After a long hiatus of drama-watching, I am back with a difficult request--I hope I can explain it correctly!
So, honestly, when it comes to female (and 2nd female) leads, I feel like they usually come in two flavors
#1: they are are so "saintly" that they never feel hurt by the actions of others (they never really feel bitter, jealous, abandoned, vengeful, etc) no matter how badly others treat them. They can come in many different personality types, but their character just pushes through everything.
#2: they never have to deal with the above scenario--they are "shielded" from it, so to speak. Instead, it is the second female lead that has to face it and the torment is what usually causes her to become bad. An example of this would be Ten Miles of Peach Blossom. I love Bai Qian and she is one of my favorite characters but I have to admit--she had everything going for her. She was the most beautiful, comes from a family that loves her and is very powerful, always has guys falling at her feet. I did not like Xuan Nu, but I did feel sorry for her and I could see why she ended up the way she did. Khun Mae Suam Roy is another example. With many of these dramas, the mental health advocate in me is screaming---no wonder these 2nd female leads turned out the way they did--just look at the dysfunctional environment they are in.
While the first type is usually very inspirational to watch, it sometimes come off as too unrealistic. While the evil second leads take it too the deep end, most people would have at least some negative emotions. I just want to watch something where the female lead has to go through something like #1 and is very appropriately emotionally hurt by this. They may feel the same emotion that the second female lead feels that cause her to become evil--but she should overcome them. To me, that is real character development.
I think the best example I can think of is Kluen Cheewit. Jee grew up in an extremely dysfunctional enviornment and she is quite damaged by this. We can really feel when she is hurt and just how layered and emotionally complex this girl is.
Another is Cheese in the Trap--Hong Sul has to deal with her parents consistently treating her brother better than her and one day she finally lashes out. I related to her so much in that scene.
Sorry for the length--I hope that was somewhat understandable! Please give me your suggestions, thank you!