Heesu in Class 2

10/10

I don't understand why people be hating this drama when I loved it. Well, it's not like I've ever understood anyone.
It's a beautiful drama, and I enjoyed it. It represents people out there who like Hee su, have trouble confessing because they're afraid or scared of what the world would say about them... or afraid they'd destroy their friendship if they do confess, and choose to suffer in silence instead. Well, I'm happy he found the courage to confess.

And others like Seung Won who'll choose to love from a distance until they can't take it anymore... People who can be clueless on what they're supposed to do.

And baßtards like Chan Yeong who are blind as f**k and think everything is about them. Didn't like him, not one bit.

And the lady too, she did try to advise Seung Won on what to do. If I were him I'd probably do exactly what he did tho'.

People nowadays always want simple things; confessions in the first episode, rejection/ courting, then dating in episode 4 and five, misunderstanding in episode 6, fighting in episode 7, making up in episode 8... that's boring.

Sometimes slow is sweeter.

Nobody would change my mind on Hee Su. Well, put yourself in his shoes, you try to confess then find out he's going out with someone new, then suddenly he's breaking up with her and wants to pursue some other girl for the first time in history. Whattya gonna do? Confess????????

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Unrequited affection, transformative friendship, the mystery of hidden love

Adolescence is fertile ground for fiction. It's that time in our lives when emotions run high. Every obstacle is the end of the world. Every sexual or romantic attraction leads to hours and hours of thinking in bed. Every photo or comment on social media saves us or plunges us into the abyss of life. Insecurities bring out the worst in us. Waking up in the morning means facing the existential crisis of understanding one's place in the world. And, at the same time, anything is possible.
If we consider that it is scientifically proven that childhood is that key stage for every person, where the intellectual and emotional foundations on which their success or failure as an adult depend are formed, it is clear that Lee Hee Su, the young protagonist of 'Hee Su in Class 2', has all the makings of a rather happy future.
Someone who is aware that, as small, fleeting beings in a universe we don't understand and will probably never understand, we will also be unable to know what the future holds, tells us that we are in the presence of an awake, curious, and thoughtful teenager who seems to have his ideas very clear.
Offering sound love advice to his classmates, even though he doesn't dare apply it to his own love life; talking about crushes when he doesn't even know what to do with his own; being part of an almost utopian universe (that of youth and school) where those who had never paid attention to him begin to seek him out for love advice, where Hee Su himself is the first to be surprised when he realizes that "his special talent" can solve relationship problems, and where love entails not knowing that we won't find love with the person we think we love, but with someone we would never have imagined, this was the best thing that could happen to a boy who keeps the secret of being in love with Joo Chan Young, his best friend. If we add to this the fact that his heterosexual crush, unaware of the feelings he awakens in Hee Su, takes every opportunity to talk to him about girls, including Ji Yu (Park Yoo Hyun), his favorite singer and schoolmate whom he likes so much, it could very well be a trigger for the deepening frustration of having to hide his crush.
And although at times it seems as if his world could collapse with a complex family environment, with absent parents and three single sisters, one of them suffering from heartbreak, everything will change when an unexpected person enters his life.
South Korean female director Park Kyung Min makes her television debut with a coming-of-age story, a youth drama that raises questions about unrequited affection, transformative friendship, the mystery of hidden love, self-discovery, unexpected relationships, and the search for acceptance in a school environment with the freshness of student life.
Far from being just another of the hundreds of LGBT+-themed productions that are increasingly appearing on television channels and digital media, 'Heesu in Class 2' surprises with a complexity and attention to detail that transcends its genre, with its fresh and emotional take on what it means to find one's own path in the midst of adolescence. Ahn Ji Ho, after winning critical and popular acclaim for his roles in the series "Nobody Knows" (2020), "Night Has Come" (2023), and "Begins Youth" (2024), and the films "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" (2018) and "Rebound" (2023), once again showcases his artistic talent in his portrayal of Hee Su, a dreamy, clever, but socially awkward young man whose identity at school has been reduced to being "Chan Young's friend". Kim Seung Won is a destabilizing element in his life. Unlike Chan Young, the neighbor and class president is reserved, shy, studious, and somewhat clumsy, especially around the main character.
Lee Sang Jun, known for his performance as a soldier in the second season of 'Squid Game' (2024) and his appearance in television productions such as 'Beauty and Mr. Romantic' (2024) and 'Blue Birthday' (2021), plays a character whose serious demeanor and intense glances, interpreted as signs of rejection, initially confuse Hee Su. However, he manages to draw him out of Chan Young's shadow when the two meet in the School Guidance Club and begin to interact more. In addition to sharing activities at school, Hee Su discovers that Seung Won is her neighbor, and on more than one occasion, they end up talking through their bedroom windows. This unexpected bond brings them closer, showing Hee Su a different perspective on affection and companionship, something she had never considered outside of her devotion to Chan Young.
The series, which at times reminds me of 'Sex Education' (Laurie Nunn), becomes a kind of healing sanctuary and an unprejudiced adolescent audiovisual. While in the 2019 Netflix series, Otis (Asa Butterfield) decides to use the sexual knowledge acquired through his mother, a renowned sex therapist, to help students and transform their environment, here Lee Hee Su achieves the same results, but resorts to repeating some of the love clichés contributed by her sister, who has also failed to find happiness in love.
This approach is simple and daring, but it results in a series with a completely natural tone, very funny, very well developed, and unfolding quite realistically. It's a reflection of life that normalizes the normalization of certain topics, discussing human and adolescent psychology, and often drawing on the main character's knowledge of astronomy and the cosmic universe.
I have to admit it. I've rarely seen two actors like Ahn Ji Ho and Lee Sang Jun so accurately portray the emotions, awkwardness, and emotional intensity of those first loves and relationships.
Their performances are very genuine in capturing personal growth and self-discovery. As the characters get to know each other, a maturation process occurs through their romantic experiences, centered more on silences, secrets, glances, restrained gestures, unspoken words...
The series beautifully portrays the school as a social center. The school environment created is the perfect setting for adding drama and tension to the characters' romantic adventures. It's also beautiful in depicting the drama of friendship, how friends influence romantic decisions and add complexity to the story with loyalty, jealousy, and support.
Another element we shouldn't overlook is the family dynamic. Lee Hee Su lives with three sisters. Much of the action takes place in their home, while these four characters share experiences and conversations. The series is exquisite in showing how family influence can influence the way the characters approach love. The relationships between Hee Su and her sisters, Lee Hui Jae (Park Kyung Hye), Lee Hui Jeong (Kim Han Na), and Lee Hui Sin (Jung Ye Nok), generate tension and push the protagonist to make important decisions. Other issues we shouldn't forget are how conflicts and dramas inform the romantic stories of Hee Su and Kim Seung Won, on the one hand, and Joo Chan Young and Choi Ji Yu (Kim Do Yeon), on the other. Love triangles, misunderstandings, rivalries, and breakups keep these two stories captivating and full of emotional twists and turns.
Shin Ho Sik (Jeon Yeong In), Hee Su's friend and classmate, is another character audiences will enjoy, as they empathize with a boy who discovers love in a classmate after the girl he's been in love with rejects him.
Ahn Ji Ho's performance is superb. His character struggles with his insecurities, his sexual identity, self-esteem issues, and emotional ups and downs (whether joy, heartbreak, or confusion) as he tries to figure out who he is. Through his insecurities, viewers can understand how this boy deals with love and relationships with everyone around him.
Some vilify the series for not being faithful to the original. I haven't read the eponymous webtoon by Lily Zuzu, published in 2018 by Lezhin Comics, on which it is based, so I can't speak to its virtues or defects as an adaptation, but the creators have the freedom to discard the so-called Literal Adaptation and Condensed Adaptation, to avail themselves of the Interpretive Adaptation, which allows greater creative freedom when adapting the original work.
The truth is, I have no doubt that those who can't do anything, teach. And those who have never experienced love begin to give advice about love. That's the essential premise of the series.
A work with a wonderful rhythm, with perfect and magnificent performances, with a well-written plot that works to create a dynamic that moves the work forward with enormous doses of fun, profound discourses, and brilliant acting. It takes advantage of its themes and has a refreshing perspective on the world and art, with wholesome messages and great naturalness, but above all, it is a very funny series with 45-minute episodes, something unusual in South Korean BL series, which amaze us and make us enjoy the entire length of the series, without the typical filler. A work that gets to the point with what it wants to show and how it wants to entertain us for a few hours.
Along the way, Hee Su resolves the sentimental doubts of both his schoolmates and himself. 'Hee Su in Class 2' has managed to break the prevailing heteronormativity, allowing the visibility of sexual orientations and their expression in young characters, which represents a breakthrough in a country as conservative and patriarchal as South Korea. It offers one of the best scenes of support between a queer character and another queer character ever on television: the moment when Hee Su overhears a girl talk about her feelings for another woman. And, while it vindicates friendship in all its forms (between boys and girls, between gays and straights, from equality and difference), it offers a valuable deconstruction of toxic masculinity. This, I would say, is its most stimulating legacy.

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Not perfect, but still worth watching

I just finished watching Heesu in Class 2 and it wasn’t that bad at all. I know some people complained about it, and yeah, I get it — the straight couple definitely had way more screen time than the bl couple, which was kinda annoying. But at least it wasn’t one of those bls where they force a kiss scene in the first episode just for the sake of it.

I actually really liked how the story focused a lot on friendship too. It felt real and not just like a side thing. The straight couple was okay I guess, just a little too much sometimes, but they still showed a different part of high school relationships.

The bl part was super cute, and the slow build-up made it way more emotional in the end. I got really excited while watching it, and it honestly left a warm feeling. Definitely not perfect, but still really sweet and worth a watch if you want something soft.

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Decent Slow Burn Romance. If you want to enjoy, be generous with the skip button.

Heesu in Class 2 is a decent drama that touches on real and sensitive themes, particularly the struggles of being a closeted queer teen. With a promising setup and strong production values, it had the potential to rank among the best KBLs. However, despite its strengths, uneven storytelling and poor pacing ultimately held it back. That said, if you're willing to skim through the slower scenes, there’s still a lot to enjoy.

The Good:
The drama handled its sensitive themes with grace, realistically portraying the confusion and challenges faced by queer teenagers without feeling overly dramatised. The cast delivered strong performances, with each actor bringing charisma and individuality to their roles, making even quieter moments engaging. The production quality was also impressive — it's not often we get KBLs with this level of production.

The Bad:
While the concept was strong, the storytelling lacked depth. The use of astronomy as a metaphor was one of the very few elements that stood out However, overall character development, particularly for Seungwon, fell short. I loved Seungwon and the actor did such a great job with his character, but the writing failed him. For instance, the drama never clearly established why or when Seungwon developed feelings for Heesu — a detail that, even after finishing the show, remains unclear.
Subplots also suffered from a lack of depth, despite being given so much screen time, resulting in episodes dragging unnecessarily. The pacing was a major flaw: while slow burns can be powerful, here it was poorly executed. I realised by episode 7 that episodes 1-6 could have easily been condensed into 3, as much of the content added little to the main emotional arc.

Conclusion:
Heesu in Class 2 had all the ingredients for a standout drama — strong themes, a talented cast, and impressive production quality — but faltered in its execution. While uneven pacing and shallow storytelling prevent it from reaching its full potential, it remains an enjoyable watch if you’re willing to fast-forward through the slower parts.

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A little different...maybe?

This show has many elements I've been wanting in a BL for a long time, like straight couples as well as gay couples that actually have characters of their own, main leads with an actual family and deep connection, and keeping it real while also keeping the element of fluff.

1. The ML ⭐️
Hee Su is a really good character. He has an actual hobby: astronomy. I say actual because he uses astronomy metaphors to describe what's going on in his life in the best way and this is one of my favorite things in the show. Also he's basically a consultant, giving people good relationship advice all the time. He's smart and caring and learns fast. He's also very relatable, not being able to talk about his 'dark secret' even with his best friend. But in the end he decides not to carry that burden any longer. This is what we've seen in many shows, but this one is one of my favorites, because the characters are so well-written and the context is so well-made you feel it to your bones.

2. Straight Couples 📏
I've seen some people complain about the straight parts in the show, but I couldn't help but love those parts as well. Normally in BL shows there are one straight couple per 10 gay couples. Practically everyone turns out to be gay. Even if there are families and family members, they are gay too. This sometimes bothers me because it's so far from reality. in these BL shows even when people want to ask a guy if he's in a relationship they say 'do you have a boyfriend?' I mean when does that happen? this is normally not the default idea when people ask a guy if he's in a relationship. (Unless they know his sexual orientation.)

I love the straight couples here. They all have their own character with their own dreams and problems and personalities and aren't just there to fill the plot. They actually have a considerable effect on both the story and the ML. Also one thing about the straight couples here is that they don't feel like most straight ones we see in kdramas. Even in kdramas with strong women, there are always moments where the woman needs the man to save her. There's no escape from strong man, weak woman cliche in these shows. Maybe that's why they never satisfied me. But here that doesn't happen; the relationship feels more equal, like ones we like to see in BLs. And also ironically this is closer to reality.

3. The Slow Burn ❤️‍🔥
But maybe my favorite thing here was the slow burn of the change of Hee Su's feelings; the way his one-sided love for Chan Young ended and started for Seung Won. Normally the time isn't enough for that in most shows and the production is not that good for it anyway. But look at this. I loved the last episode very much. That last confession was explosive as it should have been. And again I found myself loving the slow burn romance more than any other type; when they finally confess and start smiling at each other shyly and hold hands, I scream and giggle and kick my feet and nothing else can give me that fluffy feeling but Slow Burn 😍

4. How It Ends 🔚
I Loved the part where Hee Su explains his way to finish a one-sided love, and I agree with him. That kind of love only ends when you use up all the feelings you have for that person, and then you'll calm down. Although I'm not sure how that happens. Maybe if that one-sided crush is simply impossible and also you find a sweet, lovely person who cares for you deeply? 🥰

5. But wait... NO KISS?!
Yes, it felt incomplete. The only reason I'm not mad for the absence of the kiss we've been waiting for so long is that my babies have just started dating. After all the push and pull to start it, it's a bit too fast to expect a kiss. Also the story ended with almost no loose ends... but still there MUST BE a special episode or something. Cuz the chemistry between Hee Su and Seung won was looking delicious and you can't convince me to be satisfied with just holding hands! 😤

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I don't know know but it disappoints me. I have watched so many Bls and it feels that it is not a Bl after all. The focus is not on the main characters. They become secondary to the straight couple. The story drags on and on until the finale. The focus is out of focus. This is the only Korean BL that disappoints me. The actors are good but it seems that the characters are not essential to the story -i.e, the family of Heesu and the other characters. You cannot really connect them to the story nor they serve something to understand the other characters. Compared to other countries, this is not realistic enough to merit our attention. Sorry but sorry as they say !

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Dropped until further notice

I can't beleive that I am watching a bl drama where the MAIN couple are getting less time than the straight couple. The fact that they had to make a non existent plot for the the straight couple just to push the Main one that we are actually watching this for will be just insane to me. Maybe it will change in the future but until then this series is just pissing me off. The straight couple's plot is pretty bland and boring too, quirky girl and a perfect not so perfect guy oh damn haven't heard that before,did you use chat gpt to make the script for them??? No one fucking cares about Cha Young and his fucking tennis balls. I never liked him the webtoon but here he is getting on my last nerve. The first 2 couple episode seemed promising and i thought I would be wrong about the trailer but no,it showed to be true.

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THIS SHOULD BE A BL SERIES!!

The production team should change how they promote the series from BL to a Straight Series. This is misleading and disappointing at the same time, watching it. Less screen to the BL couple is causing distress and suffering in the BL community. Nothing against the actors, they are great but the series sucks. I can't even enjoy it. All I know is that I keep scrolling social media while watching, then stop to watch when the BL couple's screen time. That's all I know.

P.S.
This is my first time giving the lowest review ever. Even the worst BL I've watched, I've never rated them.

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Who is Heesu beyond his romantic interest?

I love the manhwa, but I also understand adaptations aren't obligated to follow the source material. With that in mind, I don't think this is the worst drama I have seen. But, it still falls short.

What I found so interesting about Heesu, but also so incredibly sad is that when we first meet him he isn’t introduced as his own person and he isn't aware of how much his identity is tied to someone else. I don't think the drama explores the complexity of that to the extent that it should.

Heesu is well known in school for giving dating advice, but none of those student even remember his name. He is often referred to as Chan Yeong’s shadow. And while he might not know himself, he knows one thing for sure. He likes Chan Yeong and likes being by his side.

Heesu is trying so hard to be in orbit to Chan Yeong’s universe. But, Pluto gets expelled from the solar system for being so similar to hundreds of other stars and goes from being special to ordinary and Heesu just wants to be special.

His whole identity is wrapped around someone else. He doesn’t know what food he likes because he’ll just eat whatever Chan Yeong wants to eat. He tries to join the video production club because Chan Yeong signed up for it. But, the club is full and for the first time we see a character, Seung Won, who notices something about Heesu that isn’t in relation to Chan Yeong.

He tells Heesu that he is great at listening to others and helping students. He suggests signing up for the counseling club. For the first time, Heesu is being noticed for the significant impact he makes on others. He's recognized as that guy who very specifically likes carrot juice. It’s a thing that he likes that isn't borrowed from someone else.

The moments that stands out the most to me is when we learn more about Heesu as someone more than his unrequited love. It's when we get to see him as an an individual. But it doesnt happen often. We get to see some of that through Seung Won’s perspective as he carefully observes him.

Alone in his own house, Seung Won could hear Heesu and his sister’s arguing next door and you see him smile at all the noise against the silence of his own home. It’s these moments where we get to see into their lives and who these characters are. Seung Won who is lonely and who likes hearing the noise of family being together. Heesu at home who clearly complains and expresses what he likes and doesn't like and doesnt dismiss it like he typically does outside of the home where he'll just eat whatever popcorn or food his friends like.

I wish we got more moments like that, but not enough time was given to learn more about Heesu and Seung Won as individuals. In fact, not enough time was even given on their emerging relationship.

While it’s great that Heesu finally figures out that he likes Seung Won, I wish we got more time with Heesu figuring out who he is as a person that isn't in relation to others. Who is Heesu beyond his romantic interests? The drama spends so much time focusing on everyone else. His sisters, Chan Yeong, and Ji Yu who are all chasing after what they like and their passion. It's fine to include, but not at the expense of sacrificing space to explore Heesu’s self-discovery of becoming the protagonist of his own narrative.

It had the ingredients to be something special but didn't quite meet its potential.

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Beautiful

Reading everyone else’s review, I was honestly disappointed. I was hooked by this show from the first episode. Most of you who started watching this was expecting the normal trope of the boy and his best friend. You also were not expecting that there would be a straight couple as well. Now while I understand that they do get a bit of scene time, I feel as if it is needed. I feel like we get such an understanding of all the characters. This is a slow burn that is really burning for me at least. I have to be honest, when I started watching this, I thought Hee Su and his best friend were going to end up together, which almost always happens in these shows. Boy was I wrong and I’m glad I’m wrong. This show just kind of gives off a really heart warming but a realistic message which you’ll just have to figure out by watching yourself. While there are a ton of bad reviews, I hope this one gives you a reason to give this a try. And come onnnn, it’s rare to get a Korean BL that has 10 episodes with each being over 40 minutes long. They are evolving, and this one is just so beautiful.

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