!!SPOILERS!! I think this is a good adaptation... kind of

"I think this is a good adaptation": 

This will be a lengthy read, but honestly, I really like this series. I read the manhwa for this series a few years ago, and although I never finished the second season, I remember really enjoying it. So when I heard it was getting an adaptation, I was stoked! However, that was until I heard nearly everyone complaining about how the writers added a straight couple into the series before it had aired, and some were predicting that the straight couple would be the focus of the story instead of Heesu and Seungwon. Hearing that killed the excitement I had for the adaptation, because when you phrase it the way I did just now, of course it sounds like an attempt at straight-washing. But when I finally saw it on Viki after the first 4 episodes were aired, I gave it a shot, and I'd say this has been a really enjoyable watch so far.

I understand where people are coming from when they say that the writers could've made the straight couple a lesbian couple, or another male&male couple. It's a rare occurance when a South Korean production company releases a BL, or any series with LGBTQ+ representation for that matter, with a production value as large as this one. An experienced cast, lengthy episode and series duration, great sound and video quality; it's funny that this itself is a rarity, since Korean dramas that star a straight couple are typically produced with so much more care. So, to have a "random" straight couple added in all of a sudden, yeah, I can see where the anger comes from. Although, I disagree that the addition of their romance is nonsensical.

Chanyoung was an inarguably important character to the story; he was the catalyst for a large portion of the internal conflict Heesu faced because he was in love with his best friend, who also happened to be a guy. Jiyu, although I didn't fully read season 2 so I don't remember her, I've been told that she was also an important character that moved the plot forward. What the writers needed was not an additional couple that is gay just for the sake of them being gay, but one that would help tell the story of the couple that the series is FOCUSED on. Chanyoung and Jiyu's romance did exactly that, and their role as a couple is especially shown near the end of episode 6. I'm assuming those who are reading this have already watched the scene, so in short, Heesu is about to confess to Chanyoung, but he tells him that he's dating Jiyu, which is what leads Heesu to finally see Seungwon in a different lense. A romantic one. This scene wouldn't have had the same impact it did on Heesu if Chanyoung and Jiyu weren't already a couple, which is why their romance developed far faster than the main couple. Chanyoung and Jiyu are there as a secondary couple to serve as a plot device for the main couple of the story to progress forward. 

Taking the scene I mentioned from earlier, if the secondary couple were gay (assuming it would include Chanyoung), it wouldn't have worked the same since part of what made Heesu so attached to his feelings for him is his doubt as to whether or not he's straight, since he's never dated a girl seriously before Jiyu. Chanyoung was serious enough about Jiyu to joyfully tell his best friend that he's dating her, which was a confirmation to Heesu that Chanyoung is indeed straight, and a relationship between them likely wouldn't work out. Therefore, Chanyoung dating a guy wouldn't have made him give up on him, and anyways, he was straight in the manhwa (at least in the first season, I heard that he's bi in the second). If it were a lesbian couple (so if Chanyoung were a girl and lesbian), it also wouldn't have worked the same since a humongous part of Heesu's character growth is accepting that he is gay, and he discovered that he's gay through his love for Chanyoung. I keep emphasizing Chanyoung's placement in the story because removing his purpose as a character would ruin the foundation and premise of the story. This adaptation has changed up a lot of scenes from the original story, but that is because it is exactly that: an adaptation. When a story is moved from one media format to another, changes are bound to happen. I agree that it's not often you see an adaptation that is this different from the original source material in terms of plot events, but it seems to me like the writers were trying to reinvent the plot to where it wouldn't need a second season the same way the manhwa did, which would explain why a character from season 2 is in season 1. This could be due to funding reasons. As long as the original foundation of the story is kept the same, it is indeed an adaption, not an "inspiration" as I saw one person mention. Different storytellers also result in different interpretations of the story; there is a reason why every greek myth has different versions to it.

Anyways, I had more to say earlier but I forgot about half of it while I was writing this essay. Overall, I'm enjoying this series, but if you're not, that's perfectly fine; everyone is entitled to their own opinion lol. If you're reading this debating whether or not you should watch the series, I'd say to just watch it; everyone obviously has very different opinions on the series, so let yourself be the judge as to whether you'll like it or not. As someone who is gay, I find the representation in this series to be just fine; not every character that has a developed romance in a BL needs to be gay for there to be proper representation. In fact, I believe that the purpose of LGBTQ+ representation in fictional media, other than for the audience to find belonging or relatability in the characters, is to say/show that "this person who is gay and this person who is straight are the same; they're both people, and should be treated as such." We are so much more than our sexualities, and so are these characters. Making a character gay just to reach some sort of minority quota is not proper representation at all.

I hope this discussion facilitates some respectful and intelligent conversations, whether your opinion of the series is negative or positive. If a person is being disrespectful, I don't suggest responding to their comment; it's a waste of time and energy.

UPDATE:

"...kind of":

Yeah, should've bit my tongue. I know this is months after and I don't think this show is anywhere near as relevant as it once was earlier this year, but it's late at night and I just finished the series after putting it on hold for so long, so I feel the need to update this think piece I posted while it was still airing lmao. I wrote this post when I was 6 episodes into the show, so I was still, naively, believing that the secondary couple would back off once they've stayed their welcome. They did not, in fact, back off. They overstayed their welcome. I think what made this worse was the writers decided to put more focus than what was needed on the other storylines as well, like with the sisters, instead of letting those last four episodes JUST be focused on Heesu and Seungwon's storyline; I don't think that's too much to ask for, considering Heesu's name is in the damn title. I loved the sisters and the incorporation of their own storylines instead of just letting them be mindless supporting characters, but their storylines got more screentime than what was necessary for the overarching story. The same goes for Chanyoung and Jiyu; the amount of screentime the writers allotted for the storylines that were no longer affecting the main storyline led to Heesu's and Seungwon's romance to be rushed and relatively underdeveloped, when the straight couple got to have their nicely paced and fully developed romance. This is a rather disappointing reality. 

I still, for the most part, stand by what my initial opinion of this adaptation was. I still think Chanyoung and Jiyu's romance had it's narrative purpose in the adaptation, but I do now fully agree with the sentiment that adding their romance was an act of straight-washing. I wasn't aware of the gay couple that was in the second season of the manhwa at the time of writing this post originally, nor did I remember those characters' storyline from the first season; had I known or even remembered those two characters, I don't think I would've had the opinion that I had. When people were suggesting to "add a gay couple" as they phrased it, I thought they meant either add a gay romance between two characters that didn't have any real importance to the story (because from what I remember, most of the important characters in the first season were female, and a third of that were his sisters), or to add two new male characters just for them to have a romance with one another. I agree that the writers could've done a lot better with what they had, and with how the show concluded itself, they definitely could've just wrote the story more closely to how it was in the manhwa; there wasn't any true sense in the reinvention they did with how they decided to finish off the series. It's a shame that they didn't. They also made Chanyoung's character kind of bland and overall less interesting than how he was in the manhwa; why was there such an emphasis on tennis? I was hoping there would be some sort of interesting pay off, but not really. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting. 

Overall, I'm disappointed. The series started off great, the performances for the most part were great, the production was great, but it'd be even greater had they just stuck with the manhwa. I typically don't care as much as I see others do when there are changes, even significant changes like in this one, being made when a story is adapted into a different format than the one it was originally in; as long the story is still good and basically drives home the same points the original did, I don't care. But this adaptation was, honestly, a disrespect. It could've been so much more without the amount of changes they made, including the straight-washing. I'm not sure why I put in so much trust and hope that the writers would finish the story how it should've been finished off, especially when, looking back, narrative problems started occuring before the episode I left off on. I blame it on exam season.

Speaking from the perspective of a proud member of the LGB community, I believe this half-straight hogwash is a grave affront to decency, an insult to our intelligence, and a vulgar desecration of the source material, carried out with audacious impunity for all to see 

"Although, I disagree that the addition of their romance is nonsensical"

I disagree that the "straight" story isn't nonsensical 

"Chanyoung and Jiyu are there as a secondary couple to serve as a plot device for the main couple of the story to progress forward"

You know what would’ve worked better? Chan Yeong expressing disinterest and having a mature, honest conversation with Hee Su. "I care about you, but I don't see you in a romantic way" would've established boundaries and: 

1. Refrained from misusing a woman (Ji Yu) as a physical representation of a man's "unavailability"
2. Presented viewers with a lesson on how to turn another person down or handle rejection

Emotional development doesn't necessitate women turning into emotional roadblocks or traffic cones. A respectful "no" or rejection from the person of interest, in combination with healthy coping mechanisms and therapy, would've assisted Hee Su in moving on and discovering a more compatible male partner

Throughout my high school and undergraduate studies, I experienced instances of unreciprocated feelings. And I learned to move on by detaching myself from the person and situation. Growth is internal. Tying one's growth and healing process to another's external actions and relationship status, which are out of one's control, is counterproductive and unhealthy

The drama implies that Hee Su's entire identity is tied to Chan Yeong. In reality, such a codependent person wouldn't move past his feelings after seeing Chan Yeong in a relationship. The relationship would fuel his jealousy, powerlessness, and ongoing emotional distress that'd persist for months or years

"We are so much more than our sexualities"

There's no reason to pause or interrupt a gay story to make room for a "straight" one and check off the "straight" boxes, then. It's doing its job and telling the non-straight stories it’s meant to

Having multiple gay couples in a gay story adds depth by showcasing the diversity within gay relationships. That’s real representation. If it feels "too gay" for you, the story wasn’t written for you 

didnot want to giive any spoilersss but do check out this fmv!! love love thank youuu!! 

https://youtu.be/RTbqWUH4V8Y?si=WhVJoZYf_DG8xpKG

https://youtu.be/RTbqWUH4V8Y?si=WhVJoZYf_DG8xpKG