Secret Relationships (2025)

love this series

best kbl since Semantic Error. the rewatch value is 10/10. The actors are doing so amazing with this piece of art. I am so invested in everyones background story. i want more/dont want it to end so soon. i will definetly read the source material. My favorite character is the mc colleague, imnad with names, sorry lol i really want to see more works from the four mains, they are excellent. i can not express emough how much this drama has rekindled my love for romance and drama. I hope it is will all be wrapped up and resolved well in the end.


I have a weak spot for harem dramas, i have to say lol and this series is doing it as close to how i like it, thats a sweet deal for me lol

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THE PLOT TWISTS

What kind of plot twists are these. I'm obsessed! I couldn't predict most of the things that happened. And that's the reason why this series is a "must watch". All actors played so well their role. The toxicity is so subtle and loud at the same time. This isn't just a love triangle. It's way beyond. And written in a very nice way. In each ep I was screaming to my screen to finally choose the colleague and escape the whole friend zone environment. The trauma Da On had to deal with bc of his "friends/crushes" actions is enormous. He needs peace in life and to finally be happy with no such big concerns. He deserves someone who's kind, honest and caring and not THAT possessive and crazy (giving a side eye to the characters). Glad we got a nice closure in only 8 eps with a full developed story! Shout out to the whole team that created this series and captured so nicely all the emotions.

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"Toxic" is too mild...

First of all I will not dive too much into this series.
You have lot's of reviewers who will explain any detail for you, but I can't be bothered.

While the acting was amazing all characters in this show do need psycho-therapy. All of them. While "psycho professor" & "angry director" do need it most, the other two need it too.

To have a BL where love is regarded as "business" leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. Also the co-worker who at least does not care about Daons background has also a problem with accepting a) rejection and b) listening. I find it quite annoying when characters refuse to listen.

And then there is the lackluster finale... Because it's a BL we get a happy end. Oh would it be so much better if Co-Worker just died and that would be the end for all. But no, he must get his Daon so all the fangirls are happy. Also the final kiss was not that good compared to the scene in his apparment when he was drunk...

Cinematography was top notch, all the details were amazing... but imho it was quite wasted on such a story imho. I liked the beginning but it then spiraled out of control especially with the "angry director" and the "psycho professor". Also who would go for a presentation when the co-worker got stabbed? Would you not inform the attendence and scrap it? Or is it a work-related thing in Korea, that business must go on regardless of what happend? That did not make much sense to me. And then Mr. Director appologizing? Nah, unbelievable, you can't reflect in such a short time on the 11 years you did all the crap.

So overall I'm a bit split about this series, even when I don't mind toxic storylines. It's an above average show, but the story will not be to everyones taste which is a plus in my book but the finale was disappointing for me.

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IS KOREA STEPPING THEIR GAME UP IN BLS????? ?

swear I always liked a Korean Bl, now I’m liking them even more cus (😩) YES, honestly where do I start? (lol), this had my attention like an obsession ARGHH and I’m lowkey mad this bout to end, and for the people that voted for uhh the abusive one and daon to be together, keep one eye open tonight.. I swear. (cause what the heck are you on?)
feel like you should be locked up in the ward with the abusive one and the maniac one.. they’re both kinda out their minds.. I’m rooting for more Bls like this.. like I’m begging you. if you want my attention span this is all you gotta do is write some ISH like this.. I’m tellin ya, now BL writers take some notes, PLEASE FOR MY SANITY, thank you. ;) gonna keep this ongoing cause I’m gonna rewatch it like my life depend on it.

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Twisted and Obsessed kinda Harem Story

Was this the best BL that I have watched so far from 2015, literally Yes.

I really can't stand Red Flag Men, but this drama made me fall for literally the biggest red flag on the planet.

First we will talk about Daon (Junseo). Being the MC of such a problematic show should have made him extremely stressful but he really acted and portrayed the character's emotions so well that I'm his fan from now onwards. Coming to Daon - well the boy has super duper kind heart and all he wanted was care and love which he didn't get from his parents 😔. So he tend to lean towards the men who moved mountains for him. There is nothing wrong in this. He needed protection and our MLs were ready to do anything for him.

3 MLs -

A) Sunghyeon - Greenest and best man whom one can ask for. I would sell my soul for him too. The actor literally behaved like a puppy which managed to pull literally everyone towards him. I would give 1000/10 only for him.

B) Jaemin - Psychopath and my husband. Lol 🤣. I love him the most out of all three MLs because all he wanted was Daon's love. Ideally his ways were wrong but his destination was never wrong. He did everything just to keep Daon under his control. Please I can volunteer myself to be his puppet. The actor literally did 10009% justice to the character. I can't y'all I love him.

C) Su Hyeon - Dude with Anger issues but literally a biggest idiot. There were certain scenes which made me feel sad for him but tbh he deserves it. The actor though, his face was chef's kiss.


The story was really modified and adopted very well in drama when compared to manhwa. So I am greatful for the script writers for that. It kept everyone on toes throught the entire show.

The kisses scenes were literally toooo hot and amazingly good that I was feeling hurt for being single.

It is literally worth it to be witnessing such astonishingly crafted drama. They over took Our Dating Sim to be best Kbl for me.

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Best of first quarter 2025

I dont know why all the BLs I watched in the first quarter of 2025 were either mediocre, had bad storylines (despite the good actors), all wa full of unnecessary scenes and unnecessary dialogues. This one for me was differents. It had a well-written script, no unnecessary scenes and dialogues, and nothing was rushed for this 8-episode series. I loved each episode which seemed to be seamlessly connected.

The characters were also acted well by the four main lead. The two possessive, agressive, obsessive guys made you hate them, but the actors really did it well. I like Daon who seems so naive and cannot run away from this love quadrangle and I like Seon Hyun's cute smile and eagerness to wait for Daon

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This series ended the way it should. Deon and the green flag guy became a part of a committed relationship.

This whole series was a wild ride! The two red flags were so toxic that had they gotten Cinderella it would have been a travesty.

Frankly, if you want a series to present situations for serious discussions about what a healthy relationship entails, this is your movie. From the obsessed crazy guy to the obsessed a******it was toxicity in the extreme. The green flag guy loved with an unconditional love which I would consider rare. Even though Deon did nothing to deserve abuse; unfortunately, his passive personality practically invited it. I can relate to his later desire to become more of who he wanted to be without being dependent on others. I think he was trying to assert himself to the point of being an individual who had the right to choose his own direction in life. But his very passivity without aggressively standing up for himself, however unfairly, made him a target.

The little twist at the very end of the series about the green flag guy has made this a definite rewatch. Now, I have to go back and observe the whole situation from the green flag guy's perspective to unravel just how very much he loved the male lead. I will say the two healthy leads had outstanding chemistry. The green flag guy was a great kisser! I hope that both of them will be paired together in future BL series.

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The Ten Commandments of KBL

Here are the commandments that have been handed down to us by the gods of Korean BLs. They shall be the commandments by which any present and all future KBLs may be judged.

(For more on ratings and my thoughts on the show, see below.)

1. Thou shalt not kiss. Thou shalt not, in any meaningful sense of that word, "kiss". Thou mayst, however, press thy lips against another man’s as thou wouldst a leper’s.

2. Thou shalt not utter the word ‘gay’. For it is a sin. Thou mayst love another man, but if any man shall ask of thee if thou dost, thou mayst answer, “I like not men, I like only you.”

3. Thou shalt refrain from all carnal desires. For it is a sin. The submissive shall resist all attempts at intimacy, and the dominant may not pursue the submissive unless it is known that all his attempts shall prove fruitless. (Aptly mayst thou call this 'ironical'.)

4. Thou shalt respect the difference in height between the dominant and the submissive. Six inches will suffice, a foot too much, three inches too little. As below, so above.

5. Remember thou that there exist only three acceptable settings for a KBL. School, university, and office. For these do encompass all of life. Thou shalt invest thy characters in white jackets with blue borders if at school, leather jackets and hooded sweaters at university, and ill-fitted suits for work.

6. Remember thou that there exist only three acceptable plots for a KBL. Friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and (adopted) brothers to lovers. Thou shalt entertain no other plots besides these.

7. Thou shalt employ no actor that is not thin, wanting of water, and starved for nutriments. The actors must have defined chests, six (or better yet, eight) pack abdominals, and flawless skin. Thou mayst coat the skin with three inches of wall paint to whitewash all flaws.

8. The writer shall inscribe in each tale at least one instance of timejump, forced separation or miscommunication. The unimaginative shall employ all three.

9. Thou shalt choose from among the following ornaments at least three to embellish thy tale: accidental fall and catch, gentle wiping of the lips (for there is a general want of raiment in our kingdom), gentle forehead kiss, gentle forehead pat, gentle lock-of-hair restoration, gentle fever (oftenest from a mere drop of rain), a gentle towel bath for that fever, gentle wound-tending, gentle somnolent confession, gentle amnesia (from a mere drop of wine) to wipe out the memory of that confession, and, forget not thou, the not-so-gentle eleventh hour crisis that shall precede the felicitously ever after.

10. Thou shalt by no means indicate homophobia in thy tale — in this, our most homophobic realm — unless it furthereth thy plot and our cynical purpose. Friends and family shall be universally supportive, unless it force a separation between thy characters. Remember thou always that this is a world of pandering fantasy, not reality.

Biblical Proportions (so far):
Commandments Broken: 1 (!!!).
Commandments Obeyed: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Purpose:
* I wrote out these commandments as a review for another show, because, let's face it, KBL has basically become an IKEA assembly line, built out of the same few plots, not to mention drawing from the same pool of well-worn tropes. I tested the commandments with two other shows before, and their predictive power astonished even me. So, this is my tongue-in-cheek way of poking fun at KBLs, and drawing attention to those that are more original.
* My system is this: I’ll start with 5.5 throughout. For each commandment broken, I’ll add half a star to the story. (If the first two commandments are broken, I’ll add a whole extra star to the overall rating.) And for each commandment obeyed, I’ll deduct half a point from the story. If a commandment is obeyed, but in a subversive way, I’ll count it as broken.
* On how I rate the cast, I shall be unabashedly shallow. A hot cast automatically gets 5 stars. Shirtlessness gets an extra star. Decent acting adds another star or two. Nudity, or proper kissing, or any sign that the actors have no fear in portraying gay intimacy, will add a whole star to the total rating.

Ratings:
— Well, well, well... This is the first time I have seen both the first and third commands broken in KBL, and that too in the first half of the show. And one of the leads is an idol, no less! Is KBL finally getting past its Prudence Clearwater phase?
— Other than that, it has so far obeyed every commandment from 4 to 10, all of them in the first two episodes.
— The actors are all quite cute, and the leads have shown that they are not afraid of portraying gay intimacy, all of which earns them a rating of 6. I'm not convinced, however, that they are good actors. (But then, that requires a decent script.)

Further Impressions:
— This show is so stupid. Even by the first episode, it’s clear that Da On and Seong Hyeon are end-game. Seong Hyeon is such a ‘green flag’ he might as well be a leprechaun celebrating St Patrick’s Day in an Irish pub. He's also quite dull. Plus, it's always been always clear to me, from the cartoonish monstrosity of Su Hyeon, that he's not the real villain, that Jae Min is. And, of course, Da On is a hothouse flower throughout, who has no agency, and who just bends to the will and whim of everyone else.
— I'm sorry, but who writes these plotlines? In what universe does a "contract" of mutual restraint make sense? And in what universe is that a viable plan to keep a man by your side forever? And, and, and... in what universe will anyone agree to abide by that contract? I can't for the life of me imagine a gay man coming up with any of this, because we are far more likely to just fuck and be friends, or enter into a polyamorous arrangement, than contrive any of this Hallmark Channel/Lifetime Movie nonsense.
— No, seriously. Who comes up with these plotlines? JaeMin is supposed to be this manipulative mastermind, who was devious enough to come up with that meaningless "contract", yet, for 11 years, he stood next to Da On, and did nothing? 11 years? You waste a decade of your life on a relationship that is yet to be, that you desperately want, for which you will go to any sociopathic lengths, and yet, you sacrifice the best years of your life by being celibate and warding him off?
— Does Da On have a magic b***y or something? Why are three men into him? No, seriously, why? I see that he's cute, and is a shy maiden, which is of course a catnip for monsters in KDrama. But it's not as if there aren't others out there. Nevertheless, three men are devoting their lives to this wet blanket, scheming and pining and plotting and stabbing themselves... Does he wear a secret perfume called 'Pour Drapeaux Rouges'?
— As for the finale, let's just say, it was worthy of the best (or worst) KDrama by way of Mexican telenovelas, with some Bollywood melodrama thrown in for good measure. It was gloriously silly.

Verdict:
Well, it had everything: love quandrangles, passive bottoms, cartoon villains, self-harm, kidnapping, a near-homophobic 11th hour crisis, gay kisses (in KBL!), utterly ridiculous plotlines, and the most boring green-flag seme I can think of. If this is your thing, go for it!

Reader's Digest:
DO SAY: The key to an Open Relationship is honesty & communication.
DON'T SAY: The key to a Secret Relationship is mistrust & manipulation.

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definitely worth your time.

Secret relationships is one of the less predictable BLs out there. Amazing acting by the whole cast, as you follow the four leads and their decision making, your view and/or opinion of them sways.

Little disclaimer, this series does touch on topics like domestic abuse and psychological manipulation for those that may have a hard time with these. If you aren’t sure how you will take it, watch it with a friend, or wait until you feel you are ready.

For those that have read the web-novel, it is still worth a watch. If you love heavier drama in you BLs, this one is for you.

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Bittersweet great drama

I have to say, as someone who likes toxic tropes when it's well handled by the author, I enjoyed this drama quite a lot!
Not really sure I understood everything, but it kept me on the edge of my seat every wednesday and thursday.

Here are some stuff I particularly liked:
-The acting. I'm tired of BLs where the more masculine figure is always pokerface cuz they are *mysterious* and are never affected by anything. The acting direction there was moving, subtle but strong and always right on point, and the actors did such a great job delivering it.
-The filmography. Many shots came out really beautiful, adding a lot to the story each time. Wether it was how the characters were placed in the frame, or the light (like that glowing sunlight when Seonghyeon and Daon were talking on the hospital bed), you can tell the director/filmography operator really thought deeply about the meaning of their shots. the metaphores are also on point, like for example when Jaemin and Daon fell on Jaemin's chess board to symbolize Jaemin's plan was falling apart, or when they all offered Daon a ring but while Suhyeon and Jaemin's are super detailed or in gold with diamond, Seonghyeon's is simple and portrays well his sincere feelings.
-Seonghyeon. The greenest of the green flags, mostly because he communicated every single of his thoughts. Loved that.
-The redemption. I was so scared at first cuz the only reason Daon said he wouldn't date Suhyeon was because it was too late, and they never mentionned his anger issues until the very last moment. So I'm glad they didn't end up together because in some other BL's i've watched, the mentality was "yeah right he's toxic but he's just a boy in love~". Bullshit. So glad it turned out logically and every one was put in their place.

Some stuff I enjoyed a little less:
-I did not really get the logic as to why Jaemin rejected Daon's confession. I mean I understood it was because he knew Daon had a crush on Suhyeon, but what about it? Wasn't his whole plan there to get him to like him? If I think really hard it kinda makes sense but that was a bit far-fetched.
-Daon. I think he was fine as a character and cute, but I feel like when you want 3 character to be obsessively in love with a 4th one, you gotta show the audience how great/interesting of a person they are, at least a little. Daon spent the whole show enduring the other's behaviors, so we didn't really have the time to get a clear characterization from him. They kinda screwed the "show don't tell" rule with him 3 times because: 1. They mentionned a few times that Daon used to be poor and was scared to struggle again, but never do we see him worried about his own money. He worries about his dad, his sister, but never about himself. Apart from him not going to the restaurant, we never see him use cheap methods or habits that he could've picked up from being poor. 2. Seonghyeon says that the reasons he fell in love with him was because he was direct and strict but always kind and considerate of the others, but that was pretty soon in the show and we hadn't seen him act such way with Seonghyeon or in general at that time. 3. The moral for Daon seems to be that he doesn't need to be on the same level of his partner to fall in love with them. I can't recall a single time where Daon has expressed or shown it as an issue when it came to Seonghyeon.
-Daon and Seonghyeon's relationship. Of course I'm happy they ended up together cuz they deserve to be happy in a healthy relationship. But Daon spent so much time enduring the two other's bullshit and Seonghyeon trying to understand what was going on, that they didn't have enough time to really develope their relationship.

To conclude, it wasn't revolutionary but it was a really interesting watch and it was pretty intense, so I'd recommend it 100%

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