MaintainingMama

You are right the pacing isnslow and not much haa happened. And if Lue was supposed to be Din (not sure how, even though they are indicating Lue had his accident 2 years ago, probably at the same time as Din died) then maybe I can get on board with all the Din memories we are getting. But since its likely not the case, I really cannot understand the point.

Here is my problem. With only 3 episodes left, we have ZERO feeling, at least not from Ken's side. Yeah, they almost kissed this last episode, but that was mainly, once again, Lue initiating. Ken is still really fixated on Din. We have had waaaay more scenes explaining how much Din and Ken loved each other than any kind of relationship with Lue, other than Lue seemingly stalking Ken. We aren't evem getting Ken not getting why he is so attracted to Lue when he should be grieving Din. Like some mystic pull he has to Lue because then....surprise Lue IS Din. But nope not even that. So if they do end up together (and nexts weeks previews is pointing to more Ken shunning Lue), it will make zero sense. Not that this series has made any real sense from the beginning. It's a shame cause this would have been a good plot/storyline to see played out.

The reason I said I am too American was exactly to your point. I completely understand the cultural significance of why Uea continues to allow his mother and stepfather and boss abuse him. As an African American it also something within our culture as well. But THIS level of abuse is too much and he can still support his sister without exposing himself to the hell that is his mother, and especially his boss.
And the logic of Uea trying to reason with someone who has SH, SA and stalked him isn't there. Make it male sense. Maybe it would have made sense when he Kept making Uea stay late and do someone else's job, but after the SA, reasoning goes out the window.

I am too American for this show. I have never been more frustrated by dialogue or actions in my life. I NEED Uea to say F!@k you to everyone and HIS Mama! His sister PISSED me off. Quit holding him back like you didn't just HEAR him say he was molested! Like you didn't grow up WATCHING your mom be a absolute trash goblin to him all those years. I do not GET why he doesn't go NC with that hell demon. He can contact his sister to check on her with involving his mother. Or if girlie cannot keep it from her mom, go NC with the whole house until sis becomes an adult. He don't owe that evil heifer any familial obligation. Gah! I was praying Uea finally went off on them, but they just had him keep saying the same stupid lines. They haven't given me a good reason he keeps giving into his mother and allowing himself to keep getting exposed to her wretched self. And the boss!! Who in this WORLD, as a writer, thought that Uea should say, after he was SA and then STALKED and Harassed, 'I'm going to ask him to stop!' LIKE WTF! You literally scream stop and help and kicked him in the nuts, but, 'I'm going tell you ONE MORE TIME, stop it, I don't like it!'. Huh!?!?! Gah this episode frustrated me sooo much! And with the bad translations, I couldn't really tell what King said to Uea that made him so upset after the SA scene. Was he accusing Uea of wanting the attention of Krit or was he saying why did you go in there by yourself and Uea felt some type of way for basically being called stupid for putting himself in that position? I just KNOW that this is going to end with some crappy apology from Uea's mom, like all is forgiven and Krit is at the most going to be fired but nothing else will happen to him. Maybe King will punch him...but at this point I need John Wick to come in and handle some folk.

One thing about a KBL, especially the ones with short episodes, they are going to give you everything and not enough. Especially in the middle part. I needed more! Can you imagine if this had the length of Light On Me...wowee! And for as many BLs that are coming out of Korea, you would think they would put in a bit more effort for developing a complete and total script. I can only pray I live long enough for the day a KBL has the same length and details as a 'typical' drama get. Cause MAN, then they would be unstoppable.

I didn't necessarily need a kiss, but them acting like they knew nothing about each other after 2 years was a bit...meh for me. I love the show up until the time skip, then I have issues. I wish the big love confession was clearer. I was super hard to know if they were actually together. Loved the escaping to the beach, but they needed to add the intimacy between each other. Again, I didn't need a kiss, but they were together for 2 years, who avoids their partners touch? The 'how dare you ask for sex, I'm a blushing bride!' routine through off the last episode. And who spends the whole night talking in bed in that position?

But overall. very well acted.

I think they, especiallybJames, is doing an amazing job in these roles. As traumatic as this series is, I am entertained by it.

This show is a mess but the suspense about who all these men in black are is killing me. I like parts of it but Ken has shown ZERO interest in Lue, so I have no hope they'll get together. And I wish that if Lue is actually Din (with the not so subtle clue about AI face switching scene), that they had made Ken attracted to Lue but conflicted because of his grief for Din. Even if Lue is Din, Ken hasn't shown like for Lue outside of gratitude for being saved and some weird acquittanceship. So it ruin the romance aspect for me. For heaven sakes, Ken didn't even ask about Lue's gun shot wound, even though Lue asked about Ken's injury.
I don't care for Payu and Hin. They have zero chemistry and their parts this episode didn't make sense. Why did Payu call him repeatedly during a meeting!? It was never explained. And then he just stayed on his phone the whole time, again, why? Why did he inturrupt what looked like a business meeting only for them to go to a mixer?

The fight scenes are frustrating on one hand but also well done on the other.
I cannot decide if the actor who plays Ken cannot act or its just really bad directing, cause all the silent spaces in between dialogue especially on the phone are maddening!
I mostly am watching it to see if Lue gets a happy ending and who are the guys in black.

This just needed one more episode with Ritsu explaining why he behaved like he did, if he loved Masumi so much back then. Did he not figure out his feelings until they broke up? Then one more episode of Masumi stuggling with his feelings of betrayal and his undying love for Ritsu. It would have made it flow a bit better. We got so much of Yuma's feeling for an idol while we barely got any real understanding of Ritsu's feelings to Masumi.

Poor Mr. Lue, he has rescued and taken care of Ken, confessed, suffered through and awkward double date then got shot and Ken still don't return feelings. Now Din is back alive, its over for Mr. Lue. I mean, being fair, Ken never showed he like Lue. So this is a frustrating love triangle/slash mystery that is a bit confusing cause they lots of stuff out or unfinished.
As a parent, Din's folks are too 'over' his death. I literally cannot 'hint' at the thought of my kids being hurt with going mental, yet mama hears son is dead goes to his room and isn't a complete and utter mess. They joke and talk about him at the dinner table like they didn't JUST find his body. Like seriously!?! Come on. Meanwhile, boyfriend is in tears every second he thinks about it. I would have liked Mama's speech about moving on a bit if she shared his grief a little. Some tears as she mourns even having to say, hey its okay to move on from my son, he isn't coming back.
Finally we see why Lue wears gloves. We don't know why hos hands and body are so scarred, but at least we know its not some weird fashion choice by the director. Now here is hoping they reveal why he is so scared and what his deal is, cause the not knowing is killing me.


Ken's friend are annoying, that is all.

Outside of King, Uea cannot catch a break from gross dudes. Like I get it, he's pretty, but seriously, ALL the worst men seem attracted to him.
I was hoping that what ever issue King has with his Mom, would have him modelling boundries, so that Uea can finally start standing up for himself. So far King is handling 2 outta 4 issues (hotly, by the way. The way he handled new guy cannot be understated how sexy he was), and 2 of those issues he doesn't even kniw about. I NEED Uea to go NC with his mom and go into intensive therapy. Not enough episodes left to deal with such serious issues. So Dear Future BLs, even if the original stories have all the trauma, please cut out most of them if you are not going to responsibly deal with. I have zero of these traumas but am traumatized each for poor Uea.

Despite having to skip through the crying and the second strangulation scenes, this show gets better each episode. Its obvious Lue likes Ken, but Ken ain't returning none of those feeling despite the semi romantic day they spent together. So I am not sure who I'm supposed to ship at this point. Lue is trying though, so maybe Ken will hurry up and fall in love...or it will be when they reveal that Lue is actually Din. The gloves thing bothers me in only that they have everyone else ignoring them. When Lue was sweeping the hair off Ken's face would have been a perfect time to say, 'I don't mean to pry, but can I ask why you always where these gloves?' Even if Lue evades the question, it will at least be acknowledge within the story as having a 'reason' for being there. As of now, its almost as if they aren't there.
But despite all that, I'll keep watching for the whodunnit, even though now we know who did it.

I went into this expecting NC scenes and developing feeling, with a side a jealousy when feeling come into play. I did NOT expect this level of trauma. It is hard to watch sometimes, mostly because they are doing a good job acting this out. I hate Uea's mom with the fire of a thousands and while I usually don't wish death on any one, she deseves a scene where she gets hit by a bus but doesn't die right away and suffers pain for few days before she dies.

I need to know if Uea's sister is his stepfather's child and if he is also SA her? Does the mom abuse her as well? Either way, the sister HAD to know about the abuse he suffered from, why did she invite him bavk instead of just meeting him out if she missed him?!
This show will actually fail so badly if they don't have Uea get therapy for what he has gone through. It would be just the worst if they introduced this level of abuse to then make it so the love he gets from King is all he needed to heal. That works on a 'my boyfriend cheated, so I don't trust men' scenario, but THIS!?! Yeah, no. I AM glad King stopped the sex when he realized Uea was in the wrong head space for it.

I like the way their relationship is devoloping, I just need mom and stepfather to burn in prison first then in Hell last and Uea to enter into intensive therapy for will probably be the rest of his life based off the trauma he has endured (and from next weeks teaser, still endures).

Binged it. It was okay. Pleasantly surprised by the sex scene and even the kisses. Japanese BLs go from zero affection, maybe a hug and definitely a falling into the arms stunt or basically porn. Never am in between. So this was a refreshing change.

It started off super cheesy, but I am somehow invested.

well done explanation! So many just saw it as an excuse to shiw guys having sex and didn't pay attention to the story behind the story. I couldn't agree more with your take on this. I find it fascinating that in the end, it was 'South Korea', ie greed, capitalism that killed him.

What does that even mean?

My heart weeps for Uea. I PRAY they introduce a therapist, cause this kind of abuse is going to take a lifetime of therapy. He will NEVER be sucessful in a relationship with anyone, even King until he does. Man, as good as this series is (I am enjoying it for the most part) the abuse from literally everyone in his life is too much. Man!

While nothing is clear, like at all, with the subs being better, it was watchable. I am back engaged. It helps that Ken has chemistry with Din and Mr. Lue. Otherwise I would not be invested. Phayu and Hin are meh at this point. I ain't buying their relationship, even with the nice addition of butt grabbing. (Something that should be added to all series, as its usually the first place one grabs when one is being affectionate/frisky)
I am mostly invested as I am waiting to see what the heck this show is supposed to be about.
Although, I think that dude with the slashed eye is responsible for killing Din. Nok and them dudes on the side of the road were his underlings back in the day, and as long as Ken stayed gone, they weren't endanger of being caught. Now that Ken is back and he can ID his people, slashed eye dude has to get rid to everybody who can be ID'd. I am pretty sure Nok is unaware he is probably on the list...

Yess!!! I have been saying this for both seasons! I never found them toxic just imperfect people who fell in love and were figuring it out. Like most people. The truly only toxic relationships are those who refuse to change, are both unhappy and stay together out of some petty, crazy reason.