When K-Drama characters are good and interesting, so is the story. But when the main couple has fire chemistry like these from this list, then the storyline gets even better. It makes the whole drama more credible, relatable, and intense. Their emotions are also yours. You want to root for the pair, protect them at all costs, and endlessly wish they will have a happy end. In 2023, some couples manage to convey these feelings. Their synergy was so good on screen that it gave more depth to the plot, and made their struggles believable. Also, who doesn’t like it when the leads bring about love, affection, tons of kisses and ‘aww’ moments?
1. Song Kang & Kim Yoo Jung – My Demon
They are by far the couple with the best chemistry in 2023! One is a sexy demon, played by the handsome Song Kang; the other is the confident CEO at war with her family, embodied by a stunning Kim Yoo Jung. Not only does the script of the drama do an excellent job at creating tension between the leads, but the duo makes sparks just by standing in the same room next to each other. The kiss and bed scenes flow naturally and are extremely credible, as if the main protagonists had been doing it their whole life.
2. Namgoong Min & Ahn Eun Jin – My Dearest
When war, distance, people and life-changing events seem to be against them, Yoo Gil Chae and Lee Jang Hyun hold onto each other like no other couple would. Brilliantly portrayed by Namgoong Min and Ahn Eun Jin, the romance of these characters is a daily battlefield that oscillates between hope and despair. The fight for the happy end is a long unpredictable one that sometimes seems lost in advance. But, perseverance, determination, and resilience are what define these 2 warriors in life and soldiers of love. Their mutual affection, perfectly displayed by actors’ raw emotions, is a weapon that makes them thrive through adversity to conquer and win.
3. Yoo Teo & Kim Ok Bin – Love to Hate You
Yoo Teo and Kim Ok Bin started 2023 with panache and grace as Nam Gang Ho and Yeo Mi Ran in Love to Hate You. While the two strong-headed protagonists are humbled by each other, they also discover they are more than compatible despite their divergent views on relationships. And when haters turn lovers, the romance is bound to become interesting. The fiery chemistry between the protagonists owes a lot to its mature duo of actors who know how to play with our feelings, and make us want to see more. The drama is hot and spicy, no matter how many times you watch it!
4. Lee Jun Ho & Im YoonA – King The Land
Lee Jun Ho and Im YoonA exude love as the hotel CEO and employee of this 2023 iconic rom-com. Their tender gestures, romantic signs of affection, and sweet kisses are enough to make us swoon. Each scene will give you butterfly, as the leads perfectly portray the lovebirds who can’t get enough of each other.
5. Sung Hoon & Jung Yoo Min – Perfect Marriage Revenge
Nothing creates a better bond than a good revenge. In Perfect Marriage Revenge, Sung Hoon and Jung Yoo Min are the charismatic leads who team up to get rid of their enemies. Though they don’t know each other at first, the trust is there from day one and the relationship only gets stronger. For better and for worse, the newlyweds support and lean on each other. Obviously, the actors have an amazing connection on screen. They make the whole story entertaining and intense, making us root for them and their vengeance.
6. Jo In Sung & Han Hyo Joo – Moving
The beauty of this couple lays in the slow-paced development of their feelings. Even if they were supposed to spy on each other from the get-go, Jo In Sung and Han Hyo Joo’s characters end up falling into their own trap. Add obstacles like superpowers, being chased by an organization and having to hide, and you understand the type of love these two have, to overcome it all. Both veteran actors display with subtlety and tenderness their characters’ blooming relationship in which each rose has its petals…and its thorns.
7. Cha Eun Woo & Park Gyu Young – A Good Day to Be a Dog
Cha Eun Woo and Park Gyu Young surprisingly made it onto this list thanks to their characters in A Good Day to Be a Dog. The reason behind? The cuteness they convey to the audience with lightheartedness and simplicity. You can’t help, but be moved by their fated love. On top of that, Cha Eun Woo and Park Gyu Young have the ability to make us fall in love with a single smile, so no wonder this works between them too. Best scene of the drama so far: Their multiple small kisses punctuated by Cha Eun Woo’s grin. No one can resist!
8. Yang Se Jong & Bae Suzy – Doona!
Doona! may not be the successful K-Drama we expected to see, but the couple was definitely a win! Yang Se Jong and Bae Suzy are like magnets attracted to each other, and that tension is clearly palpable. Each scene is electric. This ambiance is reinforced by the slow-motion in the way they apprehend each other. So, the plot is maybe a flop, but the couple is definitely hot!
9. Kim Young Kwang & Lee Sung Kyung – Call It Love
Slow and raw; genuine and profound. These are the emotions that transpire from this drama. There was no better pairing than Lee Sung Kyung and Kim Young Kwang to deliver this performance. Together, they create a world of their own that is assailed by powerful feelings from love to resentment. Both actors beautifully portray wounded characters who find their way to each other despite all odds. They bring comfort and solace to one another, freeing themselves from desolation and solitude.
10. Ahn Bo Hyun & Shin Hye Sun – See You in My 19th Life
Reincarnation can’t put an end to this pair’s fated love. Through years and lives, Mun Seo Ha and Ban Ji Eum find their way to each other. Both bear scars from the past, but heal together through love, trust and support. Shin Hye Sun and Ahn Bo Hyun do an incredible job at laying these genuine and deep emotions on the table. Their suffering is clearly visible, but they deal with it with softness and optimism.
11. Jung Woo Sung & Shin Hyun Bin – Tell Me That You Love Me
With peace and serenity, Jung Woo Sung and Shin Hyun Bin’s characters showcase a simple and pure blossoming love. Brick by brick, they build a fragile, yet intense bond that disability, people and life can’t see to break. Actors’s performance is sincere and credible, transforming their characters into a duo you want to protect by all means.
12. Kim Young Dae & Pyo Ye Jin – Moon in the Day
Last on our list, but not least in chemistry. Kim Young Dae and Pyo Ye Jin deliver a top-notch performance as the star-crossed lovers cursed for centuries in Moon in the Day. Yearning, longing, loyalty and sacrificial spirit are the main adjectives that define this couple’s relationship. Both actors seem at ease with each other, creating a comfortable atmosphere in which the plot can unravel until the big finale: Lovable, relatable and heart-wrenching.
Once Upon a Drama 