When the Woman Leaves First - These Korean Dramas Hit the Hardest!

Sometimes the pain is not in the breakup itself—but in who gets to break up first. And when it's the woman who breaks up, her absence can be even more crushing. Maybe she left because she had no other option. Maybe she left because she loved him too much. Or maybe she left because staying would have broken her even more. For whatever reason, these Korean dramas capture that devastating moment when the woman walks away—and all that is left is a muted scream.

Following are the top Korean dramas where the woman dumps the man first, and the heartbreak lingers long after the credits roll.

*1. My Liberation Notes (2022)

Yeom Mi-jeong doesn't go out with a bang—she disappears, silently extricating herself from a life that's suffocating her. Her quiet departure from Mr. Gu is akin to emotional gravity re-aligning. She departs not in rage, but survival. And when she departs, he's left with silence, yearning, and a love he was never able to possess completely.

*2. Our Beloved Summer (2021)

Yeon-soo breaks up with Choi Woong even though she is still in love with him. She leaves not because she wants to, but because she feels she doesn't deserve him. The breakup is filled with unspoken regrets and stubborn pride. Years—and a documentary—are required for them to face the love that never really went away.

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*3. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

Hae Soo abandons Wang So when court life and love become too overwhelming to handle together. Not only is her departure devastating, but it also changes the trajectory of his entire life. After she's gone, he's no longer a man in love—he's a king with nothing left to lose.

*4. It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

Go Moon-young disappears to heal herself, leaving Moon Gang-tae behind. It's the first time she's prioritizing herself over the man she loves, and it's devastating. But also necessary. Her absence forces him to confront his own trauma—and her return is all the more powerful.

*5. Thirty But Seventeen (2018)

Woo Seo-ri vanishes into a coma at seventeen and wakes up to find the world—and her love—has left her behind. Her physical absence creates an overwhelming emotional vacuum for Gong Woo-jin, who quietly disintegrates under the weight of guilt and longing. Her leaving was not of her own accord, but it shattered him.

*6. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018)

Yoo Jin-kang decides to leave Kim Moo-young when his dark past is revealed. She does so in fear, in love, and in heartbreak. Her leaving breaks him apart. And when they find each other again, it's too late already.

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*7. More Than Friends (2020)

Kyung Woo-yeon leaves Lee Soo after years of unrequited feelings and near-confessions. She ends up letting him go—not because she doesn't love him anymore, but because she's tired of waiting. Her departure prompts him to acknowledge his true feelings, but by then, it's nearly too late to mend matters.

*8. Youth of May (2021)

Myung-hee says goodbye to Hwang Hee-tae through a letter, a kiss, and a promise she does not mean to keep. It is a quiet goodbye, but it is goodbye forever. She leaves for his sake, for a reason bigger than they—but the cost is their love. And his grief is something history will not recall.

*9. Run On (2020)

Oh Mi-joo breaks up with Ki Seon-gyeom not for want of loving him, but because she won't lose herself in the process. Leaving him then becomes the very lesson that teaches him about true love—unfettered, true, and fearless.

*10. Just Between Lovers (2017)

Ha Moon-soo quietly slips away from Lee Kang-doo, believing that her pain might ruin the fragile happiness they've built. She does not shout or beg—she just vanishes. But her leaving is a test, and when she returns, their love is more resilient than ever.

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*11. The Innocent Man (2012)

Seo Eun-gi leaves her after losing her memory, unintentionally breaking Kang Ma-ru's already broken heart. Her leaving is a reboot, but for him, it's back to square one—where all he ever hoped for was being with her. When she finally gets her memory back, it's as though time is restarted.

*12. My Mister (2018)

Lee Ji-an breaks up with Park Dong-hoon because she doesn't believe she deserves him. She departs sadly, not theatrically. She loves him, deeply, silently—but leaving is the best way she knows to save them both. And he feels every bit of her absence.

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