I think people don’t want to spend time understanding a character who is just inherently different. They have their ideal male lead in their head, and compare all other male leads to that standard. Especially when it comes to romance, they want the ML to be a dream guy who does everything they want him to do, showering love and affection in the way they think it should be expressed.
Or maybe we’re just so caught up with reading subtitles and paying attention to the dialogue that we fail to see the microexpressions and actions of characters, and so we misunderstand. I honestly felt so cut to the heart when the ML in TKA says “I don’t think she understands just how much I love her.” That’s what made me rewatch the whole thing with an open mind. Im not saying it’s a perfect story with an ideal relationship, because it’s not. I’m just glad for the parts of the story that were deep and realistically done. The ML’s character growth was fantastic, for a light romcom from 2007.
Im glad I’m slowly starting to depend less and less on Korean subs. I have time to observe the screen. Or I just rewind and focus on the characters instead of the dialogue. Park Hae Jin in From Now On, Showtime! is another example, though his character is lighter than the ones mentioned above. I see everyone commenting on how he is a self-centered people hating loner, because that is what he says he is. But it’s so plainly obvious that he isn’t. I’ve watched enough romcoms with self-centered MLs. This guy just shouts out loud that he hates people but his actions speak otherwise. He isn’t a loner at all. I’m sure he wouldn’t be able to survive without his ghost buddies next to him. The FL isn’t “changing him” into a “better person who cares for people.” She’s just forcing him to face his fears. When she forcibly makes him face people in difficulty, he handles their problems well on his own, with empathy, kindness and generosity.