Queen of Tears is sticking to an old K-drama trope — but we’re not mad

Queen of Tears has many hooked on its storyline, with the rom-com K-drama using one of the oldest tropes in the book — but it’s a perfect match no one is mad at. Warning: Slight Spoilers!

The premise of the K-drama centers on Hyun-woo and Hae-in’s troubled marriage, with Hae-in coming off as a cold and uncaring partner, even though they were once so deeply in love. Drama ensues when Hyun-woo has had enough and is ready to divorce her. But more chaos occurs when Hae-in drops the bomb that she’s going to die from cancer.

As Queen of Tears progresses, their new outlook on life changes their love story as Hae-in’s family goes through company turmoil and betrayal. By Episode 12, Hae-in and Hyun-woo have confessed their true love for each other and cleared the air of their troubles.

But the K-drama has tied in a well-loved and often-used trope that fits perfectly into the storyline: Hae-in and Hyun-woo unknowingly met as children, setting up a fated romance. This trope has been seen in more than a few K-dramas, from What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim to recent ones like Doctor Slump. 

When it comes to Queen of Tears, the trope was originally teased when Hae-in used Hyun-woo’s old MP3 player, a pink one with initials very similar to hers. The K-drama later revealed that Hae-in and Hyun-woo did meet as teenagers; Hyun-woo had developed a crush on Hae-in, but they never knew each other’s names.

In Episode 12, a post-credit scene intensifies the trope, revealing that Hyun-woo has always protected Hae-in. Hyun-woo’s mother shows Hae-in’s mother his childhood photo album. Among the photos, she sees one of him with a group of kids at a beach. 

She recognizes the beach, and Hyun-woo’s mother tells him he once saved a child from drowning. Queen of Tears proves the young boy who saved Hae-in from drowning was Hyun-woo. 

You can often spot this trope from a mile away, but in Queen of Tears, it means everything. It solidified that Hae-in and Hyun-woo were always meant for each other despite the contrast in their backgrounds. It also proves that Hyun-woo was always her protector without her realizing it. 

The K-drama adds the trope in a way that doesn’t feel cliche or boring. Instead, it feels right given that Hae-in has never felt loved by her family since her brother’s death. But Hyun-woo has always somehow been there for her. 

It adds a much-needed level of emotion as Hyun-woo becomes Hae-in’s knight in shining armor, pushing her to live life amid her oncoming death —the same way he originally saved her as a child. 

Queen of Tears is available to stream on Netflix and you can catch all K-dramas coming to Netflix in 2024.