My spiritual sister!
I am absolutely OBSESSED with height difference. It's literally the first thing I check about the leads (along with the age gap), because I just need to know. And then... When the lead is towering over the actress, that alone sends me on a swoonfest.

That is why I love that there are more and more tall newbie actors (Nam Joo-hyuk, Ahn Hyo-seob, Lee Tae-hwan). When the guy is tall, possibilities are endless!

I agree, I have a thing for tall guys. Moonlight drawn by clouds takes the cake on this. The scene where she has to put on the cap on him and he stands on his tippy toes is adorable and totally swoon worthy.

I love this so much!!
As someone who is barely 5 feet, I love seeing imagining myself in tiny Park Bo Young with Park Hyung Sik.

I really love a good height difference, too. Especially when he has to bend a little to go in for a kiss (those abs are crunching and you know it). But an extreme height difference in real life unsettles me. For example, Hayden Panettiere and her giant boxer husband. He so, so huge, and she's so, so tiny. I try to remember that they are both adult human beings, not defined by their height, yet my brain still pipes in "How does that....work?"

As someone who stands at 181cm., this catnip makes me sad.

This is another nice post, thanks for sharing your catnip!

I've read through the beanies' comments here and agree with many things they said. For me if the chemistry is there it's there, I don't normally pay much attention to height difference. However, I too have a thing for tall men with broad shoulders. I think I feel the protection there. In reality, too, I am not drawn toward shorter or similar-height men. To me, they feel more like friends.

And I agree that a big difference in height does turn me off a bit since I'm considered a pretty tall woman in my country.. so I think I can't picture myself as a female lead in those dramas when the female leads look so small and fragile.

Suspicious Partner and Healer!! Ji-Wook just has this way of enveloping people in this warm cuddly hugs and the way he rests his head on their shoulder? *swwwoooonnn* I still get butterflies in my stomach every time I watch that scene from Healer where she nurses him back to health and he is just dropped all around her like a puppy?? I would die for Wookie cuddles!! ???

This is seriously true! I just realized,a whole lot of the shows I have watched had this catnip (Moonlight Drawn by the Clouds, Goblin, Coffee Prince, Full House, etc.) They make me squee!

This is serious catnip right there haha. I kind of agree with you. Especially when the male actor is also super broad that when he hugs her he can envelope her in the hug. Makes for perfect back hug scenes. Park Seo Joon is the perfect example of this.

This is such catnip for me too ~ tall guys make me swoon ~~~ ?????

I'm 4' 11" - 150cm...petite doesn't even begin to describe my trials and tribulations of being vertically challenged.

This catnip is really cute because I can understand...really understand how it feels...LOL!

I once met a client who was 6'7", about 2.0m tall! I was so amused and he was likewise so used to people commenting about his height.

Anyways, I love shows with height difference between the leads and am always pleasantly surprised to find out that these actors are all SO TALL....arrgh!

This is cute! I actually do believe that many (not all, for eg Shin Ha Kyun is not that tall) lead male actors are chosen for their height. And those who do not quite meet the height standard, do have some wardrobe help ... at least I once ran into a TV filming team and noticed that ALL the guys were tall. I looked down and saw that they were in platform boots. ?

I think, I look more at the difference in overall size rather than just height. I'm always taken with how big his hands are, compared to hers (when they hold hands) or compared to the size of her head (when he steadies her for a kiss).

Difference in head size too is enthralling! Yes he may be a head taller, but his head compared to hers is usually, surprisingly bigger. Then he has to maneuver for the kiss without blocking the camera... so intriguing to watch. ?

And those scenes where the guy tries to hide the girl by standing close and covering her with himself, gets me trying to see how much of her is visible. LOL.

Although I won't watch a show just because of height or size, I certainly look for the difference in them in any OTP. ? ?

That's one of my favorite catnips too!

My favorite height difference couples was:

Lee Won-Geun (187 cm) and Jung Eun-Ji (163 cm) in "Sassy Go Go"

Kim Young-Kwang (187 cm) and Kyung Soo-Jin (164 cm) in "Plus nine Boys"

Kim Young-Kwang (187 cm) and Soo-Ae (168 cm) in "Man Living at My House"

I love how simple height differences are but when a drama really capitalizes on the cuteness of a short-tall couple, then I too melt (not to mention fantasize about my own 180 cm tall boyfriend to complement my 153 cm stature).

I also like the height difference on the leads. Aside from whats mentioned, Rain and Song Hye Kyo in full House comes to mind. Rain and his broad shoulders next to tiny HyeKyo is all kinds of swoony. SHK and JIS in That Winter The Wind Blows. Jang Nara and Jang Hyuk. ???

As someone that stands at all of 5'3, I LOVE it when the actors are 180 cm or above. I just love tall men <3

When I first started watching dramas (years and years ago), I tried to deny this about myself. As a raging feminist, I love equality in relationships. But yet. I like it when the guy, he’s just so big, and the girl, so tiny.

So true. I am a huge feminist but I love when guys are taller. I don't know what it is. My sister loves short guys but I have always been attracted to men taller then me. And when you have this adorable short girl next to this handsome tall guy in a kdrama? Yes please!

I always squee when the tiny female heroine is enveloped in a hug from the tall male lead. I love Jang Na Ra and think she's a fantastic actress, but I also know that in any drama I watch with her in it it's guaranteed I'll have something to sigh contentedly over.

I especially loved this when she was with Daniel Choi in both Baby Faced Beauty, and School 2013.

I had a feeling Fight My Way would be somewhere in the post... and lo and behold, right at the end. So, is Park Seo Joon really 1.86 as he says in the drama? I know he's *tall* but I couldn't for the life of me give the exact height.

Lol! I think we all unconsciously dig that lol

OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH! My catniiiiippppp! being a petite girl myself
i just gush out when i see the couples like Min Hyuk and Bong Soon. It's just too cute not to gush about.

This trope just gives me unrealistic hope, that I'll one day find a tall, handsome, muscular and fit Oppa that will embrace my shortness haha

Moonlight Drawn by Clouds!!!! Every time PBG stood looking down at her!!! And Mercy Me, I took myself to the Billboard Awards just to support BTS and was BLOWN away when they got out of the car at the Magenta Carpet and looked so tall compared to many American celebrities and MCs....and the boys are only all around 5'10" to 5'11" but it was like the first time realizing that they are NOT short. Yes, I'm hopelessly silly and now crazy for Fight My Way. Talk about Park Seo Joon being tall...can we please talk about his body and abs in the latest episode? When do we get a catnip article about shower scenes??? HELLOOOOOOOO.

LOLLL. I respect your honesty guest beanie. I know an enbarrassing amount of actor and actress heights as well ?...

I pay a lot of attention to heights too! I often look up the heights of the actors and actresses. This is probably a spill-over from real life. My husband is 6'4" (~193cm), so he looms over me (I'm around 172cm). I love having to stand one stair up from him in the house to see over his shoulder (even then I'm still shorter).

Thank you so much for this! I didn't realize it was one of my "things" until now, but it totally is. Also, this is so well written - major props!

Omg the catnip I never knew I needed! Soo accurate haha

Thank you! I never realized that how much I love this too! I am only 5' 1" (150 cm), and have always loved tall, really tall, men. My first boyfriend was 6' 7" (200 cm)! Okay, that was a bit ridiculous, but we liked each other, and it didn't matter to us at the time. Now that I'm older, it feels like I have been overlooked (pun intended) by most men, who prefer taller women. So at least I can still look to dramas for some vicarious "tall boyfriend" squeeing.

I thought Secret Garden and Boys over flowers would be in the list.....

The height difference... it's swoony to look at on tv. but in real life I find it a little overwhelming and jarring. I'm super short and it's kinda my inferiority complex. I always wish I was a bit taller. So I prefer my drama heroines tall and elegant. I do find significant height difference cute and adorable. I just prefer a tall heroine that can stand almost eye to eye, literally, with her leading man. they may need a few inches tall of high heels to achieve that tho.

One of my favorite catnips too! Because personally, tall guys are my weakness ? I get really distracted when the female lead is almost the same height as that of the male lead. That doesn't happen that much in dramaland though. Or maybe I've skipped the ones with same height leads ?

Especially when the tall guy cups her face with his giant hands. SWOON!

how cool this catnip! It is really hot when man lead is taller than the actress, I like that a lot about Strong woman DBS because she's a lot shorter that him but her strength is huge! That couple was so cute and sweet that it hurt.

Healer OMG. how many times I will say I loved everything about that drama.

And along with Healer is Cuty Hunter, LMH is really tall next to PMY but she was wearing high heels all the time BUT in those judo lessons scenes they're barefoot and you can see the height differences so much. And those scenes... rawr <3

There's definitely the dramatic height difference in Queen for Seven Days and Fight My Way right now and my heart is aflutterrrrr

yep, this became my catnip after healer too :) also one of the reasons why i'm in love with Park Hyung Sik after watching SWDBS :D

wow! same thought here