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Some fans love the righteous heroes. They always search for justice in the right way and save the day. Then there are those who love villains, morally bad, selfish and downright narcissists. K-Dramas used to have such poles distinguished perfectly, but now we have characters that blur the line. They are morally grey and would often make bad decisions, but at the same time they show empathy, love and care.
What makes them more complex is when they are the main protagonist. These characters also share background stories or secrets that make them, henceforth, they gain more sympathy from the viewers. Despite being morally grey, sometimes they stand against the ultimate evil. Their methods are twisted and they might have no care in the world- except for a few-but by the end of the day, they save the world. Fans also appreciate how close these characters are to reality, because no one is all good. One can be selfish, rowdy or devious and its alright- if no one dies. Such protagonist have changed one's perception about the role of a lead hero in dramas.
We have scanned through the never ending list and with much hardship, we bring you our top 3 grey male protagonists we are ultimate fans of. Scroll down to find out who!
This article contains spoilers for the dramas mentioned below.
1. Kang YoHan (Ji Sung) From "The Devil Judge"
At the very top of the list comes Kang YoHan. Ji Sung has amazed his fans by performing both as a protagonist and an antagonist in various projects. But what astonishes the fans even more is when he comes as Kang YoHan. One cannot fixate this character on any one person. He is neither good nor bad.
"The Devil Judge" showed Kang YoHan from GaOn (GOT7's JinYoung)'s point of view. GaOn was appointed as a judge in the live public trial show with YoHan. YoHan was a popular judge known for being strict and merciless. GaOn's job was to keep an eye on him. GaOn initially saw him as any other character on the show- as the devil judge. But as he begins to further unveil his story, his perception changed along with the viewers. The viewers too often misunderstood his intentions, but it all cleared out in the end.
Kang YoHan gave brutal punishments on the show, which were often broadcast. This threatened the ruling class and created unrest in the country. Soon we realise that Kang YoHan was in fact waging war against the corrupt upper hands for the common people.
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Life has been hell for him ever since he was born. He was devoid of affection except for his older brother. He was even accused of killing his older brother. Henceforth, he was hated by his niece. He willingly took the burden and hatred only prevented his niece from knowing the truth. It was in fact her who caused the fire at the church. When Kim MinJung (Jung SunAh) revealed the truth, he screamed and begged her in protest.
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2. Vincenzo Casano (Song JoongKi) From "Vincenzo"
"Vincenzo" is a story of a dangerous Italian mafia stuck in Korea. The beautiful blend of thriller and comedy became our favorite. Vincenzo Casano came to Korea to find the hidden gold under a plaza. He has a dark background and blood of many on his hands. Yet, it is not like he didn't feel any sort of remorse, the murders still haunt him at times in dreams.
In the drama, Vincenzo initially had selfish reasons and deceived the residents of the plaza. Later, he began to create a bond with them and even began to feel like he was a part of them. He joined hands with them to find against BABEL to keep the plaza for himself and the gold. This fight soon took a brutal turn and his intentions also gradually changed. It wasn't about gold anymore, but he wanted to put a stop to the 'BABEL groups' cruelty.
"Vincenzo" displayed Vincenzo with a soft personality, especially when he was around Hong ChaYoung (Jeon YeoBeen). He begins to develop feelings for her and is filled with rage when JunWoo (Ok TaecYeon) abducts her. Also, when Vincenzo meets his biological mother, he turns back to a lost child who was abandoned. He pretended to hate her but was instead drawn to her by seeing her state. He cried at her death but that emotion suddenly had a shift.
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Grief turned to anger. He found the killer and tortured him, even making him run bare feet towards JunWoo's mansion. His face lost any sort of expression as he shot everywhere and even at JunWoo's ear.
Similarly, he chooses a barbarous method of killing each of the three antagonists. Even though the deaths were justified in comparison to their sins. It is still unmoral to kill someone and that too, so viciously.
At the end of the drama, he claimed that he did not believe in justice. Nor was he a hero. But fans think otherwise.
3. Kim MooYoung (Seo InGuk) From "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes"
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Kim MooYoung is full of mystery. MooYoung became a murder suspect after the death of a college student. MooYoung lacked any remorse. He is also manipulative in the way he approaches people and was unable to create deep relationships. That was until he met Jin Kang.
Jin Kang too initially hated him as she could look through his mind games and wouldn't fall for him. But like the viewers, she is still attracted to him.
In episode 9, when she confesses to him. He tells her that he will not do bad things if she tells him to, which she does. When he asks her to teach him how to be a good person, it was heart wrenching and we realised that there was a more empathic part of him. One that wanted to be explored.
Though nothing that MoonYoung was heroic, unlike the two discussed before, his unconditional love for Jin Kang makes us swoon. He truly loved her and wanted to change himself. He might not have been from evil in the world, but he fought with the evil inside him. Which is heroic itself.
Another reason why we love grey characters so much is because of how the characters develop. They sway from good to bad and display an array of emotions which makes the drama more intense and captivating.
What is your favorite grey character in the K-Drama world?
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