Ing says he has a limited-edition face. About himself. Out loud.
Five episodes in, I wonder how many people are starting to like him anyway. Or because of it.
He's loud. He knows he's rich and doesn't pretend otherwise. He runs the family business himself, and he's good at it. Sharp. A little ruthless.
When I read the novel years ago, he was the reason I kept going.
What got me was how he loves. No games. Once he wants you, he just starts handing you things. The best of everything, immediately. And if you're one of his, he'll fight for you.
He has a temper, but it doesn't last. Be a little gentle with him and he folds.
In the book he has a Beijing mouth. Quick, rude, funny. When he's cursing someone out, he never sounds like a CEO.
And when things go wrong, he doesn't beg. It hurts, and he walks away anyway. Then he picks himself up and starts over.
Right now he's still the loudest one in the room. Still very sure about his face.
Ep 4. Odajima gets dragged into a warehouse with a knife on him. His hands are tied, so the knife just sits there.
Kataoka says he wants to eat. They untie Odajima. Only Odajima. Kataoka stays tied up.
So now Odajima has free hands and a knife. He could cut the rope. He doesn’t.
He feeds Kataoka a rice ball.
The writers know what show they’re making. It’s BL first. Warehouse, gangsters, hostage situation, and they still make room for him to hand-feed the guy.
Then the twist. One word from Kataoka, and Odajima has the knife at Kataoka’s throat. Kataoka wants the two gangs at war so badly he’ll have his own “wife” kill him, pin it on Boyd, and let the Kirii gang come for revenge.
And now the writers remember it’s a yakuza drama too.
Forget the knife. Remember the knife. Same knife, and the writers are the ones holding it.
I'm still not over it. Gi U downloading the chat app again, scrolling back through everything, and just... falling apart. That one scene was all the proof I needed. What they had was real, and he knows it. He's going to carry that for the rest of his life.
But I keep coming back to this: numbness is still his default. It's a habit, and it runs deeper in him than wanting does. So if Hyeon Jae stops reaching for him, I think that's it. Nobody would have to say it.
Season 2 or not, I'm honestly glad they left it open. I'd take this ambiguity over a forced happy ending.
Strip away the flashier plot turns and the heart of this show is pure Gray Shelter. Same writer, same director, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. But it's the same ache: you can't fully carry someone who shows up with his own tragedy, looking for something to hold on to. Sometimes all you can do is push him away until he learns to stand on his own.
Which brings me to my question for a second season. By the end, everyone else has changed. Everyone except Hyeon Jae. He never gets that moment. So what actually gets him out? Studying hard and hoping for the best? His father can still use his mother against him. School, work, whatever he chooses, that man will still have his hand on the wheel. Short of him dropping dead, I genuinely can't see a way out. His family situation feels unsolvable.
And the acting. Both leads were extraordinary, and honestly, so was nearly the entire cast.
For me, this is the most moving Korean BL I've seen this year. It absolutely wrecked me.
The thing that shocked me most this episode was little Ruth’s lunchbox in middle school. All dessert. Nothing else. Anyone who’s had Thai desserts knows they pour in sugar like it’s free. Watching that, all I could think was, kid, who’s packing you all that sugar?
Maybe that’s why Ruth fell for Ji? He had one of Ji’s mom’s desserts and that was it. Just a guess.
We also got a Wai Khru scene, where students pay respects to their teachers.
In Thailand, Teachers’ Day and Wai Khru are two separate days. Teachers’ Day is January 16. Wai Khru happens at the start of the school year, usually on a Thursday in June. Students make offering trays, called phan wai khru, and bow to their teachers, just like in the show.
The other classes had traditional trays. Only the leads’ class used fruit. A little more modern, I guess? And it was the teacher’s idea.
Later, when Ji and the other two leave school, Tyler orders something at a street stall. That’s khanom Tokyo, a Thai street snack that has something to do with Japan. Sort of.
Despite the name, it’s a Thai invention, not a Japanese import. One story says it was first sold around 1967 at Daimaru, a Japanese department store in Bangkok. It’s a thin pancake rolled around a filling. Savory ones have mini sausages, quail eggs, or minced pork. Sweet ones have custard or pandan cream.
It shows up all the time in Thai dramas. If you’re ever in Thailand, give it a try.
Okay. Just finished Episode 1 and I’m already in deep. Calling it now: this is my favorite JBL of the fall season.
I haven’t read the original. But Director Takahashi is behind it, so of course Episode 1 stole my heart.
Something I clocked way back as a kid: straight guys have zero concept of personal space. Arm slung over your shoulder, leaning all over you, totally unbothered. Fun for them. Pure torture for the gay guy quietly crushing on one. Those boys suffer, and nobody even notices.
Also, can Ueno be a little sneaky? Sweet on the outside, scheming underneath. That’s all I want. Hehehe.
There’s something about this one. It relaxes me. I keep catching myself smiling. Perfect for a Sunday morning.
Tyler is the comic relief, and the second he shows up, the calm is gone. A lot of his jokes go right over my head. I can read the subtitles. I just don’t get the references, so I end up grinning like an idiot anyway.
Ji seems to have been pretty withdrawn the first time around. Now he takes every chance he gets to be with his friends. His parents want them over all the time. They even swap the wooden chairs for a couch. I love that bit of writing. Small, and really warm.
Then there’s Ruth. A big guy named Ruth. I still don’t know what to do with that. But that goofy, lovesick smile of his gets me every time. Can’t wait for more little moments between him and Ji.
My only eye-roll was that teacher. Ugh. Someone fire her.
Watched episode 1 of School Trip 2 with no subtitles. Everyone heads off to a 勉強合宿. Watarai goes too, but his mind is still on Hioki.
Quick explainer if you didn't grow up with this. A benkyo gasshuku is a study camp. Your school or cram school sends you to an inn or lodge for a few days, sometimes a week. You eat together, sleep in shared rooms, and study from breakfast to lights out. Ten hours a day isn't unusual. Some camps take your phone.
I never went on one. Never had the chance, and honestly, I'm fine with that. Studying all day with your classmates, sleeping next to them, then getting up to do it again? I'd last maybe a day.
As a season 2 setup, though, it's kind of funny. Season 1 already trapped them on a school trip. Now the show does it again, only this time there are desks, textbooks, and a schedule. Watarai isn't studying anything. He's busy being jealous and clinging to Hioki.
At one point, Wan pulls the sheet around himself and drapes it over one shoulder. He’s shy. It might be his first time. For a second, he looks like a Greek statue, the sheet falling like a chlamys.
The scene is beautiful to look at, but it never feels posed. Wan’s shyness makes it feel intimate, not just stylized.
DMD has been clear: the uncut love scene was filmed with the actors’ full consent to show what the characters feel, and screenshots or clips shouldn’t be shared. Watch it legally on iQIYI. After seeing it, I get why they don’t want it cut into pieces.
K-Drama 
38 
40 
3 
1 
11 
4 
1 
11 
1 
1 
1 
4 
4 
2 
4 
26 
I don't.
Gaoliang is sorghum. A tall, plain crop that grows in dry ground where other things give up.
On Kinmen they turn it into kaoliang. Same word, older spelling. A clear liquor that burns all the way down, and you don't forget it afterward.
That sounds a lot like A Lie to me. Not smooth. Not trying to be.
I keep wondering if whoever named him knew.
Top notch, and he'd want you to say it louder. 😂
And honestly, Yok always has a hard on. Mr. Solemn Face. Mr. I'm Not Interested. Sure, Yok. 😏
And the face. Devoured, yes. He'd say it was just doing its job.
Some of us are just limited edition, Princess. You, me, and Ing. 💅
Petty, jealous, demanding, and he still thinks he has a limited-edition face. The man has range.
We clearly have a type.
The part about Ing minding being made to bottom more than anything else sounds so much like him. His pride is everything.
I can see why softening it would flatten things. If a scene is supposed to turn the whole story, it has to cost something.
And same. Hoping they don't soften Itt.
I'm curious how the show handles that scene. Thai BL tends to soften things, so we'll see.
And yes, the company. He built that himself. That's the part I'm dreading too.
My poor Ing.
The sulking gets me every time. A grown man with a limited-edition face, sulking.
And yes, the mom. It's hard to watch him now, knowing. How far into the novel are you?
Five episodes in, I wonder how many people are starting to like him anyway. Or because of it.
He's loud. He knows he's rich and doesn't pretend otherwise. He runs the family business himself, and he's good at it. Sharp. A little ruthless.
When I read the novel years ago, he was the reason I kept going.
What got me was how he loves. No games. Once he wants you, he just starts handing you things. The best of everything, immediately. And if you're one of his, he'll fight for you.
He has a temper, but it doesn't last. Be a little gentle with him and he folds.
In the book he has a Beijing mouth. Quick, rude, funny. When he's cursing someone out, he never sounds like a CEO.
And when things go wrong, he doesn't beg. It hurts, and he walks away anyway. Then he picks himself up and starts over.
Right now he's still the loudest one in the room.
Still very sure about his face.
Kataoka says he wants to eat. They untie Odajima. Only Odajima. Kataoka stays tied up.
So now Odajima has free hands and a knife. He could cut the rope. He doesn’t.
He feeds Kataoka a rice ball.
The writers know what show they’re making. It’s BL first. Warehouse, gangsters, hostage situation, and they still make room for him to hand-feed the guy.
Then the twist. One word from Kataoka, and Odajima has the knife at Kataoka’s throat. Kataoka wants the two gangs at war so badly he’ll have his own “wife” kill him, pin it on Boyd, and let the Kirii gang come for revenge.
And now the writers remember it’s a yakuza drama too.
Forget the knife. Remember the knife. Same knife, and the writers are the ones holding it.
I'm still not over it. Gi U downloading the chat app again, scrolling back through everything, and just... falling apart. That one scene was all the proof I needed. What they had was real, and he knows it. He's going to carry that for the rest of his life.
But I keep coming back to this: numbness is still his default. It's a habit, and it runs deeper in him than wanting does. So if Hyeon Jae stops reaching for him, I think that's it. Nobody would have to say it.
Season 2 or not, I'm honestly glad they left it open. I'd take this ambiguity over a forced happy ending.
Strip away the flashier plot turns and the heart of this show is pure Gray Shelter. Same writer, same director, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. But it's the same ache: you can't fully carry someone who shows up with his own tragedy, looking for something to hold on to. Sometimes all you can do is push him away until he learns to stand on his own.
Which brings me to my question for a second season. By the end, everyone else has changed. Everyone except Hyeon Jae. He never gets that moment. So what actually gets him out? Studying hard and hoping for the best? His father can still use his mother against him. School, work, whatever he chooses, that man will still have his hand on the wheel. Short of him dropping dead, I genuinely can't see a way out. His family situation feels unsolvable.
And the acting. Both leads were extraordinary, and honestly, so was nearly the entire cast.
For me, this is the most moving Korean BL I've seen this year. It absolutely wrecked me.
Maybe that’s why Ruth fell for Ji? He had one of Ji’s mom’s desserts and that was it. Just a guess.
We also got a Wai Khru scene, where students pay respects to their teachers.
In Thailand, Teachers’ Day and Wai Khru are two separate days. Teachers’ Day is January 16. Wai Khru happens at the start of the school year, usually on a Thursday in June. Students make offering trays, called phan wai khru, and bow to their teachers, just like in the show.
The other classes had traditional trays. Only the leads’ class used fruit. A little more modern, I guess? And it was the teacher’s idea.
Later, when Ji and the other two leave school, Tyler orders something at a street stall. That’s khanom Tokyo, a Thai street snack that has something to do with Japan. Sort of.
Despite the name, it’s a Thai invention, not a Japanese import. One story says it was first sold around 1967 at Daimaru, a Japanese department store in Bangkok. It’s a thin pancake rolled around a filling. Savory ones have mini sausages, quail eggs, or minced pork. Sweet ones have custard or pandan cream.
It shows up all the time in Thai dramas. If you’re ever in Thailand, give it a try.
I haven’t read the original. But Director Takahashi is behind it, so of course Episode 1 stole my heart.
Something I clocked way back as a kid: straight guys have zero concept of personal space. Arm slung over your shoulder, leaning all over you, totally unbothered. Fun for them. Pure torture for the gay guy quietly crushing on one. Those boys suffer, and nobody even notices.
Also, can Ueno be a little sneaky? Sweet on the outside, scheming underneath. That’s all I want. Hehehe.
Tyler is the comic relief, and the second he shows up, the calm is gone. A lot of his jokes go right over my head. I can read the subtitles. I just don’t get the references, so I end up grinning like an idiot anyway.
Ji seems to have been pretty withdrawn the first time around. Now he takes every chance he gets to be with his friends. His parents want them over all the time. They even swap the wooden chairs for a couch. I love that bit of writing. Small, and really warm.
Then there’s Ruth. A big guy named Ruth. I still don’t know what to do with that. But that goofy, lovesick smile of his gets me every time. Can’t wait for more little moments between him and Ji.
My only eye-roll was that teacher. Ugh. Someone fire her.
Quick explainer if you didn't grow up with this. A benkyo gasshuku is a study camp. Your school or cram school sends you to an inn or lodge for a few days, sometimes a week. You eat together, sleep in shared rooms, and study from breakfast to lights out. Ten hours a day isn't unusual. Some camps take your phone.
I never went on one. Never had the chance, and honestly, I'm fine with that. Studying all day with your classmates, sleeping next to them, then getting up to do it again? I'd last maybe a day.
As a season 2 setup, though, it's kind of funny. Season 1 already trapped them on a school trip. Now the show does it again, only this time there are desks, textbooks, and a schedule. Watarai isn't studying anything. He's busy being jealous and clinging to Hioki.
I'm not sure the exams are the point.
At one point, Wan pulls the sheet around himself and drapes it over one shoulder. He’s shy. It might be his first time. For a second, he looks like a Greek statue, the sheet falling like a chlamys.
The scene is beautiful to look at, but it never feels posed. Wan’s shyness makes it feel intimate, not just stylized.
DMD has been clear: the uncut love scene was filmed with the actors’ full consent to show what the characters feel, and screenshots or clips shouldn’t be shared. Watch it legally on iQIYI. After seeing it, I get why they don’t want it cut into pieces.