A BL that tries to be a "real" K-drama
Although the boring story, the simplistic characters, the weird dialogues and the fixation on hating a murderer's son (like, what?) are very disappointing, it still makes for a somewhat enjoyable watch, as fan service is taken somewhat seriously.The production value, the acting and the kisses are fine.
If the love story had been better, I could have overlooked the boring crime story. If the crime story had been better, I could have overlooked the romance on the back burner. But as it was, I was left disappointed. To be fair, that's a feeling I often get from K-dramas — so in that sense it succeeded in being a "real" K-drama and not "just" a BL.
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This review may contain spoilers
Where does that leave me?
We are so back, because I am, for once, actually finishing shows in one go. I don’t even know if this is fully out yet, but it is for vip so I downloaded it for my plane ride. I would give it an 8 (8.3) out of 10, and I am going to say what I liked, what I didn’t, and then do an episode overview, so let's run it.Okay, starting off strong with our actors. I am currently still in the air, so I can’t look up the actors' names, but genuine props to these two sexy ass men. Just phenomenal acting all around. Whether that be their love story, the crime plot, all of it was really good because of them. And they have officially raised my standards for Korean BL. If you look at any of my reviews, you know I do not watch Korean BL at all and am a Thai BL girlie (hence me on a flight back from Taipei and in turn Bangkok), because the Korean BLs, either they have the worst chemistry ever OR THEY PECK ONCE AND THE REST OF THE SHOW IS A HARD WATCH. But these two did really well, especially with their kissing and their two sex scenes. Truthfully, I am very impressed, so good job to them. (ALSO, we did not use our height difference enough; I am irritated as fuck, irritated as fuck).
I also quite enjoyed the connected cases. I thought it was really easy to follow while still staying entertaining, so that was also a really good job. They gave us everything and didn’t randomly introduce characters last minute, so I mean, once again, good on them; love to see these plots non-convoluted and actually interesting.
On more stuff I liked. This first thing is lowkey so random and bullshit, but it still stood out to me as something I enjoyed: the slants at the end of the episodes. Like, I know that's so weird and random, and it just signals the end of the episode, but I actually really enjoyed that, like, oh my god. Another thing I am very much a slut for was when they were talking about the cases, and they were actually in them and reenacting them. God, that was great, oh my god.
Regarding things I didn’t like, the main thing was the romance building. See, I expected it to be bad because every single mystery BL or crime center BL has the worst romance building ever. But despite this, I am still ultimately disappointed, because I quite enjoyed our couple. But I guess it’s whatever.
On the topic of romance, these MOTHER FUCKERS ARE SO TOXIC, more specifically big daddy. God, he is like irritatingly toxic too, and in some parts it wasn’t even hot; it was just pissing me off. Also a lot of forced kissing and forcing himself onto the other guy (even though the other guy was into it after the 1st one). I feel like they could’ve pushed back their sex scenes or something so it didn’t feel out of the blue and random. But yeah.
Next up, with things I didn’t like, I’m gonna say plot holes, or I am sorry, irrelevant ideas. The case with the lady who killed her husband. What did that have to do with anything? I am actually so lost. I mean, maybe it was to get the audience’s attention on the son, but also it was just very irrelevant; I don’t know. I feel like they could have done more with that because it was quite interesting. (This is also loosely based on this topic, but this whole show is a conflict of interest lmao; every last case the two of them have a conflict of interest with). THE UNCLE was another plot hole that could’ve been greatness. Like, oh, I know they sent him to jail, but that felt almost too easy and overall irrelevant to the plot.
Also not really the biggest fan of the, I don’t know if it's AI or CGI, but it's sprinkled in here pretty randomly, and lowkey takes you all the way out of the show, so they need to cool the fuck down on that shit, oh my god.
And finally, for things I was not very fond of, was the ending. We spent what, 9, 10 episodes building up to this shit; we got the reveal with the son, which I very much enjoyed, and then the story folded and they are like, oh, we arrested everyone! Like what? I need my clarity, my revenge; I want to see them being taken away in handcuffs, not just AI. And their whole getting into a relationship pissed me off, silly. Like why did that even feel rushed? Girl bye. ALSO, did we ever find out if Lee's dad was innocent or what? They should have made that more clear.
Episode overview time!!! Just funny shit I have written in the notes app about this show. Episode 1: “Lowkey about to miss my layover in Taipei because my Bangkok flight is delayed but you know at least I have Korean bl...hopefully these two aren't awkward kissers I beg.” Episode 2: “Bitch, what the fuck was that? HELLLOOO???? Why did we start choking him out? I am so lost, and why did we kiss him if we hate him? AH NAH. That's a lawsuit incoming, but we aren't locked in enough. Nah, the whole police department coming down if this was me. Lee, step your shit up, dude.” Episode 3: “They need me on this team, I swear to god. Inspector a bitch for the love of the game. Like I need a really good reason for you not to like Lee, that's not he's the son of a murderer because what does that have to do with him, I'm confused?” I now understand lmao. Episode 5: “Lee just got stabbed, but I really couldn't take it seriously because it was the music that they played in the sex scene of my stubborn so I thought they were about to fuck, but he just got stabbed.” Episode 7: “We got a random half-ass sex scene thrown at the start because Lee likes poking the emotionally unstable bear with a flaming dildo dude.” Episode 8: “Also, I don't know why we are making this a big deal. He made it very clear that he hated you and wanted you gone, and you didn't suspect why? Like, he made it clear that he hated you because you are a murderer's son; you ever wonder why? We lack common sense and it shows. I am impressed we have both made it this far in the world with this little common sense. I do wish that he was the evil lady's son; that would have been a fire fucking twist, oh my god.” Episode 9: “Once again, they need me on this team pronto. But yeah, the director coming to his house to choke him out was ACTUALLY CRAZY.”
Yeah. It’s a short watch, so I would say check it out. The romance building is ass, but it’s still enjoyable because the plot is very continuous. Okay bye!
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One of the Best K-BLs Ever! Insane Chemistry, Just Wish It Had More Episodes
The Prosecutor's Proposal easily solidifies itself as one of the standout K-BLs of the year and a top-tier entry in the entire genre. The director’s execution is stellar, and the actors are flawlessly cast with an off-the-charts onscreen chemistry that leaves you wanting more.However, my personal grievance is that the 10-episode format forced a somewhat rushed pacing toward the end. It left things feeling slightly lacking for me, which was a minor disappointment for a story with this much depth. That being said, this flaw doesn’t take away from how fantastic the drama is as a whole. It’s an absolute must-watch, and I'm highly anticipating the leads reuniting for a second project in the future.
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Good for its length
Good for its length...Too many overhyped dramas on MDL so I no longer trust neither hype nor ratings on this website.
I'm surprised about the complaints about the budget... Sure it's not A-tier level, but it looks decent enough. I prefer a small budget and a good story than the opposite... Something that happens a lot in the Thai BL world.
Given its based on a webnovel, I wasn't expecting anything miraculous in terms of adaptation. Korean webnovels usually consists of several volumes... When they're adapted to webtoons... which happens A LOT, at least a third of the story is already butchered but BLs are another level of butchery... especially with their drama adaptations.
If fans of the genre knew how much they're missing out by not being able to read Korean they'd be scandalized. The world of webnovels whether in Chinese, Korean or Japanese is filled with terrific stories which will sadly never be translated... Webtoons are often translated since they're easier to translate and shorter but novels? Not that much.
Anyway, I was intrigued enough to check if the novel was available on MyRidi which is the main Korean reading app I personally use:
https://ridibooks.com/books/4830000005?_rdt_sid=myridi_recents&_rdt_idx=3
Overall ratings there is 4.8/5 with over 5000 ratings... which is for this website pretty solid... You can basically trust that anything above 4.5 with over 2000 ratings is pretty good... though one has to be careful since they often do "events" during which you can earn extra "Ridi Cash" by leaving a review after buying the books... So you get lots of people leaving a 5 ratings when they haven't even read the novels...
I've done it, we've all done it because MyRidi doesn't given small change... Sometimes you can earn up to 3000 Ridi Cash, which allows you to buy a small book set when they're on sale in one go. I even participated in an event in which I earned up to 15000 Ridi Cash (that's a 6 to 8 book set at normal price and up to 20 or more when they're on sale... about 3 to 4 times a year).
Anyway there's no set available to buy it for cheap now, so I'm gonna wait but it's a full 5 volumes + 1 volume for the extra story ( my favorite thing about these Korean web novels is that you often get 1 to 3 extra volumes as a long epilogue to spend more times with your favorite characters, such a treat).
Back to the drama though, the acting is solid... It suffers from its short length especially regarding the evolution of the relationship between the two mains but honestly, compared to ALL the K-BL I was unlucky enough to waste time on, this is one of the few that I don't regret watching...
ALSO, the NC scenes are good, the actors are commited. The kisses look like REAL kisses for once. I just can't with the fish kisses personally, that's a pet peeve of mine. I'm French, if there's no tongue, that's not a kiss, don't bother arguing with me on that point. Kiss = tongue. If it's to show me two straight guys who obviously don't want to kiss on camera, just don't bother with it, play with the angle and zoom out, otherwise it is just freakin' annoying. Takes me out of the moment.
It's not the drama of the year but it's good to pass the time...
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Not a good start but a great finish
I must admit, I almost stopped watching this series during the third episode. It was really difficult to get through, because both protagonists were very unlikable, each for different reasons. One was a spineless coward and the other was an obnoxious bully. ...BUT, thankfully I stuck with it. By episode 4 things started to change for the better. Yes, it does bring the BL theme front and center, but the character became so much more enjoyable to watch and the chemistry between these two really became a strong point of the drama.
Si Woo & Yoon Sik give it their all and give some very provocative scenes together, delivering not the usual hugs & kisses many BL's throw at us, but rather some rough sex they make look very believable.
The story matches the acting, very in depth with a good supporting cast and a few sub plots that add to the main story.
Definitely one of the better BL's of 2026!!
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Heart sizzling, fluttering, and twisting story throughout!!
Honestly, it was one of the best BLs I've ever watched and I have most definitely watched a lot. It makes me so happy to see how far queer shows have come. We are finally getting films and shows that have actual plots and happy endings. Seeing the struggles of queer love is important but the lack of positive ones make it seem hopeless. With Thai BLs we finally started getting happy endings more frequently but still they were most extremely toxic relationships that were portrayed. Most of them without elaborate plots. Don't even get me started on GLs they are only basically coming into existence now. Back when I first started watching Kdramas I never thought I would see the day were we would get full BL shows but I am pleasantly surprised.
On to the actual show at hand.
Kim Yoon Shik is a phenomenal actor with so much talent, he deserves to go on to bigger and better projects. I genuinely hope to see him again in a queer show too. Park Si Woo, in my opinion, started quite stiff in terms of his acting but he genuinely got so much better. Si Woo and Yoon Shik have phenomenal chemistry. Lee Chae Ha and Ju (Kang) Tae Seon made my heart tingle with their chemistry. I was watching every scene with oogling eyes, a bright (maybe somewhat disturbing) smile on my face, and a pounding heart. This is one of the best on scene chemistry I have seen.
Tae Seon's and Chae Ha's intimate scenes were jaw-dropping. I could feel the tension and the passion through the screen. They weren't calling Yoon Shik a vacuum cleaner for nothing. Some of the, if not the best, kiss scenes I have witnessed. Tae Seon was devouring truly. Although, Si Woo's acting in terms of intimate scenes did slightly seem to lack a bit in passion, by the end of the show I think we got our second vacuum cleaner. Mans was eatinggg!!
The production quality was amazing for a BL, probably one of the best. The older supporting cast were veterans that I had seen before too. The story was amazing and had a lot of levels to it as well. However, it definitely could have been better. In my humble opinion, the ending was rushed. They definitely could have taken another one to two episodes more to end the show. There was all this tension working up to the ending but the ending fell extremely flat in my opinion. I also felt that Tae Seon and Chae Ha became lovers way too suddenly. Tae Seon going from hating Chae Ha to loving Chae Ha wasn't gradual enough. It felt slightly abrupt to me. Their confrontation of their secrets and feelings also felt slightly logically off to me. Tae Seon's jealousy wasn't built and Song Ha Neul's connection to Chae Ha has the potential second love interest was unworked on. Also I swear I think they used a green screen for the ending scene because why did it look so off haha. The show would have been better if it was a 1hr 10 ep show where they would have had more time to work on the scenes to support the details of the story.
Overall, regardless of these little misses, it was an amazing show. I would recommend that everyone watch it.
Thank you for reading so far! <3
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This review may contain spoilers
Could've benefited from being longer
I really enjoyed this show a lot! The main two characters had great chemistry together as well as were just interesting individuals as well. The plot was great too and I enjoyed it through the end. I've never seen these actors before, and I think they did a great job. Song Ha Neul being the bad guy wasn't shocking to me at all, I predicted that pretty early on, but me predicting that didn't ruin the show for me by any means. I wish the show had more episodes honestly because I would've loved to see the characters background and even their relationship more fleshed out. The finale did feel a bit rushed to me honestly and that is my one complaint. I just wish it was longer! I think it could've really benefited from having at least one more episode.Was this review helpful to you?
Propose to me Zaddy!
Okay now hear me out! I don't usually vibe well with much toxicity in BL's. There's a balance game usually and this one at first definitely had me frustrated. It did keep my intrigue though with the mystery aspects of it and once we got past the literal hate fu**ing towards the beginning, I was down for the plot and chemistry! I literally wanted to protect Chae Ha so badly though, he was treated like such dirt all because of the father being a murderer thing! Leave my boy alone, hes trying his best in life!Was this review helpful to you?
Good Chemistry!
I wished there was more of this series! The story and the pacing were solid however the development between the two main leads can be further develop just a little bit!But overall, this was good and such a great watch! There was no filler episodes, the plot makes sense and the chemistry between the actors were there! :)
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Ate and left a few crumbs...
We were finally blessed with a korean thriller/detective BL, yay...or nay?The acting is awesome, MCs have great chemistry together and each character is believable. I am very much delighted to see more mature gay series coming from SK. I will not lie when I say I was quite gagged by the intimate scenes. Not something you can typically see (in KBL). The production value is also quite nice.
The story-telling is a different thing though. The plot itself isn't bad but it needs time and space to properly hit the viewer. 10 episodes, each running around 20-30 minutes, is simply not enough to actually cover a complex story and to build up the tension a thriller/detective genre is supposed to have.
The biggest fail of this series is its editing and pacing. Everything happens so quickly, you cannot even comprehend what happened before something else happens. The MCs relationship suffers the most. They took the trope "enemies to lovers" like you see in an average book trending on BookTok, no explanation for why or how it suddenly changed to love, it just did.
The ending was lame, predictable.
Overall, we got something we do not usually get (or we have never even gotten?) and it wasn't trash. In fact, it was good. But for the love of god, give BLs more time...
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Some truths take years to face
I loved how the drama slowly peeled back those layers instead of rushing to easy answers, making every step of their relationship feel earned. The plot twists were honestly one of my favourite parts. Just when I thought I had figured everything out, the story managed to surprise me again, and that kept the tension high until the very end. At the same time, the investigation never overshadowed the emotional journey. Watching these two men confront the past, let go of guilt that was never theirs to carry, and slowly learn to trust each other was far more satisfying than simply solving the case. I do wish a few parts had been explored in a little more depth, but overall this was a mystery that kept me guessing while also making me genuinely care about its characters, and that's exactly what I look for in this genre.Was this review helpful to you?
Ending was rushed but good/La fin était précipitée mais bien
English:I really liked this drama. I loved the plot of this show, the whole son of a killer and son of the victim aspect. I loved the acting; all of the actors in this show are extremely talented. I know that this show was more of a thriller/crime drama than a romance, but I honestly didn't mind that at all. I thought the plot was really interesting and I really enjoyed watching it. The one thing I didn't like was basically the entire last episode. The whole last episode felt extremely rushed, like they were trying to fit 2 episodes into one. I think that if there was just one more episode, they would be able to seamlessly pull the story together instead of rushing it together like they ended up doing. I was 15 minutes into the last episode and thinking, "Wait, there's only 15 minutes left. How are they going to wrap everything up? There must be another season planned…" Nope, there's not. They just pulled everything together and said: "Here, damn." Overall, though, I did really enjoy this show. I might rewatch it in the future.
Français:
J'ai vraiment aimé ce drama. J'ai adoré l'intrigue de cette série, tout l'aspect fils du tueur et fils de la victime. J'ai adoré le jeu d'acteur ; tous les acteurs de cette série sont extrêmement talentueux. Je sais que cette série était plus un thriller/drame policier qu'une romance, mais honnêtement, ça ne m'a pas du tout dérangé. J'ai trouvé l'intrigue vraiment intéressante et j'ai vraiment pris plaisir à la regarder. La seule chose que je n'ai pas aimée, c'est en gros tout le dernier épisode. Tout le dernier épisode semblait extrêmement précipité, comme s'ils essayaient de faire tenir 2 épisodes en un seul. Je pense que s'il y avait eu juste un épisode de plus, ils auraient pu relier l'histoire de manière plus fluide au lieu de tout précipiter comme ils l'ont fait. J'étais à 15 minutes du dernier épisode et je me disais : "Attends, il ne reste que 15 minutes. Comment vont-ils tout conclure ? Il doit y avoir une autre saison prévue…" Eh bien non, il n'y en a pas. Ils ont juste tout rassemblé et ont dit : "Voilà, voilà." Dans l'ensemble, cependant, j'ai vraiment apprécié cette série. Il se peut que je le revoie à l'avenir.
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