Love is a Contact Sport

We've all seen them. They are the obvious, sometimes cavity-sweet scenes. They’re the scenes that make us squeal with excitement - or utter irritation. Why? Because saying ‘I love you’ would be too easy!  Here we’ll go through the top 10 most common signs of blossoming or future love in Asian dramas.

1. The Wrist Grab

Cue hot music and fan girl squeals of delight.

Come with me on your boyfriend’s minion's bike so those nasty men out front can’t get you. 

Which leaves some miffed band mates behind.

Because what says ‘I love you’ more than grabbing your love interest by the wrist and dragging her along after you? Or in some cases, catching her before she can leave. Whatever the timing, the wrist grab is a staple in Asian dramas, most commonly used between love interests. Personally, I view hand holding as more of a sign of interest. But hey, what says possessive love more than locking their wrist in your grasp? It’s the handcuffs of love, baby! One of my favorite examples of the wrist grab is Shut Up Flower Boy Band. While not possessive, it happens when he is helping her escape. Just the fact that he would do it when her supposed guy wasn't making a single muscle twitch is what gets me. The fact that it’s Sung Joon doesn't hurt, either. 

2. Collision Course!

So... Lovely dress you’re wearing. Is that fur trim?

There seem to be an increasing number of kisses that come purely as a result of clumsiness or pure accident. Hana Yori Dango’s kiss was an accidental fall. In Flower Boy Next Door, another accidental fall. I’m starting to think that if it weren't for these ‘accidents’, our beautiful leads would never lock lips. Quick, let’s start pushing them down stairs and tripping them left and right!

3. Water Babies
Between shielding from splashes and rescuing drowning damsels, male leads really have their love work cut out for them. And it’s always because the girl gets herself into trouble in the first place. Go Mi Nam in ‘You’re Beautiful’, for example, or Geum Jan Di in Boys Over Flowers, who essentially drowned herself to jog her boy’s memory. Water seems to be a very big asset. The most recent example? Tae Joon and Jae Hee in To the Beautiful You when he blocks her from being hit with the worst of the splash from a bus. Simply beautiful. Of course, she’s soaked anyway, but the thought is there. 

4. Secret Snuggles


It seems to be the thing for our prickly male leads to catch some secret cuddles with their love interests. The important part of this? The girl is always sleeping. Not that it isn't adorable to watch, aren't we all wishing we were the girl?  Secret snuggles are a common occurrence in Goong (Or Princess Hours, depending on where you are). It makes you want to smack some sense into the guy and demand he pay her some cuddles when she’s conscious!

5. Nothing brings lovers together like being wounded

So now that you’re stuck in a wheelchair and I've treated you like crap until now… I like you.

Another sign of blossoming affection is an injury, preferably one that requires a piggyback ride. Male leads seem to thrive on their girl being helpless and dependent upon them for care and transportation. Take Lee Shin and Lee Gyu Won in Heartstrings. He becomes infinitely gentler toward her after she’s injured, and dotes on her in his own quiet, grumpy-puss way. Aigoooo… So cute!

6. The Piggyback Ride

Because no romantic comedy is complete without a piggyback ride. Judging just by the appearance of this move in dramas, apparently if you can get a ride on his back, you’re a shoe-in. Whether it’s because of a sprained ankle or drinking ten too many sojus, if you ride on his back home, you’re both destined to fall in love. Well, unless you're the second male lead. In some dramas it is the second male lead (pictured above) that gives the piggyback rides. Uh, Aaron? Hun? I’m feeling sudden pain too. Can I have a ride?

7. The Faint


I love seeing this one. Girl faints, guy catches her. Simple, right? You’d think. It’s actually not. When the girl faints, it tends to be the cause of some deep inner trauma or a significant health scare. Guess what that means? Damsel in distress. Again, we see that male leads love it, because guess what happens later? Examples worth noting are Flower Boy Next Door and Princess Hours. 

8. Danger: Falling objects are harder than your head

Thank God, you’re all right. I’m going to bleed out on the sidewalk now.

The personal shield complex. Males love to protect their love, and will often do so at great cost to themselves. Song Sam Dong in Dream High is the most memorable for me. He took a flowerpot in the head for the girl, after all. That has to earn him some definite brownie points. 

9. The Cradle & Carry

I’m the reason you’re being bullied, but at the last second, I’ll swoop in and
take you back to my prickly chaebol lair.

Enough said.

10. The Adorable ‘Date’

From the cavity-inducing sweetness of Tae Joon and Jae Hee in To The Beautiful You to the amusing antics between Rain and Song Hye Kyo in Full House, the adorable date seems to be another staple. Sure enough, if you hit the adorable date step, love has already begun.

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Most dramas make use of a few of these ten, but some use nearly all of them. To The Beautiful You is one of the more recent examples of that. From the adorable date and piggyback rides to constantly being saved by the male lead, that drama is just riddled with the mushy gushy love stuff.


What are your favorite cliché love signs? Favorite dramas that employ them?