“King The Land” Viewers Praise 2PM’s Lee Junho And Girls’ Generation’s YoonA’s Kiss Scene For An Important Reason

King the Land viewers are praising 2PM Junho‘s (also known as Lee Jun Ho) character after the K-Drama’s recent episode.

Junho in “King the Land”

JTBC‘s new romantic comedy K-Drama King the Land has become a hit worldwide as viewers watch the charming hotelier Cheon Sa Rang (played by Girls’ Generation‘s YoonA, who is also known as Lim Yoon Ah) and handsome King Hotel heir and general manager Gu Won (Junho) gradually fall in love over time.

“Amid a tense inheritance fight, a charming heir clashes with his hardworking employee who’s known for her irresistible smile — which he cannot stand. ” — Netflix

YoonA (left) and Junho (right)

Gu Won appeared to have despised Sa Rang in the first couple of episodes. To be fair, they certainly got off on the wrong foot.

Yet, the more time they spent together, the harder he fell for Sa Rang. Soon, he realized that he liked her.

Since then, Gu Won has cared for her, showing his love through acts of service and quality time. Still, he has gone without confessing his love until now…

After Prince Samir showed romantic interest in Sa Rang, even proposing to her, Gu Won naturally felt threatened. Even after Prince Samir left, Sa Rang’s friends attempted to provoke Gu Won to take action by claiming that the prince had called Sa Rang since he left.

From left: Sa Rang, Prince Samir, and Gu Won | JTBC

So, Gu Won decided to make his confession finally in Episode 8. He planned a romantic date with a multiple-course meal cooked by himself, concluding with his telling Sa Rang how he feels.

Yet, things did not go exactly as planned. While he was cooking, some fire on the stove triggered water sprinklers, dousing the meal and them. Gu Won acted fast, concerned for Sa Rang’s safety, as she had also dropped a glass in shock. He quickly picked her up and sat her on the countertop.

| JTBC via @folashadeBidemi/Twitter

While Sa Rang was worried about the mess, Gu Won expressed that it was okay as long as she was safe. The combination of the “rain” and the lights having gone out created a romantic mood that sped up the plot. Gu Won and Sa Rang gazed into each other’s eyes, and finally, he asked to kiss her, resulting in a surprisingly steamy 2-minute kiss scene!

Viewers were not just happy that Gu Won had “confessed” and our lead couple finally had their first kiss. It was not even how passionate the kiss was compared to the average K-Drama (no awkward fish-eye pecking here).

Fans are appreciating that Gu Won actually asked for consent before kissing Sa Rang. Throughout the K-Drama, Gu Won would say his line, “I’ll allow it.” So, in reference to this, he said, “Please allow me…” or “Do I have permission?”

King the Land viewers agree that Gu Won is the standard. Not only has he been communicating his love with acts of service, quality time, and physical touch, but asking for consent is one of the most attractive things someone could do. He is officially a walking green flag.

While K-Dramas historically had a bad reputation for unpassionate kisses and toxic male leads who didn’t ask for consent or respect a woman’s boundaries, we’ve seen a major shift and been introduced to some great male leads in recent years. Last year, Extraordinary Attorney Woo viewers praised the couple’s kiss scene for emphasizing the importance of consent. Read more below.

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