7 K-Drama Villains Who Gave Viewers Stress (Part 1)

One of the most interesting (and yet so stressful) elements of a good K-Drama story is a villain so bad, that we cannot help but hate them. We all wish to see our main leads having a rosy path towards their ultimate end but these characters are set to put a halt to our fairytale dreams. Often depicted as mean, malicious, abusive, conniving, manipulative, and often, some even turn out to be murderers. Known for their unending quest for power and inflicting pain on anyone who tries to get in their way, they serve as the arc that makes us root even harder for the male leads.

Created with the sole purpose of being the stumbling block in the inevitable rise of the main leads, here are some of the male K-Drama villains who have notably given viewers so much stress.

Note that in this list are characters who at least from the first few episodes of the stories were revealed as villains.

 

1. "Vincenzo" - Jang JunWoo

A perfect description of the saying "Never judge a book by its cover". In the first couple of episodes of this series, Jang HanSeok showed off many qualities that made his character loveable. Smart, handsome, and with the funniest reactions, his bright charms warmed the hearts of many viewers who saw him as a possible second lead and love interest in the inevitable love triangle that K-Dramas over have. However, all assumptions were shattered as he was revealed to be the hockey stick swigging psychotic killer whose hunger for power will make him kill anyone including his father and brother.

 

2. "Penthouse" - Joo Dante

"Penthouse" had so many villains than we could count, and even had supposedly good guys we were all rooting for turn into bad guys we couldn't help but hate. The series gave us so many villains but none of them held a candle close to Joo Dante. The sensei of all villains, throughout the series, we saw him plot and harmed everyone who came in between him and his power-grabbing goals. Not being selective with who he hurts, with Joo Dante, anyone he felt threatened by could get hurt, and that included his family too. It wasn't just inflicting physical pains but mental ones too. Leading to many of the character's ultimate doom. A sadistic villain without conscience or remorse, till the end of the series, he had no redeeming arc or even sincerely tried to make amends for his wrong actions.

 

3. "Itaewon Class"- Jang DaeHee

Like all villains in every K-Drama story, his character might have been the necessary bolt that propelled the hero to greatness, but we still despise him for the amount of stress he evoked on not just the main lead but also viewers. The flawed ideology of power that he invariably impacted on his son, made him one of the worst father's in the K-Drama world.

 

4. "Youth Of May" - Hwang GiNam

Add him to the worst K-Drama fathers list. This character might have not resulted in the murder but his violent and abusive nature towards his family makes him even worse than one. Seeking to look perfect in the eyes of the public, he tried to ensure that everyone fell in line with his thoughts and beliefs without even caring about their feelings. To the public, he might be seen as an upright man and leader but to his family, he was mean, manipulative, and vicious.

 

5. "Voice" - Mo TaeGoo

If psychotic had a face then it would gladly be wearing Mo TaeGoo's. Depicting the character of a merciless and soulless individual who felt unchallenged and could get away with anything thanks to his family's wealth and background, he satisfied his dubious urges by harming anyone he considered weak.

 

6. "All Of Us Are Dead" - Yoo KwiNam

Right from the very start of the series, we are introduced to this character as the ultimate bad guy who lets his insecurities cloud his judgment and tries to hide his shortcomings by bullying his fellow students. Gruesome and malicious, even before the Zombie outbreak we see just how evil his character is, and when the outbreak occurs, he uses his smarts to survive and like the true bad guy that never dies, he somehow survives the bite attack, gains super strength and continues his unending quest of being the ultimate villain. If a zombie attack is not the arc you needed to change your life, we do not know what will.

 

7. "Hellbound" - Jeong JinSoo

He might have died in the 3rd episode but his villainous reign left an impact till the end of the series. Manipulative, pretentious, and vengeful, with the aim of causing havoc to the world, making people suffer a similar faith of knowing when they will die, he portrays himself as a messiah who would save them. Spreading as much hate as possible before suffering the same faith as those he had condemned, his ideologies and beliefs were picked up by many, who seemed to use the sentiments and fear of people to wield power.

Which of these villains gave you the most stress? Did we miss any out? Let us know in the comments section below.