The drama’s male lead’s job is usually one of the key points of the drama to bring interest to the storyline and characters. So if we are looking for fresh air, dramas would need different jobs and settings from the one viewers are used to. Here are 21 jobs never taken by a male lead in a K-Dramas that we would like to see now on our screen. Note that some of these jobs might have been touched on lightly by supporting characters or female leads in a K-Drama or a male lead in a movie. Pictures are for visual purposes.
1. Figure ice skater
In K-Dramas, there are musicians, ballet dancers, baseball players, etc, but no ice skater (yet)! In Korea, ice skating is widespread and quite common. Moreover, famous national figure skater Kim YuNa is loved by Koreans. A figure ice skater for the male lead would be arty and elegant, and the drama would be filled with beautiful and eye-catching performances. While the camera could catch on splendid moments, it could also make viewers’ hearts break with difficulties.
2. Urban planner of a smart/green city
Saving the planet and the use of green energy are some of the hottest subjects, but there are yet to have dramas on these themes. What about having a male lead working in a field related to green energy or building a smart sustainable city? Viewers could learn a lot about the new environment-friendly technologies and what the future cities would look like. There have been quite a few architects in dramas but no urban planner. Urban planners’ work includes a lot of factors so the drama would be full of elements to talk about. That is why an urban planner working to build a smart sustainable city would be a great idea.
3. Strawberry farmer
Most of the dramas are located in Seoul. The capital city is great but sometimes viewers need the peaceful air and the beautiful landscapes of the Korean countryside. So what about a male lead farming in these places? Koreans eat a lot of strawberries in winter and there are a lot of farms. Some also enjoy going strawberry picking during the weekend with kids for fun. So it does not seem impossible to see a male lead farming strawberries.
4. Employee of the cleaning service of a Seoul luxurious hotel
Seoul, like other big cities, has world-class luxury hotels: five-star hotels with top services for the richest clients. A lot of us are curious to know more about what is going on in these places we might never enter in our lives. It is a bit cliché, but the cleaning service employees are the workers that are the most likely to know all the stories and secrets of the building. If the male lead was working there, it could easily be an action or makjang drama.
5. Marine Rescue Team / Korea Coast Guard
There are few K-Dramas set on the sea when the country is almost fully surrounded by it. Marine Rescue Team works 24/7 to save people’s lives on the water, including helping fishers, tourists, refugees, etc. It would be great to have an insight into their job throughout the hot summer and icy winter. In 2019, there were a total of 3,820 ship accidents in the ocean in Korea. Marine Rescue Team is as interesting as coast guards. In 2018, a TV Show about Korea Coast Guard touched on maritime security, maritime safety, marine environment preservation, etc. It would be great to have a male lead at the head of a Marine Rescue Team or a team of coast guards.
6. Disney theme park employee
What if the male lead worked as a Disney prince in a theme park? In Korea, there’s no Disneyland but similar attraction parks such as Lotte World and Everland. With a script that has a bit of fantasy and a lead with special abilities such as hearing people’s thoughts or seeing the future, the story would be full of fun.
7. Aquatic veterinarian
Vet is a job that we need to see on screen as soon as possible. Cats and dogs are lovely, but what about marine animals? Some veterinarians are specialized, and it would be a great occasion to learn more about fish, whales, dolphins, turtles, and much more. This drama would be for sure popular and would receive a lot of attention.
8. Lifeguard at Korea’s biggest water park
It is self-explaining. If you’ve watched the legendary Caribbean Bay (Water Park) CF with 2PM and Girls’ Generation, you will have a better idea of what we are suggesting. Aside from that, it would be new for a Korean drama and would be a popular release on Netflix worldwide.
9. Ski instructor
South Korea is filled with beautiful mountains (mountains and hills are 70% of the territory) and in winter the snow is everywhere. The country even held a Winter Olympics (2018 in PyeongChang) but there is no drama about skiing. It is time to have a drama about ski instructors and show the life at Korean ski resorts.
10. Art History professor
Researchers and professors are quite common in K-Dramas, but some interesting subjects, such as art history, are yet to be covered. A knowledgeable, serious, and mysterious male lead with glasses talking seriously about art would be a hit if the casting is well done. This would be a great occasion for viewers to have a closer look at Korea’s art history and maybe to have a cute romance between professors.
11. Florist
It is interesting that there was no male lead who was a florist previously. Among the dream jobs for a husband, a florist could be easily at the top as it requires to be delicate and arty. Florist or garden centers, by extension, would be a captivating theme. If you love flowers, you will for sure be interested in this drama and will swoon over the male lead.
12. Food stylist
K-Dramas about food or chefs are very common but when it comes to the specialized job of food stylist, there is yet to have a drama about it. Food stylist makes the food looks appealing and pretty for menus, ads, cookbooks, etc. For the foody out there, what about a drama with a food stylist?
13. Sword maker (swordsmith) in Joseon
While in historical dramas, it is common to see people fight with swords and martial art masters. We have yet to have a male lead working in making these beautiful words. Sword making is a work of art. The story could be filled with action (sword fighting) but also art (making the sword). It could have a bit of fantasy for example by making the swords made by the male lead unbreakable and wanted across the kingdom.
14. Flying Yoga instructor
Just like florists, flying yoga instructor tends to be a job taken by women. A drama would break the stereotype and bring us interesting content on a male flying yoga instructor’s journey. If you are curious, you can meet Korea’s first male flying yoga instructor Lee SeongYoung here with NU’EST. Gender-breaking male leads are always appealing and a drama about a sport mainly done by women would be a great idea.
15. Apprentice at a beauty salon and waxing center
A few female leads took the role of makeup artists or hairdressers but there are yet to have a male lead. Also, the theme of waxing in Korea among people is more common in these recent years. So a drama set in a beauty salon and waxing center would be intriguing. Actually, having a love line between a sloppy apprentice at a beauty salon and waxing center and a rising actor who frequents the shop and starts to have romantic feelings for him would make a fun romantic comedy or even a romantic BL comedy.
16. Elementary School teacher
There are high school or middle school teachers but there is no male lead who are elementary school teachers. K-Drama viewers have been waiting for a male lead surrounded by kids with the cute and tiring sides of the job. There are a lot of variety shows where men are taking care of kids but no drama where they are at daycare or teaching them. It could be a start.
17. Marvel-like Superhero Feat. Tiger
There are very few hero dramas in Korea such as “Rugal” (technology-made hero) or movies such as “Jeon WooChi: The Taoist Wizard” (2009) which could somehow be seen as a hero movie. There are no dramas about Marvel-like superheroes. What about having a Korean “Spiderman”? Instead of a spider, it could be linked to tigers (which used to be living in the mountains of Korea and is part of the folklore) or to Haechi (according to The Korea Times “Haechi, generally known as Haetae, is a lion-like horned creature that often appears in myths as a guardian against fire and disasters.” Haechi is also the icon of Seoul). In any way, Korea is missing something like “Smallville” (a series about Superman), and having a superhero as the lead.
18. Civil servant working on Gender Equality or on the Support of Domestic Violence Victims
The Ministry of Gender Equality & Family of the Republic of Korea is for sure busy and works on a lot of different subjects (for more details about their work, you can check their official website in English here). The country (as many more) is facing a lot of issues starting with domestic violence, sexual violence, gender equality, and more. We can only be curious to learn more about the policy making and strategies from the government. “When The Weather Is Fine” Realistically Tackles Domestic Violence KDRAMA STORIES|Apr 8, 2020 Having a lead male working at the Ministry of Gender Equality & Family on Gender Equality or on the Support of Domestic Violence Victims would be intense and memorable.
19. Wedding Planner
Wedding planners are working on making their clients’ wedding the best day of their life. They are looking for the place, helping with the clothes, food, invitation, and much more. Having a male lead taking on this job could be the start of a story full of emotions and unpredictable scenes.
20. Joseon book reader
During Joseon, since a lot of people couldn’t read, there were book readers (official job) called JunKiSoo (전기수) in Korean. This was an important job and it required talents to captivate the audience and change the voices to interpret different characters. A talented actor could take on this role and tell viewers exciting stories of Joseon.
21. Tattooist
What about a young tattooist who is struggling to open his tattoo shop and later gets so famous that he opens a shop in the most popular streets of Seoul and his clients are top stars? This story would be appealing and made with life teaching lessons. Let us know in the vote if any of our ideas interested you! And what male lead’s job YOU are looking for! 7 Romance Dramas To Look Forward To In The First Half Of 2022 KDRAMA STORIES|Jan 4, 2022 7 K-Dramas You Can Look Forward To In 2022 That Are Not About Romance KDRAMA STORIES|Jan 10, 2022 Thank you for your comment. We’ve double-checked and:
In “You Are My Spring” the male leads are: a psychiatrist, a CEO, and a neurosurgeon. In “Warm and Cozy” Yoo YeonSeok is a chef. There are a lot of chefs in K-Dramas. Chef and food stylist are two different jobs, even if they are linked to each other.
We hope this is clear.
