i understand what tarn was trying to do with the purple hibiscus symbolism or whatever to see if he's still paying…
Fair, but I think the scene was meant to represent her noticing that she's no longer in his thoughts, and likely not a literal test that she devised. In the same way that he carelessly colours the flower in Oh-aew's red, it all seems a bit outside reality and more in metaphor to me.
really wanna watch this bc of Gun & Captain, but the plot is kinda cringey, and I usually only go for non-BL doramas/lakorns…
Gun has a significant role. It's a good role; he's got a Rome-like energy. Tay and Captain have about the same amount of screen time as support characters. They're in every episode. It's a fun series, so I wouldn't consider it a slog to get through, anyhow.