Top 6 Horribly Heartbreaking Second Leads

I thought it was about time I wrote this list - I'll update if I ever think of more, because frankly pitiful second leads is a subject I like to bury deep in the back of my head and never dwell on, so I've probably forgotten a few.

NOTE: Spoilers. If you don't want to be seriously pissed off with me, watch Reply 1988 before you read this list.

Honorable Mention: Park Hae-jin as Yoo Jung, Cheese in the Trap

This poor, poor man became a second lead in his own drama. The end.

Gong Myung as Jin Gong-myung, Drinking Solo

Gong Myung was someone I only knew from screwball web drama After School Lucky or Not, which was used to introduce 5urprise to the public. Needless to say, it is a particularly stellar performance. But his role in Drinking Solo was actually very interesting. Jin Gong-myung started as a goofy slacker, with no intention of working hard since he'd never had to before. Meeting Hana was the kick he needed to start studying seriously - this, of course, was to impress her, but the fact she inspired him to do something with his life instead of wasting it away was probably what made viewers so desperate for his happy ending. It showed his sincerity in trying to win her attention. Whilst didn't get the girl, Gong-myung did grow into a mature and caring man, which alone was enough for me.

Yamamoto Yusuke and Seto Koji as Masaru and Satoru Okura, Atashinchi no Danshi

These two share a place on this list as brothers who fell for the same woman and both never really had a chance to pursue her. They were opposites in personality; Masaru being quite effeminate and cowardly, whilst Satoru was brash and reclusive. Their equally bruised hearts are what drew them to Chisato, who has warm enough to bring them out of their shells and encourage them to work past their respective problems. Sadly, these two were never even considered as rivals for her love, Chisato being too oblivious to see their affections, but because of her they each came to accept their family and find a new lease on life. Don't worry too much, boys, at least you have each other.

Ji Soo as Seo Ha-joon, Sassy Go Go

This boy has made his mark on the dramaworld by being such a lovable, vulnerable puppy time and time again. I could have chosen this character in Angry Mom, too, but Sassy Go Go is a more mainstream romantic-comedy so I figured it would suit the list better. I loved this drama for so many reasons, and Ha-joon was one of them. His friendship with Yeol was so good - you could tell how much they needed each other, and that mutual love between them was far more important than who got the girl. The best part was that Ha-joon was just grateful to have such fantastic people in his life, so he was happy to accept that Yeon-doo wouldn't love him. Such selfless characters don't come around as often as they should. I suggest you watch any number of Ji Soo's projects, but particularly the ones I've already mentioned and Page Turner. 

Ryu Joon-yeol as Kim Jung-hwan, Reply 1988

I wasn't massively swayed by the who's-the-husband games of Reply 1997 and 1994. For the first, it was obvious, and for the second, I had already spoiled for myself who the husband would be so I couldn't become too emotionally invested. But I watched Reply 1988 as it was airing, meaning I couldn't spoil the game for myself - I had to make educated guesses and choose a ship just like everyone else. So, naturally, I chose Jung-hwan. He was the obvious option, he got all the screen time and all the little hints pointed to him. Well, apparently they didn't, actually. After he ripped out my heart two episodes before Reply 1988 ended, I decided to give up and leave the show eternally unfinished. Thanks for the trauma.

Yook Sung-jae as Gong Tae Kwang, Who Are You: School 2015

Oh, God, why? WHY?
  Okay, choosing to add a make Park Bo-gum the husband could be considered a smart move for Reply 1988, but this just makes no sense. For the entirety of School 2015, Gong tae-kwang was given a spotlight as the first person to Eun-bi back her identity and love her as she is, not because she's her sister's twin. Then she rejected him for a cardboard cutout of a boy (skip this drama, and watch Nam Joo-hyuk in Weightlifting Fairy if you want to have any chance of liking him). That's not smart, people, that's messed up. I refuse to write more, I'm giving myself a headache over the injustice.

Ikuta Toma as Nakatsu Shuichi, Hana Kimi

Hold me, I'm still in pain. No matter what anyone says, Nakatsu was the main character of Hana Kimi. As much as I like Oguri Shun, he could only inject so much personalty into his stereotypical archetype of a character. On the other hand, Ikuta Toma brought Nakatsu to life. He could so easily have just been comedic relief, but Nakatsu's struggle over his sexuality after falling for a 'boy' was what made him so endearing, because he came the conclusion that gender needn't have any effect on his love - and chose to love Mizuki, regardless of her gender. People must love grumpy, initially horrible protagonists because they're so abundant in drama nowadays, but happy-go-lucky sweetheart Nakatsu will remain engraved in my brain until the end of time. You don't deserve this boy, Mizuki.