BLISS RATING: ★★★★
“Don’t look for a pretty face, it will turn old one day. Don’t look for a soft skin, it will wrinkle one day. But look for a loyal heart that will miss you every day and love you forever.” – Daily Inspiration Quotes
What can you say about this series that has not been said about a thousand other Thai BLs? Oops! I mean Korean. It is so formulaic that I had a hard time distinguishing this from a typical Thai BL, which is a bit disappointing. Usually, Korean BLs are way more distinguishable from Thai but unfortunately this one is not. But that is not to say that it does not have its pinnacle moments. It does, which just pushed it over into the category of being likeable.
It starts out creatively enough. An enterprising young man, Seo Jae Yoon (Yoon Seo Bin), is a hard-working, industrious young man who has invested his money wisely and owns an apartment complex. Seo Jae Yoon is a very focused disciplined individual who is serious about making himself successful. On the other hand, he is strangely needy and gullible.
His friend, Yoo Seung Jung, (Kang Woo Jung) and seemingly previous love interest but now just friends, completely dominates Seo Jae Yoon and manipulates him to the point I would consider him a bully. He knows and understands Seo Jae Yoon’s weakness and vulnerabilities and uses those to his advantage. His character is not very likeable but is so typical of individuals whose personalities are dominating and controlling. And Seo Jae Yoon is unable to see his faults until he himself can see them for himself and realize how gullible he has been.
In a rather comedic fashion, a chaebol by the name of Ji Hoo Joon (Kim Ji Woong) has finally pushed his father to the limit and cuts off his son’s playboy lifestyle and forces him to work. And in that process, Ji Hoo Joon is forced to find a place suitable to his one big caveat. He has a ‘thing’ about water pressure for his shower and the only place he has found that is suitable is renting a room from Seo Jae Yoon. Initially, they do not get along and by a quirky circumstance and unbeknownst to Seo Jae Yoon, he has been assigned to be in a work group headed by none other than Ji Hoo Joon. So, we have a situation where the boss is renting a room from his employee, making him his tenant while the landlord is working for his tenant. That premise is an interesting one but frankly was underutilized. All of that could have been funnier, but the series seemed to just want to stick to formulaic and trope scenarios.
Their journey to finding each other’s affection is, admittedly, fun and there are some good even poignant moments to discovery. But it all feels so rushed and a bit choppy. Seo Jae Yoon has wild mood swings from euphoria to depression and a lot of times resulting in drowning his sorrows in alcohol, which I found disconcerting. Admittedly, Ji Hoo Joon shows a lot of person growth. He is astonishingly handsome but does not use that to lure Seo Jae Yoon. Previously a playboy, once he met Seo Jae Yoon, he has a transformation into an adult young man and becomes focused and becomes surprisingly effective in managing and business. That portion of this story I found to be quite effective and interesting.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? To be frank, I am not sure anyone really stood out. Not that anyone did a ‘bad’ job; simply no one seems to have stood out. Who seems to have stood out the most ironically is Ho Cheol (Holland) who is seen in the beginning and at the end, briefly. Yet, he is the focal point for making things happen. While the role is short and certainly not very germane, it is impactful. He had a certain animation about what he was doing that made him sinisterly believable in a very cute way.
Ironically, what worked for this series is what should not have. What I mean by that is when these two characters were at odds with each other, that is when it was the most believable. They seemed to have sensed who their characters were and went with that. When they began to get close to each other, it felt more like they were reading lines and I got and felt very little chemistry between the two of them.
Perhaps, I may be perplexed by Korean culture and the absoluteness of making personal sacrifices for the sake of others that literally make no sense to me. Admittedly, I am culturally biased. For example, Seo Jae Yoon decides to break off their relationship once he finds out who Ji Hoo Joon really is. Reason? Because HE decided that in light of his status, Ji Hoo Joon would be better off without him so he could marry and have a family and have an acceptable life, closer to his status in life. I just wish these series would be just a bit more REAL and HONEST.
Assuming one felt that way, why do you not seek the input of the person who has just confessed his love to you repeatedly to confirm your misgiving rather than act unilaterally? That then becomes a trope and meaningless. Only two things can cure this – either talk it out OR follow up and the breakup becomes a reality and then both parties live miserable and sad lives.
I know the conventional wisdom is that I did not like this series, but it is enjoyable although I can not put my finger on exactly why. At the end, they do kiss and that seems rather natural.
Maybe, just maybe, if there is a season 2, they can be more intense and intimate with each other to show more of who they really are, what makes them tick, and that the bond between them is genuine. Not superfluous.
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