Secret Relationships

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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There's something about Daon

Jung Daon has a quality that makes the men who fall for him go mad, Ju Seonghyeon being the only exception; This man is too pure and precious to corrupt.

The thing with this adaptation is that it seems to have been made for people that have read the source material as I am not one of them I am left a bit confused, despite the confusion I was able to fully enjoy it though; It is beautiful, fluffy cuteness yet dark and scary at times.

Jaemin's obsession with Daon intrigues me He claims to love him yet avoids a romantic relationship due to the probability that it would end He settles for friendship that way they can be together forever which would be great if not fornthe fact that he doesn't want Daon to be with anyone else He has lied and schemed for 10 years to prevent anyone other than him to come close to Daon and when he's rejected tries to commit murder suicide just so they can be together forever a total wacko, but why exactly what trauma caused this behavior is he just insane for no reason? The last thing he said to Suhyeon is " You don't know why I made that deal with you" Now I couldn't care less if he knows or not because He is just as crazy as Jaemin but I want to know, What was it? was there a time in which Daon had feelings for Suhyeon? Is that why? I woul've liked to see more of Suhyeon and Daon in the past and maybe more on why Jaemin was the way he was.


This 8 episode series was adapted form a 124 Chapter Manhwa, I have seen longer series adapted from far shorter material so I guess that's where the problem lies, it should've been longer explained better the situation in the past. I didn't want to read it because I heard it includes r*pe scenes but I am intrigued.

I still loved it, would watch again and would recommend.

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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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Twisting love and hate

Secret Relationships was honestly such a fun and engaging watch. With twists I never saw coming and jaw-dropping moments every episode, I would highly recommend it if you like a show filled with lying, betrayal, and lots and lots of drama.

Da-on, an assistant manager at a construction consulting firm, finally decides to confess to his crush of eleven years , Jaemin, whom he met in college. As he goes to achieve this, he gets off on the wrong foot with his new coworker Seong-hyeon. At his dinner with Jaemin, the confession gets delayed when Jaemin mentions the return of his ex-boyfriend Suhyeon. Da-on, still determined to win Jaemin's heart, also starts becoming closer with Seong-hyeon. Plus, his past with Suhyeon continues to be brought up upon his return. While attempting to find love, Da-on instead finds liars, manipulators, and frankly psychopaths.

What an intense watch! Every episode was packed full of twists, and it was so fun to watch. The actors did a GREAT job at portraying these characters. It was honestly super well done and super interesting. While portions of the show felt a little over the top and unrealistic, it was worth it for how juicy the drama is.

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A big step in the Korean BL industry

As the title says, for me this drama is a big step forward in the Korean BL industry. It feels so, so good to see something that escapes the "romance" cliché and, unlike many other works that have tried to invest in the psychological genre, actually gets most of the points right. Great cinematography, well-constructed characters, tense scenes that really create tension, and a sweet romance that develops in the middle of it all. If you're not sure whether to watch it or not, oh boy... you should definitely give it a try. It will make you feel a lot of things throughout the episodes — or at least it made me feel — and in particular, I lost count of how many times I had to pause to process some information that was thrown at the audience in a way that no one was expecting, and that's exactly the point of why I'm writing this review: this drama kept my attention throughout every episode. With luck, more dramas like this will be released in the future!

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More of a (wacky) thriller than a romance

This drama is perfect as a Kdrama but not as perfect as a romance/Bl. It’s practically a soft dramatic thriller, with great acting and a lot of twists and turns that kept us on our toes . Unfortunately , because of this…rectangle I was unable to root for anybody because I didn’t even like Daon that much. The only innocent person whom I might have had some kind of feelings for was Seon Hyeon but he was boring and bland. It was exciting to watch though and the actors did a great job. I wouldn’t rewatch it because knowing the end makes it lose its appeal and it was a tad too dramatic (and ridiculous) but I had fun with it these past weeks .

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One of the best dramas, BL or not

Oh Daon, my sweet fella. You finally got what you deserve. This series was just really great. I feel like this set a new standard for South Korean dramas, especially KBLs. It's hands down one of the best dramas I've seen. I might have taken off a half point for the rushed ending, but I couldn't because it was seriously too good to give it any less than a 10.
The story really kept you engaged and kept you guessing. I'm not going to go into all the details of why it was amazing because I'd end up spoiling everything, but if you like suspense and plot-twists, I highly suggest giving this a watch. There are some nice kisses in it too.

Thank you to all the cast and crew who worked so hard on this drama! It was a wonderful experience. Good luck to you all in the future.

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Are We Serious?

Without a doubt, Secret Relationships is probably the best production that we've seen come out of Korea this year, in addition to 8 episodes with a decent runtime. But I cannot deny that this didn't resonate with me in the slightest bit (okay, maybe a bit, but not entirely). Secret Relationship? More like Brutal (Murderous) Love.

Let's Dive In.

This story attracts you immediately with its beautiful cinematography and four incredibly good-looking men to appease the eyes. At first glance, this seems like it'll be an adorable love square; who can win over Daon's heart? Will it be his longtime crush, Jaemin? The darling coworker from work? The aggressive "ex" of Jaemin from the past? It's makes you wonder, it keeps you on your toes, and them BAM! someone is trying to kill him.

The whiplash I got from this series, holy fuck. Everyone just needs therapy and anger management. Other's need just the death penalty, my goodness. At no point was Daon like, "Yeah, I think I should talk to someone about my maniac friend/crush who destroyed the lives of the people around me for his own benefits, and the fact that he tried to kill me." Like.... are we serious?

I know not all series are going to be bubbly and cutesy and have these characters waving green flags, but this was just not my cup of tea. Lots of people love toxic and I hate it. Maybe cause I'm too much of a realistic person. Daon and Seonghyeon won't last unless they go to couple's therapy. I'm being so deadass.

Everyone frustrated me, but no one ticked every nerve in my body like Daon did. I was hoping by the end, he would've grown a backbone and stood up for himself, but instead, he was the constant damsel in distress and never thought to just scream his head off when Suhyeon was being aggressive and gross, or when Jaemin was trying to molest/kill him. Then, instead of cursing him out like he should've, he just... apologizes? Jaemin reading his note in the hospital had me seeing red. What kind of message is that? Why not instead say, "Hey, once you get out of the hospital, you fucking lunatic, the police will be waiting for you. I hope you burn in hell." Like, how come that was never said?!

There's just so many other non-sensical tropes/devices that happen. Daon waited how long to tell Jaemin he liked him? And then coincidentally, Suhyeon shows up? What? And then you learn that Jaemin is a nutcase, and you think about it, and you're like, "You really committed to a no-dating contract that hard that in the time of Suhyeon leaving to go abroad and now, you never thought to finally make your move?" Like...what? Then you have Seonghyeon who is determined not to leave Daon's side even when Daon is telling him it'll never work out, but suddenly he sees a hickey, and he's done? The same Seonghyeon that has been willing to listen and observe this entire time doesn't wanna hear Daon's side anymore? Are we serious?

The only thing I can applaud about this series is the plot twist of Jaemin being absolutely crazy. I genuinely had no idea that was where the plot was headed. Suhyeon might've been fucked over by Jaemin, but he was no saint either. If anything, I still believe that he was the pure villain of this series, with an abominable redemption arc. "Oh Suhyeon, it's okay that you tried ruining my life and were propelling me into walls. At least you weren't trying to kill me!" Again, are we serious?

Soft, cutesy BL is my bread and butter, I cannot lie. If you loved this series, then I love that for you, but this was just a no-no. Then at the end they try and fix everything by throwing in a time-jump and the worst ending kiss I've ever seen, ever.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - Won't deny that I was curious during each episode to see what the fuck was going on. Seonghyeon, my rainbow in the sky. Please run, I promise you Daon's not out of the clear, those men are crazy.

Acting: 9/10 - Stellar!

Music: 5/10 - Distracted me once, but otherwise, fine.

Recommendation Value: 6/10 - this is... brutal. I wouldn't recommend this to someone if they weren't ready for its contents. But, these actors are good, and it's a great Korean BL production, so... maybe?

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