Falling in Love With the Head of Department, 2000s Trend Revived in 2030 Generation

In many dramas these days, female protagonists call male protagonists by their positions. It is a male and female composition that was often seen in dramas around the 2000s such as "Beautiful Days". The trite setting, in which the company boss, the son of a chaebol, loves the ordinary but smart and positive female lead, reappeared in a 2023 TV drama. It is not a daily drama that satisfies middle-aged housewives by proxy, but a mini-series that is mainly targeted to the 2030 generation.

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"King the Land" (JTBC), starring Lim Yoona and Lee Junho, is about the love between King Hotel's director Goo Won and employee Cheon Sa-rang. Cheon Sa-rang works as a month-long trainee and does well, so she will be in charge of the VVIP lounge King the Land, a dream of hoteliers. Goo Won quarrels with Cheon Sa-rang, and gets off to a bad start but at some point, he falls in love with her. "See You In My 19th Life" (tvN), starring Shin Hye-sun and Ahn Bo-hyun take on the roles of team member Ban Ji-eum and Seo Moon-ha, executive director of MI Hotel. Ban Ji-eum remembers her previous life in the 19th time of her life, and she actively courts Seo Moon-ha, who she loved in her previous 18th life. Netflix's "Celebrity", featuring Park Gyu-young and Kang Min-hyuk, cosmetics brand CEO Han Joon-kyeong falls in love with Seo Ah-ri, a salesperson. Han Joon-kyeong, whose nickname is 'Princess Maker', makes Seo Ah-ri a social media star. The latest episode of "King the Land" is 11.3% (Nielsen Korea) and "See You In My 19th Life" is 4.4%, although the figures are different, but all the online topics are good. Last year, "Business Proposal" (SBS), which depicts the love between Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop) and Sin Ha-ri (Kim Sejeong), the president of Geo Food, was also greatly loved.

In the past, "Chief~" was the trend. The male protagonist, who was mainly the son of the chairman until the 1990s, appeared as a 'chief-general' in practice in the 2000s. They would then turn out to be like 'the second-generation chaebol'. This is because as the drama began to deal with various occupational groups, the fun of looking into the world was added. The male and female main characters always had many heartbreaking loves in the face of opposition from the family. The male lead was determined to give up everything for love, but the female lead didn't want that to happen because of her. She also disappeared wishing for his happiness when his parents tell her to break up with him if she cares about him so much.

It's different in dramas these days. Opposition from the families are rare, and they don't really care if they do. In "See You In My 19th Life", Ban Ji-eum does not even flinch when she hears from Seo Moon-ha's father and tells her not to hang around his son. Ban Ji-eum decides to protect his son because she thinks there are other reasons. It only focuses on showing an exciting romance, but does not deal with conflicts caused by financial differences. Compared to the past, the female protagonist seems more positive, capable, and has self-esteem. This is because fantasy and comedy were emphasized rather than authentic melodrama.

On the other hand, the male protagonist has a complicated family history, and there is an emotional deficiency caused by the wounds he received as a child. He is cold and unable to open up his mind, but he meets a brave female protagonist and changes. The male protagonist in "See You In My 19th Life" and "King the Land" both have trauma, and they compete with their father's lover and sister for hotel management, respectively. As "Business Proposal" broke expectations and succeeded greatly, the stereotype that female viewers like such male characters seem to have become firm. Jung Ji-wook, a pop culture critic, said, "The male protagonist's obvious setting penetrates the times".

Since the 2010s, dramas such as "Secret Love Affair" (JTBC) have reflected the rise of women's social status. As realistic stories became popular, they also paid attention to the young generation living hard and growing like "Start Up" (tvN). Why did the drama summon "Director~" who stimulates fantasy again?

Experts noted that this phenomenon was prominent in dramas targeting the 2030 generation. They say that the generation who lost hope that working hard does not lead to improvements is due to the emotional reaction of wanting to enjoy romance even in the drama. Yoon Seok-jin, a professor of Korean literature at Chungnam National University, said, "If Candy and the director in the 1990s had unrealistic characteristics of enjoying a romantic romance with the possibility of getting hit with an 'unexpected Lottery' in mind, these days it reflects the desire to enjoy romantic romance in dramas". Some say that the characteristics of the generation, which consumes subcultures such as web novels and is familiar with short videos, are reflected. Yoon Philip, a pop culture critic, said, "Love stories with wonderful men often appear in web novels and webtoons, so it is less resistant to the current generation", adding, "The fact that they focus on the fun of the situation rather than the narrative is also a factor that the generation familiar with short-form will like".

Although it reflects the situation, the poor storyline, which is often pointed out in 'Cinderella dramas', is still subject to criticism. "King the Land" has no clear content except for the 'fun' of watching actors Lim Yoona and Lee Junho on one screen. There are repeatedly obvious situations that connect the two, such as being trapped on an island or isolated in a mountain. "Celebrity" has many absurd settings, with Han Joon-kyung appearing as a chaebol who does not even take off her shoes alone. There are also voices of concern that it hinders the qualitative development of dramas. Critic Jung Ji-wook said, "Even if the setting is cliché, the process of solving it should be progressive".