The Time of Fever

10s across the board

This is such a perfect gem, way more complex and meaningful than the parent series (Unintentional Love Story, sorryyy) and the rewatch value is so high that I've done it 5 times atp. The chemistry between the two MLs is unbelievable: the tension, the burning desire, the inability to fully understand or interpret one another and the delicate examples of genuine mutual care they're showing all through the series/movie are just too beautiful. And the words I'm using are not representative of anything but my poor vocabulary, cause these episodes are definitely more than just beautiful. It's my go to series when I feel like feeling wholesome and sad at the same time. Happy with just 6 episodes, but I saw an interview where the director said they wanted to work with this pair again and I'm honestly crossing my fingers.

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Unexpectedly really enjoyable

I don't usually write reviews, but here I am after the 10th rewatch of Time of Fever. I just wanted to share how well made this short series is.
When it came out I had already watched Unintentional love story and I mean, I thought it was okay as a BL...
It was the usual enjoyable K-BL with a pretty basic storyline, based on lies /misunderstanding, (which honestly is not my favourite trope, so i might be biased) so I didn't expect much from a mini series on a side couple, which had a little to no screen time.
Well Time of fever exceeded my expectations, the actors did such a good job, the chemistry is phenomenal, the soundtrack is really good and the whole scenery give such a feeling of happiness and youth, while showing the complexity of feelings of a young love in a difficult situation.
I love how they shown us their feeling progressing together, good and bad moments and finally explained why their relationship would be so complex to develop even in an adult context.
In general if you need a chill serie to binge watch in a night, with a nice storyline and a good chemistry, this is the right choice for you.

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Masterpiece But I Want More

I'm left unsatisfied but satisfied, I'm glad the ending wasn't sad but open. Definitely either watching Unintentional Love Story (ULS) first or Time Of Fever (TOF) first won't matter, because regardless the pieces will be put together, but if you asked me in which order it should be watched, I think TOF first and then ULS because ULS takes place more in the future for them 2. Now something I'm confused about is why in ULS Kim Dong Hui is still acting so distant and rejective towards Ko Ho Tae, I can understand why he was like that in TOF because he was young and still processing and accepting his feelings for Ko Ho Tae but why now in the future? I just feel like theres something missing, something we don't know that happened or idk something thats not being shown. Because it doesn't make sense, regardless this story was beautiful to me, I really like this one more than ULS and I honestly hope we see more of them 2 in future series, though I doubt it, I still hope for more, either it be another season or another series I'll be happy to watch.

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It’s alright

“If I turned into a bug, would you still love me 🥺👉👈“ Saw the set up for it coming from a mile away but Donghee’s reaction to Hotae’s answer still got a giggle out of me. Sometimes it’s the simple things!!

The tomato scene… Is this how high schoolers actually deal with crushes?? Practically cuddle one night then get randomly pissed off and lash out when they touch you lightly??
“I like him so I better ruin his entire day”??

Man ep.4….. I don’t tend to really enjoy the “found siblings into lovers” trope which kinda makes this a bit weird for me but those two can kiss… actual kissing!! IN MY KBL!!
Donghee 100% has a hyung kink btw, I won’t be convinced otherwise.

I hope they get a better script and act again in the future.

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The chemistry does what words don't have to — I just wanted more time with them at the end

I came to this one having just watched A Shoulder to Cry On, and the parallels are obvious — an emotionally closed-off character, someone loyal enough to keep showing up anyway, a connection built on shared history and unspoken feeling. But where that series spent much of its energy on trauma and the space between the characters, this one closes that distance more convincingly. Ho Tae and Dong Hee actually feel like two people who have been circling each other for years and both know it.
The chemistry is the reason this series works as well as it does. So much of what passes between them happens in glances and proximity rather than dialogue, and it reads as completely authentic. I believed the pull between them from early on and stayed invested throughout because of it. The melancholic, unhurried atmosphere suits that dynamic perfectly — this isn't a series that reaches for dramatic peaks, it lives in the quieter spaces, and that restraint pays off.
My frustration is with the ending, or more precisely with the ratio. The series takes its time building toward honesty between these two — carefully, patiently, earning every step — and then when they finally get there, the time we actually spend with them as something more than almost is over almost immediately. Not tragic, just not enough. After that much buildup the emotional payoff felt shorter than it deserved.

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Too short

It was beautiful, the characters and actors were great, music, emotions, angst. Chemistry between the characters is amazing.
But towards the end it gets really sad. For that, i feel like it was too short. I dont like when they make shows sad and dramatic but they dont have enough episodes for a proper redemption and to showcase the characters happy. It ended kinda unfinished, if youre giving us a happy ending, i want to see them happy.

Also, i hate bs tropes like I'm going to college so I'm cutting you off and we won't see eachother for years. Like who does that? I went to college thay wasn't in my home town but you keep in touch with people and go home every couple of months and have amazing reunions (or they can visit you). That's why i dont like plot like this, it seems like lazy writting, they didnt know what problem to create. They could've (should've) build on abusive dad story and make it so he's preventing them from being together.

I'm ranting a bit but i actually liked the show, it was beautiful, just needed to see more.

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moody in a good way high quality production and memorable

actually the pacing for this stood out for me the most. made it memorable and gave actual rewatch value which I don’t often have at all. definitely unexpected as well considering unintentional love story’s show was starkly different. was a lot heavier handed in this one and with a stronger mood. though that also resulted in plot holes connecting back to the main story I didn’t care. emotions were also a highlight definitely better acting from these leads than on the original show. was engaging to the point I didn’t care if it was different from the source material. in any case, the characterization was very different from it anyway

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Hyung concept brought up a very savory flavor to the romance and made my heart flutters

This BL series of 6 episodes (which has also been released under a full length movie format) features a gripping story between two childhood friends. The "Hyung" cultural aspect gave to the drama a very savory flavor that I particularly enjoyed. I would have loved for the epilogue to be a bit longer but was overall happy with the poetry of the conclusion.

I really enjoyed and believed in the chemistry between the two main actors: more specifically, I was fascinated by the infirmary scene. It was beautiful and made my heart flutters. There might be room of improvement for some of the most serious scenes but they were credible together.

The budget felt relatively low but in a quite expected way I feel for this type of production. Filmmaking was efficient in conveying the story, but not really outstanding and the overall soundtrack was quite forgettable as well.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for BL with a well executed childhood friends-to-lovers trope. Chemistry and story was good and overall 6 episodes are highly bingeable (which is expected with the original format being a movie).

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I was initially pessimistic about this series. When I saw the trailer and realized that both main characters are played by Won Tae Min and Do Woo, who are portrayed as high school students, I thought, “No way I would like this series.” But over time, I started to understand why they chose those two to play in this BL.

Despite their ages, both actors actually did a great job, as expected. My first issue with the series, however, was the short duration—it was too brief! This limited runtime really affected the quality of the story. There were many things that needed more development, like Dong Hui's feelings toward Ho Tae. We know he likes him from the very first episode, but his reasons for hiding his true feelings were never really explored. It would have been better if they had provided a bit of background on how Dong Hui fell in love with Ho Tae and why he acts so guarded. I wouldn’t mind watching some extra episodes just to get answers to these questions.

Another thing worth mentioning is the lack of supporting characters to enhance the story. For example, we don’t learn much about Dong Hui’s father, who might actually influence his behavior.

Aside from these two major concerns, this series isn’t bad—especially compared to other Korean BL dramas this year.

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All Show, No Substance

Frankly, this movie, turned into a BL mini-series, presented better than it actually was. Well-acted and certainly well-crafted but it says absolutely nothing. Yet, it looks so good in the process. I kept waiting for a ‘punch line’ but it never came. These kinds of movies/series are so exasperating to watch and I for one am frankly getting tired of hiding a non-existent story under false and artificial melodrama nonsense. Certainly, this series will pull at your heartstrings but perhaps because I am old and cynical, I saw right through this ruse. Flatly this series said nothing. At least nothing of substance and again reinforced the stereotypical thinking that gay people from an early age really do not want to be gay, or will hide it for as long as they can, or are ashamed of what they are, or lack the courage to be who they are, or are terrified of their own feelings, or, or, or…. All perhaps well meaning but sending a wrong message.

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