Kseniya Green

I actually want more stories where ML and FL have deep, interesting, purely friendly relationships. But when people in the comments on, say, "Eastern Palace" prefer to see ML and FL relationships as romantic, I don't object. I don't say a romance would make the relationship less deep, I don't say, "Het fans are reducing everything to a simplistic romance again." To each their own.
What upsets me is that even when a queercoded drama intentionally creates a romantic subtext, and fans see it, comments like, "These BL fans see gay romance everywhere" inevitably appear.

Because it's rare? Romantic love isn't just a genre - it's a huge and deep part of a person's life, for queer people as for everyone else.
And there are countless stories about complex, profound characters in difficult circumstances in which romantic love is part of their personal story. But the vast majority of them are hetero. Heterosexual romance is present in most classic works of world cinema and literature. Stories about friendship are also abundant.
But for some reason, when it comes to queer romance, many rush to relegate it to some niche entertainment subgenre. And I think that's unfair.
I want more stories where queer romance isn't just an "entertainment genre" but an essential part of the journey of multidimensional, deep characters.

I think the point of her arc is that by the end, she should realize the futility of her obsession and find the strength to let go and start living her own life. The drama has this theme of obsession with receiving validation of one's worth from someone who is incapable of giving it. And Jaein is in exactly this situation. That's why she doesn't develop - her personal clock has stopped while she tries to gain Pio's recognition.

I think if they'd planned any development for this line, they would have changed the tone of their relationship after the kiss. But Pio's attitude toward Jaein remains just as cold, and he literally reflexively flinches when she takes his hand. At this point, it's no longer underdevelopment - it's a big sign in bold letters HE'S NOT INTERESTED.

And Jeongyo's face at that moment conveys a very special emotion. If they had intended to portray this relationship as friendship or brotherhood, they would have shot this scene differently. Jeongyo would have smiled at an imaginary Pio or something like that. But Jeongyo looks at him with a mixture of poetic enchantment and a kind of sadness. Such a poignant mixture of emotions, quite recognizable as the experience of first love.

I think it's entirely possible that they'll end up with the teacher being JeongYo's father. And Pio's mother got pregnant somehow as revenge, along the lines of "cheating on the cheater so he'll feel the pain too."

And this is also a popular trope in K-dramas, where the main characters are the children of people who were in love in their youth, but it didn't work out. And the children are faced with the task of breaking free from their parents' toxic narrative.

That would turn a drama about art, love, and self-discovery into some kind of ridiculous soap opera.
And I already mentioned that they're clearly following all the romantic tropes and are completely intentional in creating romantic associations. They might not openly acknowledge that this is a queer romance and go with some ambiguous ending, like "take it as you will." But to eliminate the very possibility of interpreting the characters' relationship as romantic at this point would be like cutting off the branch they're sitting on. I don't believe they're idiots.

I don't think that can happen. The actors know what they're playing, and they're not playing brotherly love.

And whether we see their relationship as platonic or not, Pio is much more than a friend to JeongYo. Pio is his muse. And that's an undeniable fact of the drama. For a creative person to destroy their muse is something out of the realm of ancient tragedies, where everyone throws themselves off a cliff at the end. But I don't think this drama is such a case.

I can't get the moment out of my head when Pio's mother gratefully tells JeongYo how much he's helped Pio. And afterward, JeongYo has a kind of nervous tic in front of the mirror, as if his mask of imperturbability momentarily faltered.
And immediately afterward, he remembers his first meeting with Pio as children.
And I think there's more to that twitching than hatred. Because if everything had simply gone according to plan, he wouldn't have reacted so strongly. On the contrary, he would have felt a special satisfaction in the thought of tearing that look of triumph off Pio's mother's face.

His micro-nervous breakdown is much more understandable if his feelings about the whole situation are conflicted. He wants to destroy Pio's mother, but I don't think he wants to destroy Pio. But for now, they're kind of "one package." And that must be wracking JeongYo inside. Perhaps, somewhere beneath the surface, he himself is sometimes terrified of where his game might lead.

I also think it's crucial for understanding who JeongYo is and how he approaches relationships with people, the fact that he still cares for his worthless father. Even though his father abandoned him, betrayed him, and isn't his biological father.
His connection with Pio is deeper and much more deeply woven into everything JeongYo loves and lives by. Do people really think JeongYo is going to destroy Pio just because of the interview and some vague memories?

I think this would be the most logical and beautifully symmetrical ending.

Their first performance together was with JeongYo blindfolded.
In their second performance together, nine years later, it's JeongYo, as conductor, who metaphorically leads Pio by the hand into this world.
They should finally perform together in the finale, in a position where they both have their eyes open and can fully enjoy the process.

For example, all those things that JeongYo says to Pio in episode eight, when he helps him out of his crisis, are truly important for a creative person. To ultimately turn them into instruments of destruction would be to invert the drama's message. I don't think they'll do that.
I think people sometimes forget that a story needs to have its own integrity, not just a random sequence of events. You can't make a story about how love heals and then end it with a situation where love destroys a person. That would be a completely different story.

I honestly don't think it makes any sense within the narrative for Pio to die or break down. Because if that happens, especially because of the music, it would seem as if his grandfather was right - that he really is untalented and shouldn't have been in this music world. But I think the drama wants to tell a completely different story. That music is for everyone who loves it, and that love for something/someone is the most valuable talent in itself.
And for this narrative to truly resonate, Pio must become free at the end and start living.

Yes. And I think that in itself is a wonderful gift. That he was able to retain the capacity for empathy and care, even toward his opponent. Scolding him for sometimes stumbling due to his damaged self-esteem and not always acting perfectly is like scolding someone who's been run over for limping.

They literally emphasize shots like the one where Pio, Jae-in, and JeongYo are sitting in the same row, and Pio looks at JeongYo, completely ignoring the girl's presence. This framing is entirely intentional.

And she's not simply shoved into the background, as happens in some dramas where the entire emotional burden rests on the relationship between the two male leads, but there's a formal het romance. Here, Jae-in is ignored quite pointedly. And frankly, I'm surprised that some people don't see it. We're constantly shown the contrast between the "polite zombie" face with which Pio responds to Jae-in, and how completely and utterly bewitched he is by JeongYo whenever he's in sight.

I really hope Jae-in's arc ends with her realizing the futility of her attempts to win Pio's heart and moving on with her life. Any other ending would simply be humiliating for her.

Yes. And there are many such nuances. For example, how desperately Pio wanted to hug JeongYo and how he was reluctant to let go of his hand when they shook hands. And Pio is completely not tactile with everyone else. When Jae-in tries to hug him or hold his hand, he usually has this reflexive reaction of pulling away.
Actors always know what they're playing, and their body language is very telling.

Definitely. And I think even in character discussions, ignoring the romantic subtext is a major source of misunderstanding of the characters' psychology. If you see the characters' relationships as simply friendly, a lot seems strange.
And I see in the comments how some people are perplexed by, say, Pio's inconsistent behavior. If JeongYo was just a friend, a lot would be easier. But love cuts deeper, makes you more vulnerable, and breaks you on a deeper level if things go wrong. But love can also mend you on a deeper level, where even the warmest friendship can't reach.

Everyone has the right to interpret it as they wish. What's irritating in such cases is the double standards.
There are no kisses or overtly romantic scenes in Eastern Palace, yet many talk about the great love between the characters. Because it's a guy and a girl.
This drama clearly has far more romantic scenes than Eastern Palace, but some viewers believe the boys must kiss onscreen for it to be interpreted as romance.