Eli Mil Mel

The thing is some see everything through the lens of Kuea having been groomed since he was a little kid. So for them there is no real love and the whole relationship is just sick.
For me this was not shown in the series and there has been no flashback about it. Kuea repeatedly says he will cancel the engagement…. To be this sure about being able to do it, he very clearly grew up believing that he had a choice and was not groomed into liking Lian. For me there are several other details that mean to show that Kuea was not groomed as a kid.
I agree that the premise of the family accepting the grandfather’s hunch of the kids belonging together just like that is strange. But I personally feel that it is nice to HONOR THE STORY. For me if the story very clearly does not want to convey something, I just accept the premise of the series that there was no grooming and that the family accepted him loving a boy since he was a little like it was shown in the series.

Ok… My last comment…
Is there a flashback where they actually tell Kuea that he HAS TO BE with Lian in the future? Why would Kuea be so sure that he can cancel the engagement if he was groomed and told his whole life by the family and Lian that he HAS TO BE with Lian? …. It is not logical and THE STORY VERY CLEARLY DOES NOT WANT TO CONVEY THAT. To be this sure about it, he very clearly grew up believing that he had a choice.
I have come to the realization that in the world we live in, it is easier to believe in the premise of a teddy bear coming to life than just believe in the premise that a family wants the best for their kid and accepts him loving a boy since he was little like it was shown in the series.

I agree that in real life it would be very logical for Kuea having been groomed, but WHAT does the story show us? There has been no backflash of Kuea’s family or Lian grooming Kuea. That means that the premise of the story is that he was not groomed as a kid/ teenager. That he really felt this special love for Lian since he was a kid like his grandfather said. I mean I just saw that there is a BL of a teddy bear coming to life… Sometimes the premise is strange or impossible in real life.

But for me it is important what the story shows… I totally agree that the premise of the family accepting the grandfather’s hunch of the kids belonging together just like that is strange, especially because what if one of them did not like men, etc… But I think the story is very clear about some details like Kuea knowing that he can cancel the engagement, and Lian accepting it as a fact. Lian never said otherwise. The grandfather telling Lian that he can decline his request shows that from Kuea’s family there was no grooming or obligation… But I agree that Lian’s father might have. So I see your point because it would seem logical… But the premise of the story seems to be different.

Oh, I get your point if for you the grooming started when Kuea turned 20 years old because of Lian’s overall behavior of the show. I can see why you interprete it that way. What I cannot understand is you and some people saying Kuea was groomed by everyone while still underage /a kid even if you do not see a hint of it in the flashbacks and the show very clearly does not want to convey that… Lian might have been groomed by his father (flashback), but with Kuea there has been no sign of it.

For me it was quite obvious that in episode 2 two important happenings were the reason Lian changed his behavior the first time. First he gets to know that Kuea really loves him. (That Kuea does not just want to get married because Lian was his only childhood friend or the family would like it to happen as Lian thought in episode 1.) And second the situation with the creepy guy approaching Kuea. Like Lian said to himself after: I can’t let this happen again. Let’s remember that you become an adult at 20 years old (not at 18) in Thailand and that Kuea comes from an important/ rich family. Dao nearly fell backwards just by hearing his famous name. And his friends also feel he has to be careful with confiding in people because he is rich and handsome. Lian was trying to stop Kuea from going to Jay’s bar alone at night (only when he is there watching him secretly). For me the story does not want to show that Kuea is not allowed to go outside. Lian literally said to Kua (after the finger print installation) that now he could go in and out whenever he wanted.
I agree that it is strange that Kuea is told not to be naughty being an adult. But I have noticed that Lian usually says it after Kuea was lying to him or when Lian feels Kuea is planning to go out at night. It looks as if he is treating him like a kid whenever Kuea is lying.

The power dynamics seem to be in Lian’s favor, but not really because Kuea can end it by canceling the engagement any time. KUEA KNOWS IT and LIAN KNOWS IT. I personally interpreted that Lian started to play with Kuea when Kuea told him he was an idiot severall times, once while drunk. He was bragging that Lian doesn’t know about his secret house, etc. Kuea was very confident that he was fooling Lian. From then on there was a game going on between them. I agree that that Lian’s choice was not the best, but he was not abusing him. He was playing with him…. And he knew that Kuea could take it/ was not afraid.

I also think a lot of people forget that Kuea knew that Lian was teasing him in the chapters 4-6. Kuea was very well aware of it being a game. Kuea said so SEVERAL TIMES. Even though they might not have interacted too much and too truthfully the past years, it is obvious that at some level they trust each other. For example: the pinning against the bed scene in episode 4… Kuea knew Lian was teasing. He looked surprised, confused and a bit angry, but not frightened. That he has known him for so long explains why he was just confused, but not afraid or anxious. He even once asked himself: did I take the right decision to come here (Lian’s home)? He very clearly took the decision to accept Lian forcing him because he wanted to know what Lian’s hidden agenda was. He knows he can stop everything the moment he cancels the engagement, but as he said to himself he chooses to not do it yet.

I already wrote this in another comment, but I still do not get it why people are so obsessed with Kuea being groomed when there is no sign at all in the series, no hint? Lian actually seemed to always be especially distanced with Kua in the past. When Kua’s grandpa talked to Lian, he said that he doesn’t want to use his help to Lian’s family to make Lian promise something. That Lian can decline his request. He clearly said if you still love him, please keep the promise. If he is not forcing Lian, why would he force/groom his grandson? There are more reasons to believe that Lian might have been groomed by his own father than Kuea’s family grooming Kuea.

I know everyone will understand the series from his/ her own point of view, but it is interesting to try to understand the essence of the series… I feel that not being clear about all the details is part of the story telling. I agree that when watching the series superficially and skipping around, nothing seems to make sense, but if you start piecing all the details together, it is easy to see WHAT THIS STORY WANTS TO CONVEY.

I agree that the plot is not 100% clear, and that the characters don’t seem to act wisely most of the time, but that is part of the story…. THIS IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF STORY where there are no enemies and no problems. Their (wrong) behavior towards each other, their fears, and insecurities are the only theme of this series. For me Kuea being so insecure about Lian’s love in episode 8 after their first time made me like this series even more… It is really trying to show how real people feel and act. Their first time did not make all the problems/ doubts disappear.

I agree with everyone that Lian’s behavior was strange in the first episodes, but I am also quite surprised how people are so obsessed about Lian’s behavior. (According to some Lian has been grooming Kuea since he was a baby, kidnapped him, is treating Kuea like trash, etc). I agree that he was not taking good decisions sometimes and his teasing was a little over the top (episodes 4-6), but THAT IS WHAT THIS SERIES IS ABOUT!!!! IN A RELATIONSHIP WHERE NO ONE TELLS THE TRUTH AND EVERYONE TAKES BAD DECISIONS THINGS WILL NOT WORK OUT. There is no other story line; there are no enemies, no other problems, nothing in the first 8 episodes. That’s the message the series wants to convey! I am surprised that there are people morally judging the series. What Lian should have done, etc… What should have come first…. Sleeping together or talking. I think,most people’s lives are full of bad decisions. And this is what this story is about…. Two people with no experience in love, full of insecurities (both of them) who are overthinking (mostly Kuea) all the time and take bad decisions, but very obviously love each other from the very beginning. You can see in the way Lian looks at Kuea in episode 2 that he cares for him. I don’t get it when people say that he suddenly seems to love Kuea. For Kuea it is sudden, but for the viewer it is not.
The story is not telling Lian’s story in an obvious way. We see everything from Kuea’s perspective. There are just subtle hints. I can see why it is harder to step into Lian’s shoes, but you can see that he is extremely insecure, but trying to act cool. Asking Kuea all the time whether he likes the food, the room, the house, etc. That is insecurity. He has been trying so hard to distance himself from Kuea because of the age gap (as he said: holding back) that he has not been his own self with Kuea since a long time. I can see how Lian is becoming more open and that he is starting to notice many things about his own behavior. For example, that he did not let Kuea decide anything about their dates before. He was even making fun of himself that he has not been able to surprise Kuea ever on a date. You can see how he is noticing things… And how he is changing his behavior accordingly… Is he behaving perfectly now? No, but the series is showing their journey of being more open with each other and changing.

I agree with everyone that Ram's behavior was a bit too possessive for not being together officially, and also Phai’s behavior seemed strange. But for me Phai’s brother’s behavior was even stranger. To me it looks as if Phai has had some jealousy or possibly even violence problems before, and his brother does not want him to repeat the pattern. On the other hand I am not too worried about Luckchub’s passiveness… As he said to himself during their meal: Wait for my turn. I guess we will get a surprise there…

I agree with you about having to accept the back story. A lot of people don’t even try to like or understand the series. It is like someone watching a Bl series, but complaining about two boys kissing or a thai magic powers series and complaining about the hero using magic to fight the evil… I also tried to understand the characters, and I like the story…
I think your comment is great. It will disappear in the comment section. Just add that it has spoilers and paste it as a review. So people who want to know more about the series can read it. And you can keep changing it for a final review.

Yes, you are right. It seems he grew up wanting to be perfect for Kua (succesfull and rich) and sacrificing himself, putting his own needs last…

Thank you for your comment. Yes, you are right about the casual clothing making it hard for Kua to accept the possibility of him being Lian. What I was referring to was the moment when he did not want him to enter his house. And Lian asked him whether the kiss in the car did not prove that it was him. So Lian might have thought that Kua had actually recognized him.

Yes, the part about the Korean producer was not clear. That’s why I wrote that this what I think happened. You are most probably right. I totally agree with the master suite. He is really trying to show him that his house is Kua’s house.

I also could not resist and watched a few spoilers from the book, but I did not include anything because we don’t know what they are going to change, and I feel that if one really tries to understand everything the characters say and do the story is not that confusing. They very clearly don’t want us to understand the Yi and Dao story yet that’s why they just give little bits of new information in each episode.

I agree that it looks more like Lian was being groomed. The feeling of having to pay back gratitude even if it is not expected by the other party can weigh heavily… Somehow both try to be perfect in their own way.

It’s the first time I comment here. There are a few things, I feel we just have to accept because it is an Asian drama or because we don’t have enough information. It’s obvious Kua only accepted to go to Lian’s home because of his mother. So yes, this kind of ‘’respect’’ of elders by adult children can be found mostly in Asian dramas. The mother saying naughty all the time is strange. But it’s hard to interpret anything because we don’t know what she is referring to… Staying out of the house? The racing? The lying? The career change? I guess a lot of parents with other cultural backgrounds (European/ American) would be angry too if their adult children lied to them on this scale... especially if they are still paying everything for them.

There are some things that are just not really explained, but one can imagine what might have happened by the subtle hints… For example: There is this thing about the Korean producer. I think most probably Lian knew about it from Jay. That’s why he left. Even Yi asked Lian why he was angry… Well he did not plan to come home early…. The show does not explain some things or just gives some hints… Better not imagining the worst for every detail…. Example: the cameras… If he really had them installed for Kua, he would not have taken them down, and if he wanted to spy on him he would have wanted to see the footage of Kuas secret place. It was shown very clearly that he just wanted to check whether Kua would actually go to the forbidden room and enjoy the drums. This is an extremely rich person that has cameras in front of his office at home.

It seems that parents are guardians in Thailand till their children are 20 years old. So them asking Lian is not strange at all. They consider him family. I read a lot of comments about grooming… The series doesn’t show anything at all. Why are people so obsessed with something when there is no sign at all, no hint? Lian actually seemed to always be especially distanced with Kua in the past. Not coming close at all. At the ceremony the family talked about friendship and caring for each other. When Kua’s grandpa talked to Lian, he said that he doesn’t want to use his help to Lian’s family to make Lian promise something. That Lian can decline his request. He clearly said if you still love him, please keep the promise. If he is not forcing Lian, why would he force/groom his grandson? When Kuan and Lian were fighting in the first episode Lian said something interesting: You have known me since you were born. Maybe that makes you feel you…. (love me) So Lian is not sure of Kua’s love either because he thinks he might just want to do what his grandfather would have liked to happen. I just don’t see the family and Lian grooming Kua….

I also don’t really see a history of the parents controlling him too much nor Lian (episodes 1-3). There is a scene in episode 2 where he decided not to stay in UK even though his parents had prepared for him to stay there. The mother said: I don’t want to interfere in your decision. When it comes to him studying the father accepts computer engineering instead of political science, but his mother said: he can study whatever he wants. Does this sound like overly controlling parents? If they wanted to control him they give him a bodyguard and that is it…. But no… he was able to have a double life exactly because Lian and his parents let him. Especially considering that he is rich and famous. Dao nearly fell backwards just by hearing his famous name. And his friends also feel he has to be careful with confiding in people because he is rich and handsome. I think he had a great life, with little control the last few years. Also him saying Lian that he cannot order him (end of episode 3) and him being surprised that Lian and his mother are in contact shows that Lian was not a controlling guardian at all. He just let him be. Even though he knew about him studying a different career, racing at Yi’s place, etc. (You could see he knew about his real career when he laughed at the project of formul… ah final project…. It was so obvious… And he told Kua that there was a rich kid renting Yi’s racing track ) He was giving him space. No doubt about it.

Another thing I find interesting is that KUA IS 100 % SURE HE CAN CANCEL THE ENGAGEMENT ANY TIME. He said it several times that he will do it later on. Most probably because he is still in love and is not ready to let go yet, but especially because he is confused by Lian’s behavior change and as he said he WANTS TO FIND OUT HIS HIDDEN AGENDA… So no… In my opinion he is not weak. He even once asked himself: did I take the right decision to come here (Lian’s home)? He very clearly thinks he took the decision to accept Lian forcing him. He went with it, and I agree he had 3 hard days of letting his life/ music/ secret house go. Even though he thinks it will be just for a month. But him saying to Lian in episode 6 that he hasn’t said he will not cancel the engagement and that Lian should not try to fool him with words was just such a clear sign that he knows 100 % that he CAN cancel it. He has no doubts about it. And Lian did accept what he said. In the fifth episode there is even a dialogue where Kua shows that he doesn’t really believe that it is an arranged marriage. That he got engaged because he… It was clear he wanted to say… he loved Lian, but he did not want to give Lian the satisfaction of telling him….

The power dynamics seem to be in Lian’s favor, but not really because Kua can end it by canceling the engagement any time. KUA KNOWS IT and LIAN KNOWS IT. Kua wants to know what is happening and why Lian changed. I personally interpreted that Lian started to play with Kua when Kua told him he was an idiot severall times while drunk. He was bragging that Lian doesn’t know about his secret house, etc. Kua is very confident that he is fooling Lian. From then on there is a game going on between them. Both are trying to outsmart each other. Kua once even asked talking to himself: can I never win against you? So he knows there is a game going on. Kua doesn’t know that Lian knows everything. But he doesn’t seem to feel threatened, only very confused, especially in episode 4 (Even Dao wondered why Lian suddenly seemed to care so much for Kua). In episode 4 it was clear Kua was confused by Lian’s behavior, but before the pinning against the bed scene(beginning of episode 5) he already knew Lian was messing with him (he said so in his thoughts) , and tried to tease back. The pulling his tie thing, snoring, tossing in bed, etc. Like someone wrote… Dao’s face is screaming fear with Yi being 5 meters away from him. But what I notice is that Kua is pinned against the bed and just looks surprised/ confused, and maybe angry….

Some people say Kua does not stand up for himself. He told him to not come so close two times, has pushed him back a few times, said he feels they are ballroom dancing back and forth, he is daring him to kiss him, threatened him he will cancel the engagement many times, etc. But yes… Kua is battling with his feelings for Lian everytime Lian comes close.

Some don’t seem to see a change in Kua… But I see change… I loved one scene especially: After he could not go to Jays bar and meet the producer there was this swimming pool scene where he did not speak like little Kua at all. He literally said that he will leave before Lian picks a fight. Then he shows very clearly that he doesn’t think that a date is necessary. In the first few sentences he said, there was no smile. He showed that he was pissed off. It was 100 % Kua. After the date they have this conversation where he speaks his mind several times (no need for the word date/ yes you don’t give me enough time / you are always scolding and teasing me, etc….) Their conversation is becoming more normal. Kua tried to soften what he said each time he said something clear or hurtful to Lian. He was slipping back and forth being Kua and a bit little Kua.

It’s very obvious that most of the times Lian messes with Kua he asked him a question and Kua lies to him. (Have you never climbed the balcony? / Just tell me where you want to go) One can see Lian is enjoying himself when he is messing with Kua, but he is enjoying himself even more everytime Kua speaks his mind or pushes him back, standing up for himself. Whenever Kua speaks his mind Lian accepts it, and gives him positive feedback, talks about needing to change….

I guess, most viewers agree that no character has to be without faults in a series. Why does Lian play with him? Why does he make his mom force him to come live at his home? Why the sudden change? Maybe he is now sure that Kua really loves him after seeing him drunk and does not only want to get married because they are engaged. Then there was this scene in the bar where Lian lets him drink and be himself until the creepy guy comes very close to Kua. I can understand Lian that he took him out of there. After Lian was thinking to himself that he can’t let this happen anymore. Very clearly he noticed he has to open up if he wants it to work out.

The kiss in the car was not my favorite scene, but it was shown very well that Kua was asking to be loved during the whole car ride. Also Lian seemed surprised that Kua did not recognize him when they arrived at Kua’s house.

Well… the kiss from episode 6. Like most, I liked that he was checking if Kua was ok with it every step. Lian lifting Kua on the counter top was interesting. I read a comment where the person said that he physically and figuratively put him higher than himself. When he messes with him, he likes to tower over him. So I think that person was right. It was quite symbolic. I saw that Kua moved his head backwards in the last second of the episode, and Lian noticed it. So I guess the kissing stopped there.