Silmarien

Did you watch the finale today?

I knew this was losing steam for me when I legit forgot episode 9 was out today and watched it late. Honestly, so many of us called it last week, with the misunderstanding so I was expecting nothing this episode and that's what I got served.

What did surprise me was Chan Yeong breakdown in the hallway lol, way to put Hee Su on the spot.
Not to mention, these little moments where Hee Su is freaking out, holding his breath, losing himself in Seung won's eyes, melting on the chair, and Seung Won's like "y he no like me" make me laugh.

Two episodes at once, what a surprise! Both excellent. Couple of things that I think are worth mentioning:

1. I decidedly didn't like Jin's line about how Akin isn't at fault because no sex occurred. The implication of had there been sex, Akin would have been at fault rubbed me the wrong way, I guess. However, my dislike for how Jin handled that is offset by

2. The absolute beauty in the way each shot is set up whenever Jin runs towards Akin to hold him, hug him, comfort him and be there for him. Their insane chemistry, the way they don't just seem, but are comfortable with each other. Work of art. Two thumbs up for whoever choreographs those hugs because they're just giving love.

3. The actress playing the crazy fan was so good, her appearance turned the episode into a thriller instantly, so creepy. Not to mention the confrontation scene, that made my hair stand on end. "I wanted you to see me so ..I broke into your house, stalked you, stole your stuff...as one does. And now I'm disappointed you're not the person my delulu ass thought you were". Akin's too much of a good person, if it were me..straight to jail!

I sort of laughed out loud when they made the carrot juice person be like the goddamn Poe Toaster. It's Chan Yeong, but no, it's the girl whose name I can't remember. Plot twist, now it's Seung Won.

So it wasn't just me who felt it was rather odd that the episode dedicated to Hee Su being fully, super duper aware of his feelings had Seung Won basically not even taking a glance at him except like..twice, right? I guess I'm just spoiled and wanted more interaction. Moar!

As for episode 9, wouldn't it be lovely if they actually subvert expectations and have Seung Won have the wits to be like "oooh, it's me, right? It has to be me. Especially since Hee Su hasn't interacted positively with Chan Yeong for a while now. Time to confess". But no, I bet we'll get a resolution in the last scene and an episode filed with angst on both sides, uncertainty, more misunderstandings, etc.

This is me right now. I can smell the misunderstanding of 90% of episode 9 from a week away

Bahah, right? He doesn't even catch the start of the convo, comes in and is all like "She would NEVER do that". My guy, you've known her for 5 minutes, easy on the declarations. That part made me chuckle, I'll admit.

Could be, lol. And not to piss off anyone, but he's not the strongest actor in the cast, either. Not that he had much to work with in terms of characterization, even with the abundance of scenes he's had. Either that or I skipped too much of his screentime to realize he's actually good :D

Poor Hee Su. Had a crush on his straight best friend, now has a crush on (what he beliefs is) his other straight friend and neighbor.

But overall, did it ever feel satisfying to hear him say his crush on Chan Yeong ended. Finally, ring the bells, sound the alarms, my boy's moving on. It was a very cute episode, seeing Hee Su be jealous and concerned about Seung Won without realizing that he's being that way and then navigate his own feelings and understanding them. Moreso, consciously making a decision to show his best self to Seung Won. Cute!

Side note, was I the only one cringing at the confrontation scene between the 4 of them in the class? Once again, poor Hee Su. Not his fault he's got all these feelings and on top of that a huge misunderstanding about Seung Won and Ji Yu, but oh boy..oof.

LE: Wondering why they decided to make Chan Yeong oblivious to Hee Su's feelings.

Interesting. I hadn't considered that Akin wasn't willing to be upfront about what happened because he believes himself at fault as well/believes he also acted improper hence is to blame. Which, let's be clear, he isn't. He was unconscious, was taken advantage of and Johnny boy's a PoS, but yeah.

As for Jin's reaction, I feel like they intentionally made his understanding of the situation ambiguous - maybe to fall in line with the original material, maybe to keep consistent with Jin's character who, although sweet and puppy like, hasn't always understood boundaries and consent either, lol. At least, lines such as "don't do anything to him" and "you choose if you play along with others or not", I chose to interpret as ambiguity on whether Jin understands what transpired between Akin and Johnny. On the one hand, the warnings and his choice of words would imply he's inferring the situation (plus he knows what Akin is like when he drinks). On the other hand, what with Akin being unwilling to have a discussion about what happened and his lies on the phone call in the morning, you can totally understand where Jin's coming from - believing they had consensual sex and Akin tried to hide that from him.
With the preview to episode 7, I think we'll get a clear explanation on this though.

Love both their characters however, very well written and believable. The 6 day wait is gonna kill me, need me episode 7 right now.

Oh boy, do I hope that's not the case. Imagine..keeping your talent in line by having a 3rd party sexually assault them while unconscious, that'd be one helluva choice. I'm hoping Johnny's his own nutcase.

I haven't even finished this yet, but boy is it good. Not fluff, not cute, sweet is the word that comes to mind. It's sweet and it puts a smile on your face. At least, so far.

I'd say the only thing that didn't sit right with me with webtoon Chan Yeong was how eager he was to push off Hee Su towards Seung Won. Maybe something was lost in the translation or I overinterpreted things, but it felt so awkward.

Like he didn't know how to deal with Hee Su's feelings not going away anymore, he wasn't capable of straight up rejecting him so when he finds out about the crush he's all like: "oh yeah, there we go, problem solved.". And this happens when there's still no indication that Hee Su has any feelings for Seung Won whatsoever. And then he starts sort of manipulating Hee Su if I recall correctly. I dunno, it was all for the better, but for me..it didn't make him seem like a really good friend, just one who wanted to get rid of his bffs life long crush on him in a not so stellar way. The end justifies the means, but does it.

Oh, he's definitely a clumsy, head in clouds type of person, for sure. But he gets a pass because he's both adorable and always cheery/good natured. I laughed out loud at the water back the drain moment! Actually, thankfully, this episode had a lot more moments of levity and genuine humor.

I don't believe it's Seung Won for a single reason: even though he hasn't confessed, when asked directly, he's always been sincere and straightforward. He wouldn't go on the movie date without Hee Su, he dressed up for him, etc. So it doesn't make sense that he'd lie to Ji Yu. I mean, it's not out of the realm of possibility, I just think it would be at odds with his characterization so far if the scriptwriter goes with it.

You know what? You might be right. Otherwise, we're running out of characters we've actually seen on screen so far lol

Yes, yes, YES! We’ve officially breached enemy territory—I repeat, enemy territory has been breached! Translation: Seung Won slept over and Hee Su visited his place too.

What an episode. Truly loved it.

At long last, we're seeing some real movement between these two—meaningful progress, even. I was thrilled they kept the detail about Seung Won’s moms from the webtoon; it’s such an important touch. While Hee Su might not have romantic feelings just yet, there’s now a growing understanding—Hee Su see realized Seung Won could be a good friend. Maybe even a better one than Chan Yeong, because he gets Hee Su in a way others simply can’t.

My standout moments, in no particular order:

Hee Su and Ji Yu’s friendship dynamic – It was refreshing to watch Hee Su just vibe with someone who isn’t his long-time sidekick. They had genuine fun, and the little "date by proxy" with Seung Won was adorable. Even if Hee Su remains completely oblivious to Seung Won’s feelings, it was endearing to watch unfold.

Seung Won’s backstory and POV – Finally! This was so needed. It fleshed him out far beyond “the shy guy who likes Hee Su.” Learning how his friendship with Ji Yu formed, getting a glimpse into his parents' relationship, and learning about his two moms—this all painted a fuller, richer picture of who he is. It also underscored just how emotionally isolated he is, especially in contrast to Hee Su’s warm, boisterous household.

The Lee family breakfast scene – Absolute gold. Watching Seung Won begin to open up and soak in the banality of a family breakfast was such a quiet, powerful moment. Bonus points to Hee Su for bragging about him being class president and second in the year—he’s so proud and doesn’t even realize it.

The morning montage contrast – The overlay of the Lee family's morning chaos with Seung Won’s stark, silent routine? Brilliant cinematography. It perfectly emphasized how lonely his world is compared to the comfortable, chaotic normalcy of Hee Su’s.

The acting – Spot-on performances all around from Ji Yu, Seung Won, and Hee Su. Lee Sang Jun, in particular, really nailed those “deer in headlights” expressions—genuinely hilarious and adorable.

Now, onto the less stellar bits:

Chan Yeong’s ex (whose name I refuse to remember) – Girl… this is sad. I know her role exists to set up the “fake dating” arc from the webtoon (which is cute), but still. Her character feels like a plot device stuck in a cliché. I had skipped so many Chan Yeong scenes in earlier episodes that when she showed up I honestly thought, “New phone, who dis?” Also, can we please retire the “bitter woman who hates the gays” trope in BLs? It’s tired.

The carrot confessions – I remain puzzled. The show has seemingly abandoned this thread for now, and I’m still not sure what its purpose is. We know it’s not Seung Won, and it’s definitely not the girl who texted Hee Su (because she loathes him, lol), so… what gives? Maybe the mystery will pay off later, but right now it just feels like a narrative hiccup.

All in all? Fantastic episode. Gorgeous cinematography, beautiful lighting when Seung Won comes over for the sleepover, and so many sweet moments.

First episode was fine. I could smell the misunderstanding a mile away, though, not sure they wanted to make it that obvious or not. I'm curious how closely they're going to follow the manhwa though because it's a KBL and boy, lemme tell ya, the webtoon is..not mild. Hopefully, they diverge with the ML's characterization.

@Liltsu Thank you! Happy to give you a laugh too. :)

@Zelme Yep, I do not recall that from the webtoon whatsoever. I read it pretty recently so I'm inclined to believe I don't have selective amnesia :D

@Rus7y I don't know if I'm delusional but I distinctly remember some marketing/summary/synopsis that was describing the drama as exploring the intricate relationships between these four characters, which would make sense then that this is how they're approaching the story.

But, and it's a big but, I'm not even seeing this either: Ji Yu has made little to no contact with Hee Su and Chan Yeong hasn't had a single dialogue line with Seung Won. So this doesn't work as an explanation either.

Let's hope they're just taking the long way around heh. Maybe I'm overreacting and the pacing makes sense for 10 episodes and they'll eventually get there with the ML's relationship. Problem is, with Hee Su not even considering Seung Won as ..anything, really, at this point, I have a hard time believing that their relationship won't be rushed. Especially since the manhwa has a LOT of content and a specific dynamic that it explores between the two.

@Sae No, no, I get it. I used to be in the "so what if they replaced a couple, it's ok" camp to begin with and I hadn't read the manhwa at that point myself.

I went ahead and read it, I loved it and now..this. Between us, I disliked Chan Yeong in the manhwa as well heh, because it felt like he was ..pushing Hee Su onto Seung Won because Hee Su likes ..men and here's a man that's interested in him so ..it for sure will work. Like brother, what. Just because you can't deal with turning him down maturely, doesn't mean you got to be all manipulative without your friend knowing, but w/e, all for the best because Hee Su x Seung Won were adorable.

And yes, you're remembering correctly, Seung Won's two moms were a pretty important moment for Hee Su being accepting of himself more, in my opinion.

Mm, it seems I was far too quick to judge (or not judge rather) the inclusion of the CY + JI couple instead of the second gay couple from the manhwa and in thinking that that won't take away from the story of the MLs.

See, problem is, the manhwa doesn't have 4 leads, it has 2 at any given time and the rest are supporting characters. It's also weirdly split into two almost separate stories; for the second part of it, Hee Su and Seung Won take a seat for the 2nd gay couple to shine, but that's neither here nor there since the 2nd couple has been replaced.

Now, I still don't have a problem per se with the existence of the second couple, but I find it weird that they're almost taking center stage at this point and are given more importance than the MLs, effectively making them the main couple, with Hee Su and Seung Won being relegated to ..secondary characters? It's definitely a massive departure from the manhwa and .. I don't like it. Ji Yu's character isn't that fleshed out so there's nothing to like, dislike or root for with her and, while they did give backstory for Chan Yeong during this episode, I don't really care about his family situation, his tennis situation or his general lifelessness in any scene that's not split between him and Ji Yu. Problem numero 1.

Problem numero dos is that Chan Yeong and Ji Yu have had a cute montage, a slow-mo running scene, several bonding scenes and what generally feels like a lot more *significant* screen time than Hee Su and Seung Won. This means that:

1. We still don't know much about Seung Won, his life, his personality, etc.
2. The relationship between Seung Won and Hee Su just isn't developing because there's no place for it to develop unless it happens backstage.

And, I mean, I call these problems because they are *to me*. This is all subjective, some people might like the way the show's progressing. I don't, especially when you take into account that we only have a total of 10 episodes max and 6 left to go.

Things I did like about this episode:
1. The sisters. They're pretty cool in the webtoon as well and they're certainly a frame of relationship reference for Hee Su at one point or another. They're also very supportive.
2. Seung Won's POV. It finally confirms what's been heavily implied so far, which is that he likes Hee Su. It's also really cute and endearing seeing him act out his crush.
3. Their little impromptu dessert shop date which turns into a chicken date.
4. The friendship between Seung Won and Ji Yu.
5. Hee Su's social media post, same as the webtoon. Hopefully this kickstarts the same storyline as in the webtoon.

Things I didn't like:
1. We don't actually get to see the chicken date.
2. Too much character development for a character that was essentially a plot device in the webtoon, but simultaneously none for his counterpart.
3. Hee Su still pushing Seung Won away or completely ignoring him. Boy's freaked out and a bit heartbroken, but still.

Things that confused me:
1. The mysterious texter. This is something the showrunners made up and I don't really see the purpose. Sure, its function is to split Hee Su from Chan Yeong, push the two apart, but...the webtoon had a perfect solution for this that also implied Hee Su and Seung Won spent more time together so what gives?