For every K-drama to be a successful one, not only do we need a great storyline or production but also an appropriate group of characters that can make the overall story work. While the viewers mostly have their eyes fixed on the main leads of a show, sometimes, the supporting characters manage to steal the spotlight in such a way that they end up becoming fan-favorites! Some of the best supporting characters of K-dramas are still memorable, and we are sure they will be loved in years to come as well.
While some of them are restricted only for supporting the story of the main cast, others have their own side stories that showcase their hardships and struggles. It’s the trait of a good screenwriter who can accommodate these things in the story without making them meaningless or tedious, and that’s why they work so well! Here are our top eight best side K-drama character picks that have a separate fan base in the K-drama world. Let’s get started with it!
8. Vincenzo: Jang Han Seo
Jang Han Seo’s death is one of the saddest K-drama scenes of the year that made us cry a river, didn’t it? When the show began, we never knew we would fall this hard for one of the Jang brothers who does all the dirty work for Jang Han Seok as the leader of the Babel Group. Only after we are introduced to Han Seok’s character do we realize that he is the real devil who has been forcing his brother into all the evil acts.
In reality, Han Seo is the illegitimate son of their father, who appears to be all rude, cocky, and pretentious on the front but is just in need of proper guidance. Once he joins forces with Vincenzo, he grows fond of him with time and begins to consider him as his older brother. He dies at the hands of Han Seok, trying to protect Vincenzo and Cha Young.
7. Kill Me, Heal Me: Yo Na
You might have loved actor Ji Sung as the manly anti-hero character in the 2021 law thriller drama, ‘The Devil Judge,’ but in case you haven’t already watched ‘Kill Me, Heal Me,’ you are yet to know how he stole the show with a character polar opposite to the one in ‘The Devil Judge’! Apart from playing his character of Cha Do Hyun in the drama, he portrayed the role of a flirty and feisty teenage girl, Ahn Yo Na, who happens to get stuck inside the body of the 30-something-year-old Do Hyun.
The moment he calls out “OPPA!” you know it’s going to be a great treat! She is obsessed with Park Seo Joon’s character, Ri Ohn and the way she goes for a madcap kiss chase is just beyond hilarious. Poor Ri Ohn! He desperately tries to keep his sh*t together amidst all the drama while asking his twin sister Ri Jin for help!
6. Her Private Life: Uhm So Hye
If there’s one K-drama that ends up giving a happy ending even to the villain of the show, it’s definitely ‘Her Private Life’ and in the most satisfying way possible! Uhm So Hye played by Kim Sun Young, is the wealthy and eccentric director of the art museum where Sung Deok-mi works at. She is the type of person who likes to have power and authority in her hands and will go to any extent for fulfilling her need. One moment she is being all polite in her whispering voice, and by the next one, she is screaming with anger.
She amazingly sports her ever-wackier hairstyles and an entire wardrobe collection throughout the drama. Director Uhm is one of the most interesting characters of the drama who perfectly executes her cartoon villainy as well as leaves us in a kind of awe with her performance!
5. What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim: Bong Se Ra
Admit it, Bong Se Ra is one of the most interesting as well as hilarious characters of the entire series, entertaining the spectators from episode one to the last. Her over-dramatic self always makes us laugh our lungs out, be it her call for attention or the way she gets into cat-fights to save Kim Mi So’s honor towards the end of the series! She is bold and brash, always looking for a way to grab others’ attention.
Unfortunately, she is always the one to get ignored and laughed at until she meets her man of dreams— Yang Cheol. He is manly but gentle, silent but romantic who considers her the most beautiful of all. She acts as one of the colleagues of Kim Mi So and Young Joon and provides comic relief in between the scenes.
Also Read: Top 7 Best K-Drama Villains of All Time
4. The Heirs: Lee Bo Na
‘The Heirs’ probably has the best lineup of supporting characters, with Park Hyung Sik, Kang Ha Neul, and Kim Ji Won leading the group. However, Krystal Jung’s portrayal of Lee Bo Na has surprisingly won the hearts of the spectators! Lee Bo Na starts on the drama as the possessive and jealous girlfriend of Yoon Chan Yeong, who is the childhood friend of Cha Eun Sang. She is the beautiful, spoiled daughter of a wealthy family but is kind-hearted as well who doesn’t look down upon anyone simply because of their financial state.
She dislikes Eun Sang at first because of her possessiveness but never does she appear to be a villain and even stands up with her against the bullies by the end of the show. What makes her the cutest is her self-obsession to think that Kim Tan is still in love with her after having broken up three years ago!
3. Mr. Queen: Court lady Choi
With an interesting plotline comes an interesting group of supporting characters and the 2020 historical K-drama, ‘Mr. Queen’ is no exception! While each of the side characters in this drama has its unique charm, Court lady Choi is definitely one we cannot forget in years to come. A sanggung by rank, she is Queen Cheorin’s loyal lady-in-waiting who never misses an opportunity to nag the Queen on her indisciplined behavior.
When Jang Bong Hwan’s soul from modern Seoul gets trapped in the Queen’s body, he almost drives her crazy by being a pain in her butt. To relieve herself of the suffering, she looks for hilarious and not-so-decent ways of distraction.
2. Hwarang: Han Sung
To all the BTS armies, don’t tell us you haven’t watched ‘Hwarang’ because of Kim Taehyung aka V, have you? Had it not been for him, the character of Suk Han-sung, the youngest hwarang of the lot, wouldn’t have got so much love and appreciation. Han-sung is a warm-hearted and innocent person with an irrepressible charm who treats Park Seo Joon’s character, Sun-woo as his older brother. In fact, he is more like a fanboy of Sun-woo who likes to follow him all the time!
The scene in which he grabs the blade of Dan-sae’s sword in order to save Sun-woo and dies in the process is still one of the most heartbreaking moments of the K-drama land. Beneath his innocent personality, he has a great sense of loyalty and bravery which we get to see as the story progresses, ending up as one of the best supporting characters of all time!
1. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon: Kim Kwang Bok
You were completely wrong if you had thought we wouldn’t include our favorite Ahjussi, Kim Kwang Bok, from ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’ on the list of the best-supporting characters! Played by Kim Won Hae, this man indeed has given us some of the funniest hysterical scenes we could ever come across! He is one of the first people to have become a victim of Bong Soon’s Herculean strength in the drama. He gets beaten up like pulp, and while he stays in the hospital to recover with scores of bone fractures and his tooth falling off, he makes up his mind to take revenge on her.
However, the fact that he ends up being beaten up again and again, sometimes by Bong Soon and the other times by her family members, without him getting the chance to get discharged from the hospital, is what cracks up the audience the most. Unexpectedly, he ends up redeeming himself by the end of the show, or who knows. Maybe he’s just too scared to make a move against her! We can hope Kim Won Hae to be a part of the second season of the show as another iconic supporting character.
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