Look, I love K-dramas. You love K-dramas. We all love K-dramas. But if we’re being honest with ourselves, some of the things that happen in those beautifully-lit, OST-filled episodes? Yeah… highly illegal.

Somewhere in the middle of crying over a breakup that happened in slow motion or swooning over a piggyback ride in the rain, I realised K-dramas operate on a logic that absolutely would not survive a single hour in real life. In fact, in most cases, someone would be in jail.

So here are five things that are totally normal in K-dramas but would absolutely get you arrested if you tried them in real life. Don’t try this at home. Or anywhere, really.

Kidnapping Your Crush (Because You Care)  

You know that scene where the male lead just grabs the female lead’s wrist and drags her out of the building like he’s a one-man SWAT team? Yeah, in real life, that’s called unlawful restraint. No, sir, you cannot solve a communication problem by physically removing someone from their workplace, even if your jawline is sculpted by angels. Please use your words like the rest of us emotionally unstable people.

Living in Someone’s House Without Proper Paperwork  

How is it that someone always just… ends up living with someone else? "You fainted outside my apartment, so now you live here." Or "You saved my cat, so move in." This is not charity, this is squatting. In the real world, we have leases, landlords, and legal consequences. You can't just show up with a suitcase and vibes.

Pretending to Be Someone’s Spouse to Get Free Benefits

This is the go-to drama plot for forced proximity: “Let’s pretend to be married so my grandma can stop worrying.” Cute? Yes. Romantic? Kinda. Fraud? Absolutely! Let me tell you, if you sign a fake marriage document or use that situation to get a hospital room, pension, or company promotion? Yeah, the government will see you before the end of episode two.

Punching a Chaebol at Work and Somehow Keeping Your Job  

You know that iconic moment when the second male lead punches the arrogant rich guy in front of an entire board meeting? Fire.10/10. But if you try that at your 9 to 5? That’s assault and unemployment in one scene. HR will not be playing soft background music when they hand you your termination letter.

Following Someone Around Because You Like Them  

In K-dramas, it's “I followed her all the way to Busan because I couldn’t stop thinking about her.” In reality, it’s stalking. You can’t just show up at someone’s part-time job, their friend’s house, or their rooftop room because you have a crush. That’s not romantic. That’s how restraining orders get filed.

Honestly, if half these characters were living in our world, they’d be in court before the third episode. But maybe that’s the charm of K-dramas. We know it’s unrealistic. We know it’s not how life works. And still, we eat it up like it’s a hot bowl of ramyeon after a rainy day confession scene.

But hey, if your favorite male lead ever shows up at your door saying, “You’re coming with me,” maybe ask for ID first.