every modern kdrama romance writer needs to watch the last episode of the east palace and learn from princess saengang and gucheon's dynamic.
SHE makes sure that he is safe and runs off to the spirit hell world to protect his life and end hers to fix this curse.
HE wakes up and immediately slits his throat to reach her.
SHE dies there to make sure that HE won't have to.
HE ends up there and gives her his LIFE to make sure she lives.
SHE immediately wakes up in the real world and RUNS to him and begs that he comes back because how can she lose him?
she then spends DAYS with his DEAD BODY and refuses to believe he's gone, before running to the river to wade into it and beg, screaming, crying for his SPIRIT even to return to her, no matter what form it takes. it's unfathomable for her to live without him.
he then wakes up and she engulfs him in a hug and then instead of staying at court or living as a princess, leaves with him for more adventures.
this is the dynamic i want from my romances. i don't want half-assed one sided nonsense. i want a princess who has never once received respect, meeting this strange ghost seeing orphan man, who calls her "princess" with more warmth than anything else, and whom she fights her own father, the king, hell, and the universe to bring back to her.
and mind you, this was not a fully or even slightly romantic drama, by any means at all. and they served SO much!
