My Secret Vampire (2025)

A simple, sweet & predictable drama that is not very Vampire-ly

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

What happens when a rural innocent kid lives with a group of sweet and kind-hearted vampires in a shared house? The result is not scary nor thrilling. Aside from showing us the vampire diet, there’s not much vampire-ly things that happened in this drama. Even the blood sucking skill is down to a bare minimum. Now that the tone of the drama is set, is this the type of vampire drama you are looking for?

For a low-budget mini drama, I was quite impressed with the acting of the cast. Most of them are newcomers, especially the two main leads, Yu Sin (who played Lee Ju Won) and Park Dong Ju (who played Han Dong Ha). I even find their acting improves as the drama goes on, and when it requires them to dig deeper for those emotional scenes. These two have great chemistry together. It’s not hard to see how they fall for each other. I especially love their first kiss. The setting was perfect and romantic, and the best part, it’s a good kiss!

The other 3 cast members act as a good friend/potential third wheel, and for comic relief. This is also one of the few dramas where I don't mind the super white makeup because, you know, they are vampires and technically don’t go out much in the sun. All characters are likable here.

The plot is very simple, and there are no twists and turns. You can pretty much predict what is going to happen next, every single time. But this doesn’t affect my viewing pleasure, as I was looking for a simple watch.

The drama is not without faults. I was hoping to learn more about Lee Ju Won’s childhood and the nightmares. The drama did share that in the end, but I wanted more and sooner. I also want a deeper dive into the friendship between Lee Ju Won and Kang Seon Jae. They obviously have gone through a lot together in the past for Lee Ju Won to rely on Kang Seon Jae as an emergency contact. Lastly, a few more cute and fluffy scenes before the emotional reveal would be nice.

But all of these are just minor criticisms. Since the drama is only 8 short episodes of 15 minutes long, it really can’t go deeper into the plot than what it is. Of course, they could have cut down on diet talk and spend a little more time on other areas. Those vampires don’t seem to do much every day.

I would recommend "My Sweet Vampire" if you are looking for something simple as a palette cleanser after watching titles that are darker and more thrilling. The acting is pretty good for this type of drama. Just don’t hold out for something extraordinary or unique or vampire-ly.



Completed: 11/16/2025 Review #643

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a bite sized romance

I stumbled upon My Secret Vampire after seeing it recommended on a BL site, and the vampire premise hooked me right away. After enjoying The Golden Blood, I hoped this one would take that supernatural angle and push it even further. But knowing how budget limitations usually affect Korean BLs with fantasy concepts, I kept my expectations modest.

The vampire element turned out to be a very small part of the story, and honestly, that was a bit of a letdown. If you removed the supernatural angle and turned this into a simple story about four odd housemates and one of them secretly crushing on the lead, it would still function the same way. The concept had potential, but it didn’t get the depth or focus it deserved. Instead, the narrative leaned more heavily on the slow development of feelings between the leads. That part worked, but it left me wishing they explored the vampire angle more.

Still, I appreciated that they didn’t overload the short runtime with unnecessary twists. They kept it clean, cohesive, and easy to follow. With only eight episodes running around twenty minutes each, I expected conflicts to resolve quickly. They did take a bit of time to unfold, but the payoff felt short and could have used a stronger emotional push. Even so, the story felt complete.

The cast carried a lot of the charm. Yu Sin’s calm, almost unreadable expressions softened whenever he smiled which made his character feel warm even without many words. Dong Ju, on the other hand, was bright, fresh, and emotional when needed. Dongha’s naivety surprisingly didn’t irritate me because his expressions felt genuine. The comedy added by Dong Yeol and Ju Young balanced the mood while Taehyung handled most of the tension.

The visuals were beautiful as expected from a Korean production, and the OST was solid. I also loved the nostalgic touch of using the Oh! Boarding House location. And of course, credit where it’s due, Ju Won and Dongha’s kiss was done well. If a drama wants to include a kiss, it should commit to it instead of faking it.

Overall, My Secret Vampire could have delivered a stronger supernatural narrative, but it made the most of what it had. It was cute, light, a little emotional, and a good way to relax without thinking too hard. It may not fully satisfy viewers craving a deep vampire plot, but as a fluffy romance with hints of fantasy, it works.

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Vampires aren't what they used to be

This was funny. Not haha funny, but a kind of funny that was pleasing and warm. Light enough to be entertaining as it was a given, no one was going to be bit. As much as they tried to fatten Dong Ha, he was protected by Ju Won. After many nights together, they themselves. Gyu Min and Eun Ho delighted with their shenanigans. My heart did twinge a bit for Seon Jae. Unrequited love is a bitch.

There were moments that could have been enlivened but Ju Won's silent and pensive aura set the tone with every meeting. Dong Ha's bubbly optimism was his perfect foil. Even when he smiled or was happy, Ju Won's voice and pace of speaking bore weight on the mood. The great reveal felt a little matter of fact. In the end, the party of five, faced each other and were the better for it. Honesty.

A decent watch with likeable characters. The acting and ambiance were in step with the mood and pacing. I appreciated that this was delivered over a 4 week period and not drawn out as it would have been lackluster over a longer period. This was good enough.

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Earnest, Honest, Understated Tale

Such an earnest, honest, and understated tale. A simple, quirky little story that seemed bigger than the sum of its wonderful parts. Kudos to the actors for their sincerity and to the entire team that clearly made this with a great deal of love for the script. It shined through.

An interesting spin on vampire lore, but the vampiric element is truly incidental, I honestly felt like this tale was more of a "Coming of Age" or "coming to terms" metaphor for what happens when you cut people off from the shared history, cultural identity, and necessary information to navigate their burgeoning queerness. These vampires don't know what it means to be a vampire. An early running joke has them doing "research" about what it means- the physicality, the actuality, and the practicality- all of which they have been denied. Devouring books, films, and "urban legends" around vampirism was intelligently humorous and what led me to the conclusion that this is really a metaphor for the challenges queer youth have in coming to terms with themselves when they are bereft of reliable information and community. Left to muddle through with what scant information is available has a psychological and emotional toll and I think this series- through humor and monster archetype- illustrated this struggle with a light touch and in a non-preachy way. Even the emotional fall-out of said isolation was dealt with lightly, though sincerely, by the script and the performances.

But fundamentally, it is a simple love story and the actors' performances invest you in that story. The chemistry amongst the entire cast is palpable and the chemistry between the obvious pairings is sizzling underneath the words and actions.

As others lamented during the show's run, the episodes are short and there are only eight, and we all wanted more.

Tuck this title away for a time when you need a short story arc to soothe your weary soul. The actors, the script, and the production values are all on point. This one may not change the genre, but sometimes that's okay too. Sometimes well-done familiarity offered with sincerity and love is just what you need.

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Vampires I can vibe with ...

Its always appealing to me to see fresh faces in a BL giving us a chance to learn who they are and what they can deliver. I didn't know any of the cast and of course I was pleased to be attacked by the visuals.

2025 has not been kind to SK-BL with some forgettable stories and so it was refreshing to get vampires from an angle we've not seen before. I particularly enjoyed the idea of fattening up your prey!

I would recommend this series because its well acted, well directed, you get a good sense of location and the subtle comedy is tantalizing. The chemistry of the leads is sizzling and the show of affection is sufficient to believe that they really love each other.

I personally loved this little gem and have already rewatched a couple of time.

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super cute and fluff watch

I was in love with this cute short series. I will say I wish there was more than 8 episodes as I feel the story was a bit rushed due to the 8 episode’s but other than that this is a fantastic series to sit down a watch. I was completely in love with the cast and everyone was amazing in portraying there characters. I couldn’t stop smiling throughout as I loved all the cute scenes we got from the main couple. this is definitely a series I will be rewatching and smiling over. all I can say is I loved this series so much and I hope we get a new project with all of them together again!🤍🙏🏾

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Not enough episodes to show chemistry

*happy ending*

There are a lot of tropes in this short series that were not elaborated well and I am left with questions after watching it.

I admit the main couple is adorable. Especially, Dong ha. He nailed that bright sun personality. Yu Sin looks a lot like a young Park Seo Joon on some angles.

I am not clear what really took all of the 8 episodes that it felt a bit lacking story wise, but here are some parts I wish was elaborated:

- why can they eat Dong ha's cooking
- Seon Jae's secretly notorious biting of humans whenever he is away
- Ok hee's research
- Implications of Ju won drinking Dong ha's blood
- Gyu min x Eun ho love story
- I thought Song ha's background have something to do with the vampire lore, etc.

Not many vampire lore in this other than their diet really. So the whole world building is a bit lackluster and incomplete.

Plus points on the the kissing though. Especially on the library. Like, they devoured each other whole, too bad for me it didn't feel that romantic. It's like just an added scene for 'romance'.

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SHORT BUT OKAY

I would rate My Secret Vampire as “Okay,” which falls under my “Good” category. (My Own Ratings)

The series immediately caught my attention in the first episode—it was engaging and had a promising start. However, as the story progressed, it began to lose its charm. Some scenes felt a bit cringeworthy, and the pacing was noticeably rushed. Given that the show only has eight episodes with a 15-minute runtime each, I didn’t expect much depth, but I still hoped for a stronger development.

Overall, it’s not a very memorable series. In terms of rewatch value, it might appeal to some viewers, but for me, it’s about a 50-50 chance.

I actually decided to watch it after seeing an intriguing TikTok edit, which raised my expectations. While it turned out to be a cute series, it just wasn’t quite my thing.

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