s does too - especially when realising that she died just after giving birth. Cha Yu Ri’s character goes from a mother who is impatient and scared for her little daughter (at every step of the way) to a mother who is at peace, knowing that her daughter is in the safest hands. At first, we see her wanting to stay by her child’s side for as long as she can, only to realise in the end, that the child doesn’t really need her - which she again makes peace with. It’s an extremely heart-warming show that should definitely be on your to-watch list!

Also Read: Happy MINO Day: Here are 5 songs that prove that MINO is one of the fastest rappers in Kpop

Amazing actors and incredible characters - KDramas are really a dream come true, aren’t they? Tell us your favourite character development shows in the comments below!