Heart-fluttering K-drama scenes to fulfill your emotional needs
The first half of the year is done, and Korean Dramas have once again tugged at our heartstrings by providing us with diverse heart-fluttering scenes that fulfill our emotional needs.
Doctor Slump. Image: JTBC.
Inspired by Carl Rogers’ positive regard — the favorable experiences we receive from our significant others — we take a look at how the positive regard we see in K-dramas (focusing on K-dramas released so far this year) can temporarily fulfill our emotional needs.
Attention
When someone is aware of our preferences and needs, notices us in the crowds, and listens attentively to what we’re saying, we know that someone has our attention.
Queen of Tears. Image: tvN.
If you’re in need of the former, you can memorize the scene in Queen of Tears where Hyun-woo (portrayed by Kim Soo-hyun), felt flattered after being asked by his wife, Hae-in (portrayed by Kim Ji-won), this question: “You want some coffee now? You never drink it without food.”
Comfort
Whether it’s physical comfort or words of affirmation, this type of emotional need helps to drive away our imagined fears and false beliefs.
Doctor Slump’s male lead, Jeong-woo (played by Park Hyung-sik), recognized the sacrifices we made that sometimes no one appreciates when he said: “If I could go back in time since I feel so bad for the younger you, I’d like to give you a hug.”
Frankly Speaking. Image: JTBC.
Then there’s Song Ki-baek (Go Kyung-po) from the K-drama Frankly Speaking that allows us to show our vulnerable side when he told On Woon-ju (portrayed by Kang Han-na): “On Woon-ju, you look pretty when you smile. But you look very pretty even when you’re not smiling.”
Empathy
Empathy is when people feel and understand what we’re going through, like when Haneul (Park Shin-hye) from Doctor Slump and Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) from Lovely Runner cried hard from the setbacks of their male lead.
Empathy is necessary for our well-being, as it reminds us that we’re not alone in our experience, and that is what Grace (Ryu Abel) from The Atypical Family showed us when she shared to Dong-hee (Soo-hyun) that she’s also extra in her family.
Acceptance
Receiving love without conditions is the greatest gift our loved ones can give to us, and Dae Yeong (Yoon-park) from Doctor Slump reminds us of that wonderful feeling when he secretly believes that Jeong-woo is innocent of his murder case.
Doctor Slump. Image: JTBC.
But nothing beats Soo-cheol (Kwak Dong-yeon) from Queen of Tears and Ina’s (The Atypical Family) acceptance of Da-hye (Lee Joo-bin) and Hye-rim, despite the betrayal they experience from the latter characters.
Ina’s line: “My heart wants you back,” can be a remedy to shame whenever we commit offenses.
Love
The most visible way to feel someone’s love is when we learn that someone chooses to prioritize us over other important things in their life. At maximum, they’re willing to completely abandon that essential thing for us — like when Geun-deok (Kim Won-hae) from Lovely Runner voluntarily let go of his reputation to save his son’s image.
No matter which emotional need you need to fill, there’s a K-drama out there that will temporarily fill that gap for you. Happy viewing!
Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.