Adventures in the Exquisite Anguish of the Adolescent Crush
“How do you end a crush?” ask two different characters in the finale episode of Heesu in Class 2. That question vexed that duo (and others) for ten episodes worth of adolescent anxiety. Finding a solution at that age? Never easy. The high school romance genre is evergreen because the experience of being an adolescent is universal. Nearly as universal? The experience of being an adolescent awash with romantic feelings for someone close-at-hand, feelings an inexperienced teen may simply have no clue how to direct. Not without risking embarrassment and exposure. Keeping the crush a secret can become an all-consuming mission of its own. Left unspoken, after all, a crush cannot bring pain—except the pain of unrequited love. For a closeted gay boy, the crush itself is perhaps not even the chief secret. Preserving the secret of the closet can outrank the desire to confess a crush because the risks of revelation as gay can seem exponentially greater than placing one’s emotions on the line. Gay or straight, determining when to reveal a crush is tricky. Heesu in Class 2 captures the exquisite anguish of that time in life more deftly, more sweetly, and more creatively than any other high school romance series I’ve seen. The plot derives tension from words left unspoken, confessions deferred. Some patience will be required of the viewer, but when the confessions at last flow, the catharsis feels sweet.
Explaining the plot almost requires a diagram. A has liked his best friend, B, for ages but doesn’t wish to risk their longstanding friendship by confessing to another boy. Meanwhile, B likes C. She actually likes B back but chooses to conceal it. (It’s a strategy.) C’s best friend D likes A. D wants to keep A and B apart, while A wants to keep B and C apart. Naturally, D enlists A to help him court C (whom he does not like). You know, as anyone would. Strategically, the matchmaking effort will afford D opportunities to interact with A, while keeping A away from B. A accepts this role as putative matchmaker because he hopes to take C off the market, refocusing B’s attention on himself. Did I mention that C is a sympathetic co-conspirator on D’s scheme to win over A? Well, that cooperation itself thwarts her own clandestine pursuit of B, but that contradiction just adds to the fun. Ultimately, D’s ersatz courtship of C sparks jealousy from B, a turn of events that propels their story forward. Eventually, A (Heesu) must come to terms with the fact his crush has chosen another. He soon refocuses his attention on D, but his dilemma has not changed. Confession risks not just a broken heart but possible social ostracization should his attraction to boys become known. And, so, keeping secrets secret becomes a major concern in this plot. (Perhaps to the detriment of the series, since it sometimes feels as if the story is caught up in endless circles of futility.) D and A have fallen for one another, but the safety of the closet prevents either from speaking his truth. With all of this misdirection, Heesu in Class 2 becomes, low-key anyway, a bit of a farce and very much a comedy of manners.
Preposterous as all of the foregoing may sound, the crucial thing is that the characters feel emotionally honest at all times. That owes to some very fine work by the cast at conveying the emotional turbulence felt by each character. You have known a teenager who has acted loony in love. Maybe you were that teenager? These portrayals will recall to mind those by-gone days. Lacking confidence about their prospects for romantic success, each of these inexperienced wannabe players struggles to determine the right moment to confess their true feelings. One side-character girl even persuades the object of her desire to confess his feelings to a different girl entirely, precisely because she knows his feelings would not be reciprocated. His heartache could be her chance, but he needs to feel it first. “I got tired of waiting. I want him to get rejected quickly. Will it be Day 1 for me today?” She delivers that line to A—by now, smitten instead with D—who is inspired to accelerate his own confession. This minor side couple exists to illustrate another attribute of teen-aged romance: learning to accept when your crush has chosen someone else. At times each of the four lead characters must grapple with that possibility—and A (Heesu himself) feels it most keenly. Maintaining a secret crush thus presents its own risks: the risk that someone else will swoop in first. The tension born of waiting—waiting for someone to realize their feelings for you; waiting for the nerve to confess your own secrets—encapsulates what makes this series tick. These teens make (mostly) bad choices; yet, most former teens will empathize with the thought processes that yielded such decisions. Been there. Felt that.
As if capturing the flavor of unrequited youthful ardor is insufficient accomplishment in itself, Heesu manges an even more impressive feat, one few BL series bother to attempt. Heesu in Class 2 walks the line between the straightforward sweetness of BL-style courtship (seldom grounded in reality) and intelligent representation of the queer experience (often grounded in depressing reality). It is scary enough for a straight boy to confess to a girl or vice versa. But for those contemplating confession to another of their own sex, the potential pitfalls take on added layers of concern. In fact, a likely reason the writers matched a straight crush (B for C and C for B) with a gay crush (A for B and D; D for A) may precisely be to illustrate how the pressures of keeping secrets operates differently for closeted gay boys. Consistent with that theory, resolution for B and C arrives much earlier in the story. They simply had less to risk, and thus acted much sooner on their feelings. Completely closeted, A is in no hurry to confess to either boy he crushes on. I do not perceive Heesu as afraid to risk his heart. Rather, he cannot fathom the social consequences if the confession goes awry. By the penultimate episode, his secret crush on D has become more than he can bear. Perhaps, in part, because he now has had the experience of watching his first crush (B) pursue someone else without ever having taken his own shot. That wisdom propels him not to replicate the error with D, but more: he seems to have recognized a new despair. His own identity has become imperiled. “Now I’m going to tell, too. [Voiceover] Before my secret swallows me up. Before I fall into this dark hole forever.” Queer people will recognize that feeling as well, when the safety of the closet seemed to offer more harm than comfort. That is the sort of thing that galvanizes the closeted to come out.
HIC2 does not shy away from depicting these added layers for queer people, but neither does it belabor them. The BL genre occasionally uses the familial ramifications of same-sex romance to create conflict in the plot (the angry parent), but the genre typically disregards, blithely so, the ramifications to the individual in emotional and social terms. At various moments, it is clear both A and D, each shy from confessing his feelings precisely due to internalized homophobia. So long as it remains unspoken, the secret crush does not threaten the safety of the closet. Voicing those hidden feelings, after all, risks more than just rejection from one person. In a later episode, after C and B have found their way to each other, C becomes exasperated with D’s continued avoidance of his crush on A. She thinks a confession would solve his suffering as it had hers earlier. He will have none of it, and any queer person who has spent time in the closet will understand his response. “Do you not know, or are you pretending not to know? It’s much harder for me to just confess than it is for you. Have you ever thought about that?” The script sees no reason to elaborate on this explanation. A meta-theory as to why: perhaps because the Korean writers wish to shield any heavy-handed observation about gay truths from a domestic audience still uncomfortable with accepting queer attraction as a legitimate alternative. But an in-universe theory works equally well: perhaps because actual friends would understand each other without the added exposition needed to articulate those unspoken gay truths. In any event, C admits she was “just pretending” to be unaware of why D hesitated. But neither does this concession modify her advice. She quickly reminds him that he cannot move forward from, cannot bring a close to, the perpetual anguish rooted in his unspoken feelings without being open about those feelings. “There’s no other way anyway,” she sums up. Moving forward still requires a confession no matter the risk of rejection or the risk of his same-sex ardor becoming exposed. Heesu in Class 2 thus provides the viewer both the endorphin overload expected from top-notch BL shenanigans but also insight into a teenager’s emerging self-acceptance of a gay identity. The balance is tricky, but it works here quite well.
Finally, Heesu in Class 2 does not forget two other bugaboos of teen life: tension from living with family and having the courage to pursue your dreams. We spend the most time with Heesu (A) and his three older sisters, none of whom has proven to be a great role model for romantic success. The romantic trials and tribulations of his three lovelorn noonas prove instructive to Heesu as he navigates his own dilemmas in that department. Their household is raucous but loving. Most importantly, Heesu’s sisters are present in a way that both B and D, alienated from their own nuclear families, wish they could experience. Often left home alone, D leads a solitary existence. Living next door to Heesu and his sisters, D can hear the shouted teases and arguments emanating from that household. He clearly craves those kinds of familial ties for himself. An odd little scene where he joins Heesu and sisters for breakfast proves surprisingly affective for the wistful way D listens to the siblings banter. Just a routine morning at the Heesu household, but a type of familial closeness beyond D’s reach.
Meanwhile B has family issues of his own, related to his desire to pursue tennis. His father deems that activity a waste of time, a distraction that will hold him back later in life. Their relationship frays so badly over this issue that B eventually runs away to live with Heesu. (Naturally, B’s insertion into Heesu’s daily routine comes along precisely when the title character has not only resolved to accept B’s burgeoning romance with C by getting over his longtime crush, but also as he is beginning to crush instead on D.) Meanwhile, C dreams of a career as a professional musician. This subplot adds texture to the character and reinforces some of the series’ overall themes, but it carries far less weight than nearly everything else. Nevertheless, any added complexity to a Korean-BL is welcome, since that country’s BL plots tend to be stripped down to the bare essentials. The worldbuilding in HIC2 extends far beyond the BL storyframe, and the series is richer for it.
Heesu in Class 2 presents one of the more common experiences among high schoolers anywhere, anywhen, any sexual orientation: the surge of amorous emotion that overwhelms the developing personality. Yet to cultivate the social skills or social confidence to cope with those feelings, teenagers make choices that may not be in their own best interests. Streaming services these days abound with series that tackle this near-universal moment in the modern life course. That period when fear of what may follow a confession paralyzes us with indecision. That period before we become acquainted with either the sting of rejection or with the thrill of acceptance. The high school romance genre flourishes generation after generation precisely because watching fictional characters suffering through an unvoiced crush evokes from almost everyone a nostalgia for their own adolescence. Usually, the wistful variety. What might have happened, if only I’d done something differently? What if I had spoken up sooner? What if I had never spoken at all? Whether or not to confess, to take that secret crush from deep inside your own heart and lay it bare….that is a dilemma with which nearly all of us have wrestled at some moment or another. The cast and crew of Heesu in Class 2 have captured these adolescent insecurities most adroitly. The comedy feels grounded in reality. The absurdity, not so far-fetched. This series is worth the time to watch.
Explaining the plot almost requires a diagram. A has liked his best friend, B, for ages but doesn’t wish to risk their longstanding friendship by confessing to another boy. Meanwhile, B likes C. She actually likes B back but chooses to conceal it. (It’s a strategy.) C’s best friend D likes A. D wants to keep A and B apart, while A wants to keep B and C apart. Naturally, D enlists A to help him court C (whom he does not like). You know, as anyone would. Strategically, the matchmaking effort will afford D opportunities to interact with A, while keeping A away from B. A accepts this role as putative matchmaker because he hopes to take C off the market, refocusing B’s attention on himself. Did I mention that C is a sympathetic co-conspirator on D’s scheme to win over A? Well, that cooperation itself thwarts her own clandestine pursuit of B, but that contradiction just adds to the fun. Ultimately, D’s ersatz courtship of C sparks jealousy from B, a turn of events that propels their story forward. Eventually, A (Heesu) must come to terms with the fact his crush has chosen another. He soon refocuses his attention on D, but his dilemma has not changed. Confession risks not just a broken heart but possible social ostracization should his attraction to boys become known. And, so, keeping secrets secret becomes a major concern in this plot. (Perhaps to the detriment of the series, since it sometimes feels as if the story is caught up in endless circles of futility.) D and A have fallen for one another, but the safety of the closet prevents either from speaking his truth. With all of this misdirection, Heesu in Class 2 becomes, low-key anyway, a bit of a farce and very much a comedy of manners.
Preposterous as all of the foregoing may sound, the crucial thing is that the characters feel emotionally honest at all times. That owes to some very fine work by the cast at conveying the emotional turbulence felt by each character. You have known a teenager who has acted loony in love. Maybe you were that teenager? These portrayals will recall to mind those by-gone days. Lacking confidence about their prospects for romantic success, each of these inexperienced wannabe players struggles to determine the right moment to confess their true feelings. One side-character girl even persuades the object of her desire to confess his feelings to a different girl entirely, precisely because she knows his feelings would not be reciprocated. His heartache could be her chance, but he needs to feel it first. “I got tired of waiting. I want him to get rejected quickly. Will it be Day 1 for me today?” She delivers that line to A—by now, smitten instead with D—who is inspired to accelerate his own confession. This minor side couple exists to illustrate another attribute of teen-aged romance: learning to accept when your crush has chosen someone else. At times each of the four lead characters must grapple with that possibility—and A (Heesu himself) feels it most keenly. Maintaining a secret crush thus presents its own risks: the risk that someone else will swoop in first. The tension born of waiting—waiting for someone to realize their feelings for you; waiting for the nerve to confess your own secrets—encapsulates what makes this series tick. These teens make (mostly) bad choices; yet, most former teens will empathize with the thought processes that yielded such decisions. Been there. Felt that.
As if capturing the flavor of unrequited youthful ardor is insufficient accomplishment in itself, Heesu manges an even more impressive feat, one few BL series bother to attempt. Heesu in Class 2 walks the line between the straightforward sweetness of BL-style courtship (seldom grounded in reality) and intelligent representation of the queer experience (often grounded in depressing reality). It is scary enough for a straight boy to confess to a girl or vice versa. But for those contemplating confession to another of their own sex, the potential pitfalls take on added layers of concern. In fact, a likely reason the writers matched a straight crush (B for C and C for B) with a gay crush (A for B and D; D for A) may precisely be to illustrate how the pressures of keeping secrets operates differently for closeted gay boys. Consistent with that theory, resolution for B and C arrives much earlier in the story. They simply had less to risk, and thus acted much sooner on their feelings. Completely closeted, A is in no hurry to confess to either boy he crushes on. I do not perceive Heesu as afraid to risk his heart. Rather, he cannot fathom the social consequences if the confession goes awry. By the penultimate episode, his secret crush on D has become more than he can bear. Perhaps, in part, because he now has had the experience of watching his first crush (B) pursue someone else without ever having taken his own shot. That wisdom propels him not to replicate the error with D, but more: he seems to have recognized a new despair. His own identity has become imperiled. “Now I’m going to tell, too. [Voiceover] Before my secret swallows me up. Before I fall into this dark hole forever.” Queer people will recognize that feeling as well, when the safety of the closet seemed to offer more harm than comfort. That is the sort of thing that galvanizes the closeted to come out.
HIC2 does not shy away from depicting these added layers for queer people, but neither does it belabor them. The BL genre occasionally uses the familial ramifications of same-sex romance to create conflict in the plot (the angry parent), but the genre typically disregards, blithely so, the ramifications to the individual in emotional and social terms. At various moments, it is clear both A and D, each shy from confessing his feelings precisely due to internalized homophobia. So long as it remains unspoken, the secret crush does not threaten the safety of the closet. Voicing those hidden feelings, after all, risks more than just rejection from one person. In a later episode, after C and B have found their way to each other, C becomes exasperated with D’s continued avoidance of his crush on A. She thinks a confession would solve his suffering as it had hers earlier. He will have none of it, and any queer person who has spent time in the closet will understand his response. “Do you not know, or are you pretending not to know? It’s much harder for me to just confess than it is for you. Have you ever thought about that?” The script sees no reason to elaborate on this explanation. A meta-theory as to why: perhaps because the Korean writers wish to shield any heavy-handed observation about gay truths from a domestic audience still uncomfortable with accepting queer attraction as a legitimate alternative. But an in-universe theory works equally well: perhaps because actual friends would understand each other without the added exposition needed to articulate those unspoken gay truths. In any event, C admits she was “just pretending” to be unaware of why D hesitated. But neither does this concession modify her advice. She quickly reminds him that he cannot move forward from, cannot bring a close to, the perpetual anguish rooted in his unspoken feelings without being open about those feelings. “There’s no other way anyway,” she sums up. Moving forward still requires a confession no matter the risk of rejection or the risk of his same-sex ardor becoming exposed. Heesu in Class 2 thus provides the viewer both the endorphin overload expected from top-notch BL shenanigans but also insight into a teenager’s emerging self-acceptance of a gay identity. The balance is tricky, but it works here quite well.
Finally, Heesu in Class 2 does not forget two other bugaboos of teen life: tension from living with family and having the courage to pursue your dreams. We spend the most time with Heesu (A) and his three older sisters, none of whom has proven to be a great role model for romantic success. The romantic trials and tribulations of his three lovelorn noonas prove instructive to Heesu as he navigates his own dilemmas in that department. Their household is raucous but loving. Most importantly, Heesu’s sisters are present in a way that both B and D, alienated from their own nuclear families, wish they could experience. Often left home alone, D leads a solitary existence. Living next door to Heesu and his sisters, D can hear the shouted teases and arguments emanating from that household. He clearly craves those kinds of familial ties for himself. An odd little scene where he joins Heesu and sisters for breakfast proves surprisingly affective for the wistful way D listens to the siblings banter. Just a routine morning at the Heesu household, but a type of familial closeness beyond D’s reach.
Meanwhile B has family issues of his own, related to his desire to pursue tennis. His father deems that activity a waste of time, a distraction that will hold him back later in life. Their relationship frays so badly over this issue that B eventually runs away to live with Heesu. (Naturally, B’s insertion into Heesu’s daily routine comes along precisely when the title character has not only resolved to accept B’s burgeoning romance with C by getting over his longtime crush, but also as he is beginning to crush instead on D.) Meanwhile, C dreams of a career as a professional musician. This subplot adds texture to the character and reinforces some of the series’ overall themes, but it carries far less weight than nearly everything else. Nevertheless, any added complexity to a Korean-BL is welcome, since that country’s BL plots tend to be stripped down to the bare essentials. The worldbuilding in HIC2 extends far beyond the BL storyframe, and the series is richer for it.
Heesu in Class 2 presents one of the more common experiences among high schoolers anywhere, anywhen, any sexual orientation: the surge of amorous emotion that overwhelms the developing personality. Yet to cultivate the social skills or social confidence to cope with those feelings, teenagers make choices that may not be in their own best interests. Streaming services these days abound with series that tackle this near-universal moment in the modern life course. That period when fear of what may follow a confession paralyzes us with indecision. That period before we become acquainted with either the sting of rejection or with the thrill of acceptance. The high school romance genre flourishes generation after generation precisely because watching fictional characters suffering through an unvoiced crush evokes from almost everyone a nostalgia for their own adolescence. Usually, the wistful variety. What might have happened, if only I’d done something differently? What if I had spoken up sooner? What if I had never spoken at all? Whether or not to confess, to take that secret crush from deep inside your own heart and lay it bare….that is a dilemma with which nearly all of us have wrestled at some moment or another. The cast and crew of Heesu in Class 2 have captured these adolescent insecurities most adroitly. The comedy feels grounded in reality. The absurdity, not so far-fetched. This series is worth the time to watch.
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