Here’s why K-Drama ‘Boys over Flowers’ should be on your watch list

Honestly, if you’ve still missed out on Boys over Flowers at this point, you’re clearly looking in the wrong corner of the internet for K-drama suggestions. Since 2009, the K-drama has been gaining fans internationally as the show gets broadcasted around the world and launched on various streaming services. 

When a working-class girl gets tied up in the lives of rich boys in her school, she begins to understand the hearts under the arrogance. This legendary group of boys, F4 runs the school, but Geum Jan-di (Ku Hye-sun) is ready to shake things up when she gets a scholarship to the exclusive high school. 

With a little bit of coming of age, and a little bit of rom-com cheek, Boys Over Flowers will be your next K-drama obsession if it isn’t already. If you’re not sold yet, we have a few more reasons to convince you to binge the series. 

Taking a magnifying glass to bullying

While K-dramas taking on serious subjects is nothing new, most high school K-dramas just gloss over bullying with no issue. But the whole reason Jan-di gets involved with the F4 is when she stands up to the group after they bully a boy to the point of suicide. Through her heroic actions, Jan-di gets a scholarship to attend the same high school.

But when Jan-di becomes F4’s leader’s next bullying target, she’s having none of it. Her strong headedness ends up making him fall for her though. As she becomes closer to Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho), she slowly understands what drives him to be so arrogant in life. 

Her care for Jun-pyo even makes it possible for him to loosen up and not be such an asshole. Rather than just brush off his bullying as him being the rich entitled classmate, he’s seen as more complicated than that. 

A peek into Korean high school drama

Spoiler alert: it’s the same as high school drama anywhere else because high schools are more alike than you think. Between false pregnancy rumors, cliques, bullying, high expectations of grades, and all the other high school tropes, there’s a lot of material with these kind of dramas.

You’ll eat it up though, because you want to see Jan-di succeed in this new environment. The girl doesn’t think she belongs at the school but her family tells her to take the opportunity and don’t let it pass her by. There’s something really pure about Jan-di’s intentions and you love to see her take on this school of rich preppies. 

Enemies to lovers in the most bizarre way

Dating your bully is definitely one of the strangest versions of the enemies to lovers trope. Especially when the bullying victim can’t stand the guy long before he becomes her bully. But there’s something about how Jun-pyo flips on a dime with his feelings for Jan-di. 

Maybe it’s just because we believe in finding love in the strangest places, but we can’t help but root for Jun-pyo and Jan-di together. As unhealthy as that relationship sounds, Jan-di is the perfect person to turn Jun-pyo around and make him a good person. Plus outside of him, Jan-di fits in well with the rest of F4.

A solid yet complicated clique

As Jun-pyo and F4 run the school, it’s clear not all four boys agree with everything Jun-pyo does. When Jun-pyo basically sends the rest of the school on Jan-di’s back, Yoon Ji-hoo (Kim Hyun-joong) ends up stepping in and defending Jan-di from some of the bullies. 

Ji-hoo ends up becoming a romantic rival for Jun-pyo as Jan-di develops feelings for him. But of course, love has unexpected ways of changing. Even outside of Ji-hoo, the other two boys slowly but surely change their ways thanks to women in their life as well. 

It’s clear the minute Jan-di walked through the doors of Shinhwa High School, life would never be the same.

—

If you’re obsessed with the K-dramas, sign up for our newsletter. We promise to only send you the most relevant content to your inbox.