One of the most delicious parts of a story, for me, is the hero’s journey, and K-dramas are brilliant at being long-form character-driven sagas all about where a character starts and then where they end. (Well, most of the time anyway.) And if the lead’s journey is the central pulse of the story, just like we choose favorite genres or tropes or themes, we can also choose favorite types of journeys for our main character.
It’s a YMMV kind of situation, but one that comes to mind for me is the heroine’s journey in Trolley, where she goes from living a life of hidden trauma and fear, to having to deal with what happens when her whole life cracks open in front of her. It’s a painful journey, yes, but we also get the pleasure of watching her gain strength, overcome, and come out stronger in the end. And an end point that’s built on resilience and inner peace? That’s my kind of story.
What kind of hero/heroine story is your favorite? What sort of trials do you prefer (or not prefer) for your main characters?