'Romance is a Bonus Book' preview: Eun-ho is great, but we definitely have Second Lead Syndrome for Seo-joon
Korean drama aficionados are all too familiar with the term Second Lead Syndrome. Some of us even catch it every so often, and Wi Ha-joon's Seo-joon from TVN/Netflix drama ‘Romance is a Bonus Book’ is inducing this in us. Charming, handsome and earnest, Seo-joo is the man of our dreams, but as always, the show is centered on yet another eligible bachelor, in this case Eun-ho (Lee Jong-suk), bagging the girl, aka Dan-yi (Lee Na-young).
Do we want to see Eun-ho with the woman he has been yearning for? Sure. However, do we want it at the cost of Seo-joo's happiness? Not so sure anymore. And that exactly is the conundrum that Second Lead Syndrome lands you in – you start falling for the near-perfect second lead of the show, even as the female lead falls for the male lead.
There are many reasons for us to love Seo-joo, starting with the fact that he is a kind and considerate human being. He did save Dan-yi's shoes and gave it to her when he coincidentally ran into her the first time. In a way, this gesture gave Dan-yi a glimmer of hope when she was down on her luck – to say the least – that day. He is also, always up for a conversation over ramen, and shows genuine interest in what Dan-yi has to say.