‘Crash Course in Romance’: Sun-jae or Geon-hu? Fans Decide Who They Would Rather Date
Netflix and tvN’s hit rom-com K-drama Crash Course in Romance has a few exciting love lines that fans enjoyed. As the K-drama centers on the woes of academic stress, a few of the main characters are high school teens. Nam Hae-yi (Roh Yoon-seo) soon develops a worthwhile love triangle between her best friend Lee Sung-jae (Lee Chae-min), and school slacker Seo Geon-hu (Lee Min-chae). But Crash Course in Romance fans decided whether they would rather date Sun-jae or Geon-hu.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Crash Course in Romance.]
Sun-jae keeps his feeling for Hae-yi a secret in ‘Crash Course in Romance’
The K-drama creates a loving friendship between Sun-jae and Hae-yi. They have been friends for years but inhabit different social classes. Sun-jae parents are elite lawyers, while Hae-yi was raised by her aunt as a single mother who owns a banchan (side dishes) restaurant. Regardless, Sun-jae never looked down on Hae-yi and developed feelings for her years ago.
Like most teen romance stories in K-drama, Sun-jae never told Hae-yi the truth over the fear of losing her or being rejected. But it is all in jeopardy when Geon-hu shows an interest in her. He is the exact opposite of Sun-jae. He was once a talented athlete but sustained an injury that halted his future. Unlike Hae-yi and Sun-jae, Geon-hu is not an academic achiever.
Fans begin to see the developing tropes of a love triangle. When Hae-yi is struck in the face during gym, Geon-hu pushed Sun-jae away to help her. When Geon-hu was warned that his grades were too low, he asked Hae-yi to tutor him. It sparked jealousy in Sun-jae. Over time, Geon-hu becomes a part of the friend group.
But Sun-jae is wary and learns Geon-hu has also developed feelings for Hae-yi. In Crash Course in Romance, Sun-jae is in a bind when Geon-hu proposes to Hae-yi they start dating if he passes the mock exam. Sun-jae realizes he must confess before it is too late. He confesses when Hae-yi wakes up from a coma caused by the killer in Crash Course in Romance. But he is also rejected.
Fans pick Sun-jae over Geon-hu as their ideal boyfriend in ‘Crash Course in Romance’
It is a breath of fresh air as Crash Course in Romance does not develop a bitter rivalry between Geon-hu and Sun-jae. Instead, they form a friendship, and Geon-hu teased Sun-jae endlessly when Hae-yi rejected him. Both characters would make perfect boyfriends as they are kind, sincere, considerate, and do not have a bad bone in their bodies. But who do fans want to date?
I conducted a poll on Twitter over a few days where fans picked between both characters. The final results led to a total of 53 votes. Precisely 60% of fans voted for Sun-jae as their ideal boyfriend they would date. But Geon-hu was not too far behind with 40% of the votes. Even among fans, the best friend turned lover is a favorite.
Sun-jae was not the top pick for actor Jeon Do-yeon, who played the female lead, and Hae-yi’s mother, Nam Heang-seon. In a Naver article, the actor was asked who she would have picked for her on-screen daughter. Instead of the academic best friend, Jeong has more of a fondness for the bad boy.
“Doesn’t Geon-hu have the charm of a bad guy and tsundere? Sun-jae has a kind and noble charm, but I think a bad guy has more charm than that. When dating, I should date a guy like that,” said the actor.
Who did Hae-yi end up with during the K-drama finale?
Crash Course in Romance Episode 15 takes a drastic turn with Dong-hui’s story. But it leads the characters to start new chapters of their lives and move on. Hae-yi, Sun-jae, and Geon-hu take the CSATs to get into college, and there is a time jump of two years. Sun-jae and Hae-yi attend the same college, but Geon-hu has failed the exam more than once in Crash Course in Romance Episode 16.
During another good luck dinner for Geon-hu, he teased Hae-yi that she might still be waiting for him. But the K-drama teased Geon-hu develops a possible romance with Hae-yi’s past rival, Su- (Kang Na-eon). She buried the hatchet and became friends with the others. Geon-hu picked her up in his mother’s car, and they had a knowing look in their eyes.
Meanwhile, Sun-jae and Hae-yi walk home together. He asked her to finally give him an answer. She put him on hold until after the CSATs. She teased she was still thinking about it, but Sun-jae was upset as she would get busy with med school, and he will enlist in the military. Hae-yi stopped him and kissed his cheek. Sun-jae ran after her, teasing that they were officially dating.
