Friday Feature: The Perfect Couple

Have you ever dreamed of a drama pairing that never happened? It’s Friday, so let’s indulge in our collective fantasies of what might have been.

“The Heirs”: Choi Young Do and Yoo Rachel

Chaebol bully Choi Young Do (Kim Woo Bin) and evil robot Yoo Rachel (Kim Ji Won) spend much of “The Heirs” mooning after the weepy Cha Eun Sang (Park Shin Hye) and the bland Kim Tan (Lee Min Ho). It’s too bad, because they could have saved us all from a lot of nonsensical weeping, if they’d mooned after each other instead. Imagine the possibilities! They could become an unstoppable evil duo, terrorizing their social inferiors. Or who knows? Maybe these two angry, love-starved emotional cripples could fumble their way towards a beautiful romance. Sadly, we’ll never find out. Thanks to differentaccent for putting the thought in my head. – Only 만

“Secret Love Affair”: Joon Hyung and Young Woo

Joon Hyung is the heroine’s self-absorbed, cuckolded husband. Young Woo is her violent, cougar boss. They both rely heavily on the heroine while making her life difficult, entered marriages of convenience, and are not intelligent enough to succeed in their schemes. Yet, their differences are also surprisingly complementary. Whereas Young Woo freely expresses herself through verbal abuse and violence, Joon Hyung willingly turns a blind eye to misbehaviour for the sake of his career. She has self-control issues, and he puts up a false front to hide his issues. When Joon Hyung and Young Woo get together, there is an undeniable spark, though more comedic than romantic. Regardless, I wanted badly for these two to get together.  – Junggugeo Kaenada 중국어 캐나다

“Greatest Love from the Stars”: Dokko Jin and Cheon Song Yi

Sure, they found everlasting love with calmer, less ego-centric types, but what if top actor Dokko Jin (Cha Seung Won) from “Greatest Love” and top actress Cheon Song Yi (Jun Ji Hyun) from “My Love from the Stars” had met and fallen in love first. Would they compete over who has more fans? Who has the better wardrobe? Who’s better at action scenes? It would be a crazy mess of a show with two vain, self-involved leads fighting for attention, but it would also be awesome. Imagine Dokko Jin’s loony potato monologues, delivered to Song Yi’s fried chicken and beer. Greatest love, indeed. – 만

“Boys over Beautiful Flowers”: Koo Jun Pyo and Go Min Nyeo

Koo Jun Pyo is the arrogant chaebol in “Boys Over Flowers” who becomes attracted to a childish poor girl pining after his friend. In “You’re Beautiful”, Go Min Nyeo is a naive postulant masquerading as her brother, who becomes attracted to the scowling leader of her brother’s idol band. I think Jun Pyo would benefit from being with someone more loyal and less combative like Min Nyeo, and Min Nyeo would have the patience to see Jun Pyeo through to his more generous incarnation. However, I disliked both characters, so my actual motive in this pairing is to have Jun Pyo and Min Nyeo punish each other. – 중국어 캐나다

“Let’s Eat the Heirs”: Kim Won and Yoon Jin Yi

Possibly the saddest character in a show full of miserable people, Kim Won (Choi Jin Hyuk) barely cracks a smile in “The Heirs”. In his quest to become the perfect chaebol heir, he discards the only people who love him, including his brother and his girlfriend, and eventually agrees to a loveless marriage to save the company from a hostile takeover. And yet, despite all his efforts, he’s completely wretched. Enter Yoon Jin Yi (Yoon So Hee) from “Let’s Eat”, the perfect antidote to his unrelenting cold-hearted misery. She’s an optimist with a big appetite, who stays cheerful even after her father is thrown in jail, and her family fortunes take a tumble. As a former chaebol heiress, she understands Won’s problems, and if nothing else, she would always make sure he had time for a delicious meal. Plus, it’s probably her dream to cheer up a glum rich guy. – 만

“School 2013”: Nam Soon and Heung Soo

It is not a stretch of the imagination to pair Nam Soon (Lee Jong Suk) and Heung Soo (Kim Woo Bin) up as a couple. Before their fallout, they had sleepovers, fed each other ramen, and enjoyed roughhousing (read: skinship). After Nam Soon abandons Heung Soo out of guilt, the intensity of their interactions was at epic romance level, what with the angry tears, the declaration of love, and Nam Soon’s patient wooing back of Heung Soo. As the internet will attest, the shipping potential was perceived by many. Typing the names of the two characters into Google prompts suggestions of “fanfic”, “kiss”, and “Tumblr”. In spite of my enthusiasm for this match, I do not recommend delving into the Nam Soon and Heung Soo Tumblr and YouTube fan video collection. What is seen can never be unseen. – 중국어 캐나다

As promised, “All About My Prime Minister”:

Readers: which K-drama characters belonged together?

Plot out your dream pairings in the Comments below.