Heesu in Class 2 (2025)

Girl, IDC about the negative remarks. This deserves a vast support now!

It's NOT straighwashing, I tell you ahead and don't listen to those nitpicking the series. Its main focus are the GAYS! Probably the heteros are there to create a sense of diversity?? Why are yall hating (youre like straights hatin gay relationships but in diff font) ? Besides, even if the series is changing the manwha, the essence of the story is still there—HEESU AND HIS FLUFFY CRUSH!! And hello? It's an "ADAPTATION" (directors could change however they like). I said what I said because this series is for the GAY! I hope yall will support this because kbls with big names are vv rare. Let's boost this series so they would continue creating something about LGBTQ. Don't drown the drama plsss this can be a gateway for more in the future duhh... BTW, 2 eps remaining and hes close to confession. I badly need this SLOWBURRNN

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It's about the journey not the destination

I know that sounds trite or cliche but it really is about Heesu's journey. If you're only watching for Heesu/Seung Won and view their relationship as a reward for sitting through the rest of the story this will be a frustrating watch for you.

But if you are willing to strap in for a slow journey of growth and self acceptance, this is for you.

I love how lived in this world feels. All the characters get some development, everything feels real. His sisters are a joy and the sibling relationship is chaotic and fun. The main theme of the drama is "do what you want", ie: stop holding yourself back. And viewing that with a queer lens the meaning becomes almost heartbreaking because so often we can't do what we want.

Heesu is desperate, at first, to keep his crush secret, and again to maintain the status quo of quietly remaining by Chan Young's side. To the point where Heesu doesn't even know who he is outside of that. But in that desperation he forges a friendship with Seung Won.

One of things I really like is how quickly Heesu moves from Chan Young to Seung Won. It doesn't feel rushed to me. It feels very indicative of teenage emotion. His feelings for Chan Young fade before he's realized it and when he's finally forced to move on it doesn't hurt as much as he thought. And now, with clarity, he can see Seung Won. The sparks beginning to fly in episode 8 are delightful to watch and I can't wait for the conclusion.

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Adventures in the Exquisite Anguish of the Adolescent Crush

“How do you end a crush?” ask two different characters in the finale episode of Heesu in Class 2. That question vexed that duo (and others) for ten episodes worth of adolescent anxiety. Finding a solution at that age? Never easy. The high school romance genre is evergreen because the experience of being an adolescent is universal. Nearly as universal? The experience of being an adolescent awash with romantic feelings for someone close-at-hand, feelings an inexperienced teen may simply have no clue how to direct. Not without risking embarrassment and exposure. Keeping the crush a secret can become an all-consuming mission of its own. Left unspoken, after all, a crush cannot bring pain—except the pain of unrequited love. For a closeted gay boy, the crush itself is perhaps not even the chief secret. Preserving the secret of the closet can outrank the desire to confess a crush because the risks of revelation as gay can seem exponentially greater than placing one’s emotions on the line. Gay or straight, determining when to reveal a crush is tricky. Heesu in Class 2 captures the exquisite anguish of that time in life more deftly, more sweetly, and more creatively than any other high school romance series I’ve seen. The plot derives tension from words left unspoken, confessions deferred. Some patience will be required of the viewer, but when the confessions at last flow, the catharsis feels sweet.

Explaining the plot almost requires a diagram. A has liked his best friend, B, for ages but doesn’t wish to risk their longstanding friendship by confessing to another boy. Meanwhile, B likes C. She actually likes B back but chooses to conceal it. (It’s a strategy.) C’s best friend D likes A. D wants to keep A and B apart, while A wants to keep B and C apart. Naturally, D enlists A to help him court C (whom he does not like). You know, as anyone would. Strategically, the matchmaking effort will afford D opportunities to interact with A, while keeping A away from B. A accepts this role as putative matchmaker because he hopes to take C off the market, refocusing B’s attention on himself. Did I mention that C is a sympathetic co-conspirator on D’s scheme to win over A? Well, that cooperation itself thwarts her own clandestine pursuit of B, but that contradiction just adds to the fun. Ultimately, D’s ersatz courtship of C sparks jealousy from B, a turn of events that propels their story forward. Eventually, A (Heesu) must come to terms with the fact his crush has chosen another. He soon refocuses his attention on D, but his dilemma has not changed. Confession risks not just a broken heart but possible social ostracization should his attraction to boys become known. And, so, keeping secrets secret becomes a major concern in this plot. (Perhaps to the detriment of the series, since it sometimes feels as if the story is caught up in endless circles of futility.) D and A have fallen for one another, but the safety of the closet prevents either from speaking his truth. With all of this misdirection, Heesu in Class 2 becomes, low-key anyway, a bit of a farce and very much a comedy of manners.

Preposterous as all of the foregoing may sound, the crucial thing is that the characters feel emotionally honest at all times. That owes to some very fine work by the cast at conveying the emotional turbulence felt by each character. You have known a teenager who has acted loony in love. Maybe you were that teenager? These portrayals will recall to mind those by-gone days. Lacking confidence about their prospects for romantic success, each of these inexperienced wannabe players struggles to determine the right moment to confess their true feelings. One side-character girl even persuades the object of her desire to confess his feelings to a different girl entirely, precisely because she knows his feelings would not be reciprocated. His heartache could be her chance, but he needs to feel it first. “I got tired of waiting. I want him to get rejected quickly. Will it be Day 1 for me today?” She delivers that line to A—by now, smitten instead with D—who is inspired to accelerate his own confession. This minor side couple exists to illustrate another attribute of teen-aged romance: learning to accept when your crush has chosen someone else. At times each of the four lead characters must grapple with that possibility—and A (Heesu himself) feels it most keenly. Maintaining a secret crush thus presents its own risks: the risk that someone else will swoop in first. The tension born of waiting—waiting for someone to realize their feelings for you; waiting for the nerve to confess your own secrets—encapsulates what makes this series tick. These teens make (mostly) bad choices; yet, most former teens will empathize with the thought processes that yielded such decisions. Been there. Felt that.

As if capturing the flavor of unrequited youthful ardor is insufficient accomplishment in itself, Heesu manges an even more impressive feat, one few BL series bother to attempt. Heesu in Class 2 walks the line between the straightforward sweetness of BL-style courtship (seldom grounded in reality) and intelligent representation of the queer experience (often grounded in depressing reality). It is scary enough for a straight boy to confess to a girl or vice versa. But for those contemplating confession to another of their own sex, the potential pitfalls take on added layers of concern. In fact, a likely reason the writers matched a straight crush (B for C and C for B) with a gay crush (A for B and D; D for A) may precisely be to illustrate how the pressures of keeping secrets operates differently for closeted gay boys. Consistent with that theory, resolution for B and C arrives much earlier in the story. They simply had less to risk, and thus acted much sooner on their feelings. Completely closeted, A is in no hurry to confess to either boy he crushes on. I do not perceive Heesu as afraid to risk his heart. Rather, he cannot fathom the social consequences if the confession goes awry. By the penultimate episode, his secret crush on D has become more than he can bear. Perhaps, in part, because he now has had the experience of watching his first crush (B) pursue someone else without ever having taken his own shot. That wisdom propels him not to replicate the error with D, but more: he seems to have recognized a new despair. His own identity has become imperiled. “Now I’m going to tell, too. [Voiceover] Before my secret swallows me up. Before I fall into this dark hole forever.” Queer people will recognize that feeling as well, when the safety of the closet seemed to offer more harm than comfort. That is the sort of thing that galvanizes the closeted to come out.

HIC2 does not shy away from depicting these added layers for queer people, but neither does it belabor them. The BL genre occasionally uses the familial ramifications of same-sex romance to create conflict in the plot (the angry parent), but the genre typically disregards, blithely so, the ramifications to the individual in emotional and social terms. At various moments, it is clear both A and D, each shy from confessing his feelings precisely due to internalized homophobia. So long as it remains unspoken, the secret crush does not threaten the safety of the closet. Voicing those hidden feelings, after all, risks more than just rejection from one person. In a later episode, after C and B have found their way to each other, C becomes exasperated with D’s continued avoidance of his crush on A. She thinks a confession would solve his suffering as it had hers earlier. He will have none of it, and any queer person who has spent time in the closet will understand his response. “Do you not know, or are you pretending not to know? It’s much harder for me to just confess than it is for you. Have you ever thought about that?” The script sees no reason to elaborate on this explanation. A meta-theory as to why: perhaps because the Korean writers wish to shield any heavy-handed observation about gay truths from a domestic audience still uncomfortable with accepting queer attraction as a legitimate alternative. But an in-universe theory works equally well: perhaps because actual friends would understand each other without the added exposition needed to articulate those unspoken gay truths. In any event, C admits she was “just pretending” to be unaware of why D hesitated. But neither does this concession modify her advice. She quickly reminds him that he cannot move forward from, cannot bring a close to, the perpetual anguish rooted in his unspoken feelings without being open about those feelings. “There’s no other way anyway,” she sums up. Moving forward still requires a confession no matter the risk of rejection or the risk of his same-sex ardor becoming exposed. Heesu in Class 2 thus provides the viewer both the endorphin overload expected from top-notch BL shenanigans but also insight into a teenager’s emerging self-acceptance of a gay identity. The balance is tricky, but it works here quite well.

Finally, Heesu in Class 2 does not forget two other bugaboos of teen life: tension from living with family and having the courage to pursue your dreams. We spend the most time with Heesu (A) and his three older sisters, none of whom has proven to be a great role model for romantic success. The romantic trials and tribulations of his three lovelorn noonas prove instructive to Heesu as he navigates his own dilemmas in that department. Their household is raucous but loving. Most importantly, Heesu’s sisters are present in a way that both B and D, alienated from their own nuclear families, wish they could experience. Often left home alone, D leads a solitary existence. Living next door to Heesu and his sisters, D can hear the shouted teases and arguments emanating from that household. He clearly craves those kinds of familial ties for himself. An odd little scene where he joins Heesu and sisters for breakfast proves surprisingly affective for the wistful way D listens to the siblings banter. Just a routine morning at the Heesu household, but a type of familial closeness beyond D’s reach.
Meanwhile B has family issues of his own, related to his desire to pursue tennis. His father deems that activity a waste of time, a distraction that will hold him back later in life. Their relationship frays so badly over this issue that B eventually runs away to live with Heesu. (Naturally, B’s insertion into Heesu’s daily routine comes along precisely when the title character has not only resolved to accept B’s burgeoning romance with C by getting over his longtime crush, but also as he is beginning to crush instead on D.) Meanwhile, C dreams of a career as a professional musician. This subplot adds texture to the character and reinforces some of the series’ overall themes, but it carries far less weight than nearly everything else. Nevertheless, any added complexity to a Korean-BL is welcome, since that country’s BL plots tend to be stripped down to the bare essentials. The worldbuilding in HIC2 extends far beyond the BL storyframe, and the series is richer for it.

Heesu in Class 2 presents one of the more common experiences among high schoolers anywhere, anywhen, any sexual orientation: the surge of amorous emotion that overwhelms the developing personality. Yet to cultivate the social skills or social confidence to cope with those feelings, teenagers make choices that may not be in their own best interests. Streaming services these days abound with series that tackle this near-universal moment in the modern life course. That period when fear of what may follow a confession paralyzes us with indecision. That period before we become acquainted with either the sting of rejection or with the thrill of acceptance. The high school romance genre flourishes generation after generation precisely because watching fictional characters suffering through an unvoiced crush evokes from almost everyone a nostalgia for their own adolescence. Usually, the wistful variety. What might have happened, if only I’d done something differently? What if I had spoken up sooner? What if I had never spoken at all? Whether or not to confess, to take that secret crush from deep inside your own heart and lay it bare….that is a dilemma with which nearly all of us have wrestled at some moment or another. The cast and crew of Heesu in Class 2 have captured these adolescent insecurities most adroitly. The comedy feels grounded in reality. The absurdity, not so far-fetched. This series is worth the time to watch.

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Do not watch this drama if you're not ready

If you want to watch men kissing and being romantic with each other, this isn't the drama for you. If you want more adult content or stories that resolve quicker, then this isn't the drama for you. If you want a perfect BL fantasy in which all characters are magically gay and nobody questions their sexuality, this isn't the drama for you. If you're not going to watch this drama with an open mind, then this isn't the drama for you.

I had been excited about this drama for the past 3 years and I must say, I was not disappointed. Was this drama just like the original WebToon? No. It is an adaptation afterall. Was it a perfect adaptation? Not that either, but was it good? Yes.

When the trailer dropped, the reception from Korean and non-Korean audiences was very different. Many Korean fans were simply excited about it, whereas international fans were ready to hate the drama. Thus, I ask you, if you're not open minded, you're only going to see the flaws in the drama. Actually, not the flaws, but the things that you wanted that were never going to be there. Most comments kept talking about this drama being another heteronormative straight washed Korean drama, and I was so confused. I've seen many Korean BL's and none of them have ever been straightwashed except one. Spring of Crush. That drama was a huge disappointment. The original is BL but the drama was changed to bromance and completely eliminated the romantic storyline. But apart from that, I've never seen any Korean BL's actually straightwash their content. So I was confused, to say the least.

In preparation to this drama, I had read the Webtoon years ago and one thing that I loved about this webtoon compared to other BL's was that it wasn't exactly a BL drama. As a gay man myself, also having lived in Korea for many years, one thing that I liked about BL's is the fantasy aspect that helped me escape reality. But on the other hand, I didn't like how the genre of BL fed onto this fantasy that every man is magically gay, there are no female characters at all in many BL's and the fact that they're attracted to men is never addressed nor of importance. It just is that way. That bothered me because it was just too perfect and I couldn't fully feel a connection to the characters at times. It was simple fanservice. But Heesu in Class 2 was different. The fact that they had their friends hide their lovey-doveyness because being gay in high school like this would be an issue, the fact that Heesu is in love with his straight best friend and he stays straight the whole time. He wasn't magically gay or bi all along, nor does he suddenly realize he actually likes bi. This isn't exactly a queer Webtoon, but it's the closest BL to seem really relay the queer experience in a light enough way without taking away its meaning. This is the main reason I loved the webtoon. So much so that I thought the author was a gay man, not a girl.

Now did the drama deliver on the main essence of webtoon? Yes. Completely and fully, yes. The thing that annoys me the most about most hate is people calling it Chanyoung in Class 2 or a straightwashed drama with BL characters as side characters. Which I think are huge exaggerations and I stand by what I said. If you want a perfect BL fantasy in which all characters are magically gay and nobody questions their sexuality, this just isn't the drama for you. This drama isn't actually about Seungwon and Heesu, nor is it about Heesu and Chanyoung, nor Chanyoung and Jiyu. This drama is about Heesu. This drama is about love, and its many many forms. So the main essence of the drama is still very much present.

Heesu's journey with accepting himself. With his world that revolves only around Chanyoung and no one else. His immaturity, his determination not to lose Chanyoung and actually try to confess to him, to be with him. Him learning that he really doesn't know what he actually likes, only what Chanyoung likes. Seungwon being the one who wants to know HIM, for who he is. And him for the first time having someone take interest in only him. This all is still very much present. This isn't simply a BL story, the main focus was never Seungwon and Heesu getting together, but Heesu learning what love is. Heesu maturing and growing. And Heesu did just that, the whole drama. He learned to let go and let Chanyoung be happy. Him learning to take initiative, to take courage. Learning love through the experience of his older sisters. Him feeling insecure in being himself and coming out and seeing Seungwon with two moms giving him that reassurance that no matter what, he at least wouldn't hate him for being gay.

The important and subtle message of the drama stayed the same. In no moment in the original webtoon (which I read in Korean, so I don't know how it was translated to English) did they say the word gay outright from what I remember. The drama kept that. They don't say the words because they aren't needed. The fact that we get a scene in which Heesu can come out to one of his sisters? That was powerful. The fact that we get to see Heesu cry and get the courage to accept himself and eventually come out? That's powerful. This isn't a BL where you get to see the main couple get together and be cute together. This is a coming of age story in which we get to see two gay teenagers learn to accept themselves, take courage and take a chance on love despite everything. I actually also loved the change with the drama in which Heesu is interested in the things related to space. The metaphors really added a lot to the story.

Now I don't think it was all perfect. Honestly in the original, I actually kind of had wanted Jiyu and Chanyoung to get together, but Chanyoung not succeeding in love for once was something that added to the story in the webtoon. But we get a music arc with Jiyu and a tennis arc with Chanyoung that really did add to the characters to a degree. I think saying the drama was about them is a huge exaggeration. However I do think they kind of messed up the characters of Chanyoung. Chanyoung was originally aware of Heesu's in crush and wanted someone to come and take over to save him from his own heartbreak. Making him unaware changed the dynamics of the drama and did a disservice to the character. I do like the ending in which we get to see him show up for Heesu and say he'd be there for him no matter what, which is important for Heesu. However I do think that he could've apologized and that was portrayed in a more selfish and self-centered way. But a good looking guy who's popular and in high school? I want to say that isn't a little more of a realistic take on how a real high school good looking guy would react? I do think he was selfish and lacked accountability though.

I do however like that all the characters were flawed in many ways and immature. They got to grow and learn a lot. I loved the love arcs with all 3 of his sisters, which really served to show Heesu learning and growing while relating to his own love life and struggles. All female characters in this drama were great. Even the slight bullying that happened over instagram was an interesting addition to the plot. Seungwon standing up for Heesu as well.

So again, I'll repeat. Is this a perfect adaptation? No. Is this a straight washed heteronormative Korean drama? No. This isn't a story that's supposed to be fanservice to please the fantasy of gay men relationships. This drama was from the beginning to the end about love and about Heesu. Heesu's growth, coming to terms with his sexuality, coming out and finding love. It was about that while we got to see the growth of everyone else around him relative to him as well. I loved every bit of this drama and would highly recommend it to anyone who's willing to watch it without comparing it to the original source material too much and without expecting a BL fantasy.

One last thing, the acting. This is by far one of my TOP 5 BL dramas overall and of the best in terms of acting. None of the actors gave weak acting deliveries. Until the end, every emotion, every scene was done with superb acting. Unlike many other BL dramas in which there are many new actors who were unable to deliver the emotional depth of queer characters or even have basic acting skills, this drama had none of that. Ahn Jiho's portrayal of Heesu was a bit manlier than the original, but he kept the bratty, innocent, dreamy and loving good hearted nature of the character. And that boy can cry like no other. I keep replaying the confession part of the last episode over and over just to see them act. Do I wish there was more of the main couple? Yes, sure. But it was never about them. It was about Heesu's growth and if you actually stop looking for a fantasy of gay relationships and watch through the eyes of Heesu as a character, this drama is really good.

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heesu and seungwon screentime when?? heesu and seungwon dating era when??

I actually have personal beef with the writers...First they just add an unnecessary straight couple and gave them TOOOOOO much screen time...like we got to see their dating era but not the main couples?!? Then they butchered chanyoungs character HORRIBLY like that is NOT my chanyoung bro...manhwa chanyoung would never... Also, not to mention, the main couple didn't even get together until the last 10 mins of ep 10 like are we being serious right now? they also added the most unnecessary side characters...IDGAF about them, i couldn't care less about hosik or that carrot girl...oh my lordd. LIKE WHERES MY SUNWOO AND DAMH?!?!?!?

Neow lets talk about chanyoung....In the manhwa i did find chanyoung to be annoying at first BUT he's that character that grows on you and by the time i completed reading the manhwa, chanyoung was my 3rd fave character. HOWEVER, in the drama I genuinely despised chanyoung at all times. Whenever he showed up on screen, i sighed and skipped. One of my fave parts in the manhwa was when chanyoung found out seungwon liked heesu and he helped seungwon to build a relationship with heesu, along with the help of jiyu. Chanyoung cared a lot about heesu in the manhwa and loved him, but in the drama that's a whole different story tbh...It can be arguable but personally I don't think chanyoung was a good friend towards heesu at all. The mischaracterisation of chanyoung goes crazy cause did the writers not read the manhwa or smth?? Did they have hatred built up for chanyoung?? Like do you have beef with chanyoung?? How does one actually mess up a character this bad...

Now the unnecessary straight couple, which I think ruined the drama the most. In the manhwa jiyu and chanyoungs PLATONIC relationship was the best but ofc in the drama they had to change that. In my most humble opinion, manhwa jiyu would genuinely throw up if someone ever shipped her with chanyoung and fight me all you want but jiyu is a girl kisser. I don't make the rules. Everytime they got screen time I would just skip those parts. I didn't care about their relationship at all. What was the reason to make them a couple?? What's the point of adapting a bl manhwa if the main couple get less screen time than the 2nd couple that didn't even exist in the manhwa?? So you would get better response from the audience?? Then just don't adapt a bl manhwa bro lmaooo. Is it really that hard?? There's like 100000 straight manhwas, go adapt those if you want a straight couple SOOO bad.

Heesu and seungwons relationship in the manhwa was the cutest and was still cute in the drama but it can't compare to the manhwa. In all honesty, if we took and added all of the screen time heesu and seungwon had, it would be about a length of a movie. Like 2 hours?? maybe?? That says A LOT of how much the drama was ruined. The title is 'Heesu in class 2' HEESU!!! But it felt more like 'chanyoung in class 2' not cool guys...nawt cool at all...

They also just completely erased the, ACTUAL, 2nd couple... like damn alright...what's your beef with gay people...

Finally, they just dragged the whole drama so much cause personally, in my opinion, the amount of unneeded screetime chanyoung had with all his idek tennis problems or smth, unnecessary side characters (NOT TALKING ABOUT MY LESBIAN QUEENS) and, sorry but, jiyus whole music artist thingy, should've been heesu and seungwons screentime and the confession should've, at least, happened around ep 7 or 8 so we could've seen their dating era. Also I was just disappointed with the confession scene as well because in the manhwa it was so cute and everything but in the drama it just made me mad. They also ruined the trip arc smh... so uhh yeah they ruined a lot of things including most scenes of heesu and seungwon (the main characters...)

Heesu in class 2 will forever be my favourite manhwa but the drama??....ermm a very hilarious question actually!! The reason I watched this and finished it was because, 1) well it's an adaptation of my fav manhwa and 2) the actors. That's it. ANYWAYS I hope my other fav manhwas NEVER get a live action again or if they do get a live action, I PRAY AND HOPE it's like semantic error and our youth (peak).

Watch this if you want but you should DEFINITELY read the manhwa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so yeah this is my first time writing a review so don't hate smh...

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a nice watch altho annoying, plenty of laughter and some tears

In a daisy-plucking spring full of more do-I-like-it-do-I-not genre-mixing shows, Hee Su in class 2 is a mild but annoying example. Neither fish nor fowl -- based on a popular BL manhwa, rewritten as a basic high school romedy with an ensemble cast. 2 main couples, one gay, one straight, reassorted from two previously established friendships. 2025 kdrama, 10 eps at 50 mins. ea.

The next two paragraphs are a mild spoiler to prevent annoyance in the viewer in the first few episodes, but you will probably guess everything in the first 10 minutes.
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The tall solemn handsome class president, Seung Won (SW), has a secret crush on a nosy, lively, stubborn loyal and loving guy named Hee Su (HS). HS really wants to confess his long-time one-sided crush on his best friend, a popular athlete, Chan Yeong (CY). SW's friend, a loner female musician, Ji Yu (JY), is interested in CY, so the two (SW and JY) must gently pry apart HS and CY in order to date them.

HS expends a lot of comic and mistaken effort to unconsciously keep CY and JY apart, while, of course, as you might expect, in the end, HS and SW tortoise-walk their way into mutual confession and their first relationship.
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Bland and derivative, the high school scenes are still cute. No ghosts/murders/mysteries to enliven things, but the actor, Ahn Ji Ho, who plays Hee Su has the most amazing mobile and expressive face, so his conversations are always entertaining. HIs emotional acting is precise and strong. Hee Su's interior monologues can be very poetic since he thinks of everything in terms of his main interest in life, astronomy. This show drove me nuts but his performance in the last 2 episodes captured a lot of teen angst and brought out the required tears and laughter that a true romedy must produce to earn its name.

However, he contrasting side by side home situations and settings are completely and unimaginatively borrowed from Love Next Door. HS lives with 3 great sisters. A lonely CY next door in a more upperclass apartment is replaced by a lonely SW in the same apartment. The boys talk from one window to another across the alley.

The actor who plays the role of SW, Lee Sang Jun, does a nice job within the limitations of the standard BL romantic lead. He has done lots of support roles so hopefully this will help with better roles.

The actress Kim Do Yeon, who plays JY, as a trainee and group musician has been in and out of the industry. She has a good role in this show and is excellent in it. Cho Jun Young, playing the popular athlete, is nicely paired with her, and in RL is well on his way to playing lead roles.

A fifth and very funny actor, Jeon Yeong In, plays the role of an emergent third couple lead. He joins the knitting club to pursue his crush and ends up finding love because of his tangled pink-yarn creations.

Although right now Hee Su in Class 2 feels like a creepy attempt to co-opt the popularity of the niche genre of BL romance, I imagine that this show will resurface in a few months or years on suggestion lists as an easy watch, and by then will feel a lot less aggravating.

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Too much and not enough.

Oh boy, this might end up being more of a long rant than a review. I’ve had a lot of thoughts over the run of the series, and most of them aren’t very favorable.

Some background: I started watching this drama without reading the source material first. I read the manhwa between epsiode 6 and epsiode 7 airing because I was really curious about what everyone was saying about changes made to the plot and characters. I really enjoyed the first 3 episodes, but hated episode 4, and for me that was where the problems started that tanked the whole series for me.

So I’ll start with the few things I did like.

I liked the overall production value of the series. It was clear that it had a decent budget, the sets - like the characters bedrooms - were well done, the cinematography was generally nice, and the animated title sequence was lovely. I wasn’t crazy about the way the drama was edited, but other than that, the production value was quite high.

I liked the casting of Heesu. I think that Ahn Ji Ho portrayed the character very well. I had some minor issues with acting from other characters, but overall the acting was better than average.

I liked Heesu’s noonas. They were funny and they all had a fun family dynamic.

I liked Ji Yu and Seung Won’s friendship. And I liked that Seung Won’s moms were kept in the adaptation, even if I also felt that their family story was underutilized.

As previously mentioned, I liked the first few episodes and had high hopes for the series as a whole up until it became clear that it wouldn’t be what I expected.

Now for the many things I didn’t like.

First of all, I felt like this drama was way too long for what they did with the extra time. A KBL drama with 10 45-minute episodes is a rarity, which was an exciting prospect at first. But the writers did not use that time well.

There were far too many extraneous subplots that had little substance to them.

I counted 7 side storylines:

Chan young and his tennis playing
Ji Yu secretly releasing music as “Summer”
Chan Young and Ji Yu’s relationship
Heesu’s sisters and their various relationship drama
Ho Sik and his knitter crush
“Carrot” and the counseling message board
The text blackmailer

Here’s the problem: almost all of these storylines were underdeveloped and unsatisfying as written on the show. Overall, the writing for the subplots on this series was inconsistent and poorly integrated into the main plot.

Either they were given outsized importance and then ended abruptly (the blackmailer and “carrot”). Or they were entirely composed of disjointed scenes seemingly randomly placed throughout the run of the series (Heesu’s sisters’ relationships, Ho Sik and his crush). Or they were completely written as plot devices to impel action from other characters but never given any intrinsic emotional resonance (“Summer”). Or they were simply written in a way that was cliche and simplistic, giving viewers no real reason to care (Ji Yu/Chan Young and the tennis plot).

There was just way too much going on and no reason that it had to be that way. If they had just expanded on a couple of these storylines instead of trying to do all of them, the pacing could have been much better and the project as a whole would have felt more successful. But instead they just kept throwing things at us without giving us any reason to care, which in turn made all of these scenes feel like draggy bits of filler instead of important pieces of the story.

So in the end, we get all of these unsatisfying threads of storylines pulling us in 7 different directions away from what should have been the main plot of the drama - Heesu and Seung Won’s developing attraction and relationship.

Which, for me, caused issues with that main relationship plot too. Because it dragged on and on with very little progress to the point that I was no longer feeling the chemistry between Heesu and Seung Won in the last few episodes. That chemistry only started to re-emerge at the very end of the series. Overall it didn’t feel like a “slow burn” to me. More like a sad fizzle.

In a “slow burn” I expect the romantic tension to build as the characters get to know each other. In episode 5, we got a good taste of what a good slow burn *could have* felt like. Heesu and Seung Won genuinely became closer and learned more about each other in ways that were unrelated to Heesu trying to hook Seung Won and Ji Yu up. They should have been consistently be having scenes like that where they share more about themselves and their lives. Ideally, they should be talking about their passions, goals and worries with each other. They should be shown taking care of each other in small ways and should be experiencing moments of intensity that show that they’re passionate about each other - whether those are heart fluttering moments or moments of pure frustration or anger.

I’m not saying that there was none of that in this drama, but it wasn’t at all consistent. Instead we got a collection of stilted scenes between them that were frequently cut off to switch gears to one of the many random, unsatisfying subplots.

I think the worst of these subplots were Chan Young and Ji Yu’s relationship, Chan Young’s tennis story, as Ji Yu’s “Summer” story.

The problem with the Chan Young/Ji Yu pairing is that it’s completely superficial. We don’t dive into what they like about each other and they aren’t shown having any meaningful conversations.

Chan Young is shown to be passionate about tennis despite his dad not wanting him to pursue it. But the problem is that we never actually hear him talk about it except in short scenes with coaches. It feels poorly integrated into the drama because despite the fact that Ji Yu is the only other important character who knows and supports what he’s doing, he doesn’t even have deep conversations with her about what drives his passion, what his goals are, or about the difficulties with his family. That kind of depth would bring so much more intrigue to the story and would also support the romantic development between him and Ji Yu.

Similarly, Ji Yu never talks at all about what’s driving her to make music. How did she get started singing and songwriting? How does she feel about it? When and why did she start her YouTube channel? What are her goals? We barely ever touch any of this. She goes to the audition in episode 8, but we aren’t really told anything about it. What is it for? Why does she want to do it? What is she hoping to accomplish? She doesn’t discuss these things with anyone, and again, Chan Young is seemingly the primary person in her life who knows and supports her, but they never talk about these things at all except through short texts.

That’s why these storylines feel so bland, superficial, and poorly integrated. Because we’re being told that these are the things these characters are passionate about, but the way it’s shown simply isn’t convincing.

And yet Chan Young’s dull tennis playing is treated as one of the main storylines of the show that appears in almost every episode. Ji Yu’s “Summer” storyline is also given inflated importance despite it feeling like a pure plot device that only exists to compel action from other characters.

Even worse is the way Chan Young’s character was written in general. He’s just *so selfish.* He admits that he knows nothing about his best friend of several years, but then blames Heesu for that? He publicly shames his friends for silly reasons (Heesu not telling him who he likes, Seung Won “liking” Ji Yu) but doesn’t even seem to care enough to ask questions about their lives. And then his reaction to Heesu’s confession is to run away, then blame Heesu for the fact that he ran away? And Heesu is forced into apologizing while Chan Young never apologized?? Infuriating.

They completely ruined his characterization from the manhwa. But frankly, you don’t even need to read the manhwa to see that he’s a bad friend in this series.

It was how his character behaved (and how the writers seemed to give him an inflated sense of importance despite never giving us a good reason to care about him) that brought his drama down from a mediocre 5.5 to an abysmal 3.5 for me.

I was also just generally unhappy with how many creative decisions seemed to be made with the goal of appeasing straight viewers. From the addition of the straight couple that didn’t exist in the manhwa, to the way Heesu and Chan Young’s friendship was changed, to the way that Heesu’s coming out was treated in general. It just didn’t connect for me, and I feel like that’s because I, as a queer person, was not the intended audience.

So yeah…I’ll leave it there. I kept watching this drama to the end because I still had hopes of it improving, but those hopes gradually shrunk from episodes 7 through 10. At this point I’m just glad it’s over and now I’m going to rewatch a decent KBL to cleanse my brain of this.

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BL Fans and Lovers, this is basically a Clickbait BL Drama that is a straight drama.

I really loved the music, the cinematography, and you can tell they had the budget to make this series good. Though I love how it showed every characters' side stories in their own lives, this very thing was the reason why the series became confusing and lacking of structure.

And also, you may expect this to the BLs, however my expections were not met. The straight couple in this drama had more romantic scenes and seemed like the focus of this drama rather than the Seungwon and Heesu.

To the "conservative" and LAME writters and director, why make Heesu the "Main character", and make his name the title of this series when you'd just end up putting the focus on te straight couple instead? ITS ANNOYING. The slow burn was too much. The characters only got to show their initmacy by the end of the drama, while in the middle of all that, Chan young and Ji Yu were already showing how lovey dovey they were.

Are Seungwon and Heesu the main couple, or is it instead Chan Young and Ji Yu? (The straight couple) Like be so for real. It seems like Seungwon and Heesuu (The alleged MAIN GAY COUPLE) were overshadowed by the straight couple instead.

Because the way I see it, with how the Straight couple had more screentime, more affectionate scenes compared to the "MAIN COUPLE", they just Queer baited people.

Nonetheless, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DO NOT WATCH THIS SERIES. (Unless you have time to waste)

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Read the manhwa for a proper story about Heesu and Seungwon

Tbh I usually don't write reviews. I just use this page to keep track of the dramas I'm watching or want to watch, but I really wanted to express this. The manhwa Heesu in Class 2 is my favorite of all time, I've re-readed many times, I just love it so much. They are the most adorable and wholesome couple there is. So I was super excited when the adaptation was announced and patiently waited for it to come out. I really liked the first episode, I think the casting choices were perfect. After the second episode I started to think "Oh no, it's going on a different direction". That is not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes it works, nonetheless, i don't think it was the case for this drama. I continued watching it with the mindset that this was not the Heesu that I knew and love, but someone pretty different. I enjoyed it like that. It was a good drama, just not a great adaptation. So if you are interested in the story and actually want to see the story of Heesu and Seungwon, I recomend you to please read the original work for these reasons:

-Chanyoung's character is way better in the manhwa: he and Heesu are actual best friends. It feels like they actually know each other since they were babies. In the drama Chanyoung said himself that he felt that he didn't know Heesu, like WTH? In the manhwa he's concerned and aware of Heesu's feelings, wants him to be happy and doesn't want him to get hurt. In the drama they just made Heesu his shadow, not even like an actual friend, which was very dissapointing.

-Heesu is actually the main character: Yes, the manhwa has more characters, even later we got a second couple (no, i'm not talking about Chanyoung an Ji Yu) but even when they appear, you can tell who our main couple is. Heesu is such a sweetheart who deserves the world, and it focus it on how his feelings change and how he overcomes his past and new crush. We got to see how after helping people with their problems and with Seungwon, he then learns that he was so much more than just Chanyoung's friend. He started to be more aware of his worth. So he started to appreciate the people around him more, he then got more friends who supported him. We don't get to see that in the drama. Don't get me wrong, i loved the actor for Heesu, I think he did an amazing job with what they gave him.

-Chanyoung and Ji Yu are not a couple: When I was reading the manhwa I actually shipped them together for a while. Chanyoung actually had other girlfriend. So when I saw that they were put together in the drama, I actually was happy, but no for long. I think pairing them took away their whole personalities and good points. In the manwha they worked together to get Heesu and Seungwon together, which gave us some of the best moments in the story. They didn't took time away from our main couple, they actually cared so much for them. With Ji Yu you can tell that she's actually best friends with Seungwon, i couldn't feel that at all in the drama, at least I didn't.

-We couldn't see them being a couple when they are so lovey dovey in the manhwa: The couple we saw being a couple, was a couple that was not there in the first place. In the manwha Heesu realizing his feelings for Seungwon, the confession and their first moments as a couple were perfect. But in the drama we just got the confession on the last episode and the only moment we saw after they were together was something about the restroom? you've got to be kidding me.

-Somethig maybe not as important, but I wanted to point it out: Heesu's family is way more likeable in the manhwa.

I think there are a lot of other points, but i'll stop here. I didn't gave it bad score or anything. I think the production was great and I'm usually not harsh when I give scores, so I'm not saying not to watch it, buy if you actually want to see a romance story about Heesu and Sungwon please read the manhwa. They really are the cutest couple ever and we sadly didn't get to see it in the drama.


(Also english is not my first language so I apologize if it's not great)

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What to expect?

You can watch this for a light hearted distraction from real life fall-outs and their chemistry is not too bad. Though as an avid BL fan, i think this series should've focused more on heesu and his love interest rather than the other couple.
Just like every other k-bl, the show focuses more on the confession part yet often falters back on showing their relationship development. The actors were great but the plot could've focused more on heesu and his lover.
I would recommend people watching it but obviously compared to thai, japanese and taiwanese bl, i think korean bls need to be a little bolder by focusing on the boys as they often side track the mls in a mix, gay-staright couple serie just like this one.

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