Bao

I was SO hyped to watch Friendly Rivalry. As a queer girl who’s always been starved for authentic GL stories, I was beyond excited when I saw that a K-pop idol like Hyeri was in the lead. It's so rare to see a K-pop idol kiss another girl on screen—let alone be involved in a queer storyline. In a world where even K-dramas with male leads often struggle to let their characters fully express themselves, the thought of finally seeing something bold, something meaningful, made my heart race. I wanted this to be a breakthrough moment for K-drama and queer representation.

But I got queerbaited instead. I feel betrayed.

There was tension between Hyeri’s character, Jae-yi, and Seul-gi. It was palpable. You could feel that slow-burn build-up, and I thought, finally, here it is. The chemistry was undeniable, and for a moment, I thought they would do it. But then… nothing. Absolutely nothing. The show teases a romantic arc, but there’s no payoff, no acknowledgment of what could’ve been. Instead, I got vague looks and implied moments that never actually go anywhere. All that tension? It was just a tool to keep me watching, waiting for something that was never going to happen.

I’m a queer girl, and I’ve seen my fair share of frustrating queerbaiting in TV shows, but this one hit differently. It felt even more painful because it had so much potential. Seeing a K-pop idol in this type of role could’ve been a huge step forward for queer representation, but instead, we got an over-complicated mess of secret plots, hidden motives, and shock value that just made everything worse. It’s like they knew what the audience wanted, and instead of giving us something real, they dangled the idea of a queer romance in front of us without ever intending to make it happen.

The plot is so all over the place—drug deals, blackmail, secret plans within secret plans—that it’s honestly hard to keep up. None of it made sense. It was just chaos for the sake of chaos. I kept thinking, why do we need all this? It just felt like unnecessary extremes, and it left me feeling disconnected from the characters. Where was the heart of the story? It was buried under all the plot twists.

And the cinematography? Gorgeous, honestly. Every scene is beautiful, the atmosphere is tense, and the visuals alone kept me invested. But it’s just not enough when the core of the show falls apart.

I was so excited for this. As someone who loves innovative GLs, I thought this could be a rare gem. Instead, it was a letdown. I’ll keep hoping for better representation in the future, but this wasn’t it. If you’re looking for a real queer romance, keep looking. This isn’t going to give you what you want.