7 Prickly and Fashionable Female Leads We Love From K-Drama Land
So bold and so chic!
Prickly characters are often misunderstood at first glance. But spend a bit more time with them and once you get to know them better, you’ll see that like a rose, they sometimes wear their thorns as armour to protect themselves. Whether it’s razor sharp wit or jaw-dropping fashion, they know how to make a statement and stand out from the more amiable female leads in K-drama land. Here’s our pick of the sharp-witted women with even more pointed fashion sense ruling our screens today.
Ko Mun-yeong in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
Ko Mun-yeong (Seo Yea-ji) is the latest prickly pear in the K-drama scene. The popular childrens’ book author specializes in dark fairytales and is described as having an anti-social disposition. She likes sharp knives and she’s got a sharp tongue. Mun-yeong doesn’t hold back from expressing her thoughts freely whatever the consequences. She loves bold fashion, especially black clothing, but she’s affected by a traumatic childhood. While experiencing love and healing, Mun-yeong’s sharp barbs slowly change.
Jang Man-wol in Hotel del Luna
Beautiful but moody, Jang Man-wol begrudgingly takes care of a hotel for the dead due to her crime of killing many people. She’s also materialistic and enjoys expensive fashion and items. She has so many gorgeous looks for each episode! Often cold and bad-tempered, Man-wol is unable to let go of her past grudges until she meets Gu Chan-sung. Later, she changes for the better after she is able to come to terms with her past and move on.
Yoon Se-ri in Crash Landing on You
Born into an extremely wealthy family, Yoon Se-ri had a tough upbringing due to being considered an illegitimate child. Constantly feeling like an outsider within her own family and dealing with her competitive older half brothers, the heiress develops a hard-shelled persona to protect herself. She also wears a lot of luxe dresses and structured suits. Once she’s stranded in North Korea and dependent on Ri Jeong-hyuk, Se-ri gradually softens as she begins to trust her new comrades. Her fashion also softens as she adjusts to North Korea. Once aloof and alone, Se-ri becomes warm and gains many friends.
Seo Dan in Crash Landing on You
Crash Landing on You has another prickly fashionista in Seo Dan! Seo Dan has a different life story, but she’s also very guarded. She grew up wealthy, with a single mother and a close uncle. Love her beautiful hair clips! While engaged to Ri Jeong-hyuk, she experiences one-sided love. When she meets Gu Seung-joon, she’s wary and doesn’t trust easily. Her mean comments and tough front don’t fool Gu Seung-joon. Seo Dan remains cool and confident despite all of the obstacles until the very end.
Weol-ju in Mystic Pop-up Bar
In a similar situation as Jang Man-wol, Weol-ju has to help 10,000 humans with their grudges in order to atone for her past crimes. This is a tough task for Weol-ju because she has her own grudge against humans for what they did to her when she was alive. She makes biting comments as she somewhat reluctantly works on fulfilling her quota. Weol-ju’s fashion notably includes a lot of traditional and modern hanboks. She also sometimes mixes up hanboks with modern clothes. While jaded, Weol-ju has moments of kindness when she empathizes and cares for others.
Jo Yi-seo in Itaewon Class
Jo Yi-seo is a very strong and expressive character, being described as a sociopath. She’s highly intelligent and isn’t afraid of calling out people. Her blunt words don’t win her many friends, but she remains deeply devoted to Park Sae-ro-yi. Befitting her badass personality, Jo Yi-seo’s style is mostly black and edgy. Due to her love for Park Sae-ro-yi, Yi-seo learns to care about other people beyond herself. She gradually becomes closer to her co-workers and they become a close-knit family.
Kang Sa-ra in Beauty Inside
In the beginning, Kang Sa-ra comes off a little bratty and entitled. Her tough exterior developed from her feelings of awkwardness with her family. She has an antagonistic relationship with her step brother Do-jae because she’s striving to take over his position in the family company. She truly is a badass boss with great outfits. Then she falls in love with a man who plans on becoming a priest and she becomes adorably lovey-dovey.
Whether it’s impeccable fashion sense or snappy comebacks, these women know how to be true to themselves and capture our hearts with their refreshing honesty and courage to be different.
Images Courtesy of Netflix
