Secondary romance

As with a lot of the other Kdramas I've watched, I find myself enjoying the slow burn of the secondary romance between the two security guards in Where Stars Land as much (if not, sometimes, more) as that of the main leads. Maybe it's a bit of a timing thing -- I feel like the writer(s) start ramping up the secondary character romances (say, like in Secretary Kim as well) around the time the main characters are experiencing their biggest difficulties. Also, the secondary stories tend to not have quite as much angst in that there's usually not as much depth to the coverage of them -- so it's lighter and it offers some much needed cuteness when everything else is, well, kinda going to hell in a handbasket.

It's not something I've ever done in a book, but I think there's a few reasons for it...you've got time when you've got a drama that spans 30 odd episodes. Not so much in a book for teens where the focus needs to stay more on the main characters. It's not impossible, but with only 60K to 85K words to work with, there's not generally enough space. Would be easier to do in adult books or epic fantasies (hello, George R.R. Martin and your plethora of characters). They need the padding in a drama. Space to fill.

Maybe I also enjoy it because they tend to the "awkardness" of dating/love vs. the angst of it all. You can't make a main story out of that, not really, as you've got to have obstacles to carry the story forward, but it's nice in the side plots.

Though...there is kishōtenketsu in classical Chinese, Korean and Japanese writing where the thing that drives the plot forward isn't conflict, but exposition and contrast. It's explained really well on this blog. I wouldn't say Kdramas follow that; they definitely operate on conflict! But I do sometimes wonder how a story would be to write that way. It's not the way my mind normally works when plotting out a story -- I've, perhaps, been too indoctrinated in the normal 3 or 5 part structure -- but I have thought it would be an interesting exercise. Not really one I have time to pursue, at least not yet. Too many projects in the pipeline (edits on book 1, writing book 2, planning book 3, and the Death book to start with and hopefully, perhaps, a book 4 or 5 in the series if things go well). Maybe someday. Though I think I'd need to read more in it first. Have I ever really read a story in that style? I don't know.

Probably should file this under things I think about when I'm too sick to write and spending my time watching Kdramas in front of the fireplace...