Honglou Meng

Awww... thank you!

It's nice that you care so much. I didn't know about the kiss, as I haven't yet seen the episode. But, if so, yes, I'll mark commandments 1 and 3 as violated, and add two extra stars. Promise!

What the fuck?!? In what universe does that "contract" make sense? And in what universe is that a viable plan to keep a man by your side forever? And, and, and, in what universe will anyone agree to abide by that contract? (Rather than, I don't know, use a voice memo to record this conversation, and send it to Da On?)

Seriously, who comes up with these plotlines?

I have been watching Secret Relationships too. But you're right, the tropes are getting to me. So I'll give it one more episode before I call quits.

The only other BL I'm watching is Gelboys. The first two episodes were glorious. The last two have been very dull. I don't know if it's your thing though. Other than that, I think I might sort of be done with BLs for now.

Lol. To be honest, it's the first word that came to my mind, probably because it is one of the more painful cancers.

Also, this show had all the sexual chemistry of antibiotics on bacteria, and I still watched it with a K95 mask, which I suppose takes care of tuberculosis and syphilis. :)

("You're fired." -- My Editor.)

I don't know if 'release' here means the original Korean network (Watcha), or on the international platform (iQiyi). There usually tends to be a lag between the two, for copyright purposes, especially if the original network has specific arrangements with neighbouring countries.

Okay, thank you! I'll wait till all the episodes air, and then watch it!

Oh, not at all base. I can't stand 'ugly' crying. One of the many reasons I couldn't get through the masterpiece that was ITSAY. In fact, I'm one of two people I know in the whole world who didn't care for ITSAY -- the other being Selbee, above.

That's entirely fair. I mean, IKEA might be cheap, but it is popular for a reason. And it's not for nothing that everyone starts with a Billy bookcase in their new apartment. (This is my point entirely with tropes -- if done well, they are loads of fun -- but people take umbrage whenever I make fun of BLs, which I don't think should be taken too seriously.) The two main things that upset me about KBL are the first two commandments, of which I have no doubt the second will be obeyed here (I can't think of a single KBL, qua BL, that uses the word 'gay'), and of which the first might also be obeyed, because the main actor is an idol.

As for this show, it's clear that Da On has a magic wand in him, because not one, not two, but three men want him. Let's see what's in store! I hope the good end unhappily, and the bad end happily. :)

Thank you! 😊

Ooh, I'll check it out!

Lol. It could also fit under Commandment 9.

It used to be the case that the uke would just slice a finger, and the seme would immediately put the said finger into his mouth, like a desperate vampire. But now, it usually involves the uke fainting, and the seme lifting him up to take him to the bedroom, and lay him down, fully dressed, beneath a feather-down quilt, while it's 35 C outside...

Da On: "It wouldn't be right to be just keep receiving."
Tops Everywhere: Yes, it would!

Seong Hyeon: "You can always be on the receiving end."
Bottoms Everywhere: Wreck me, daddy!

Because it is, and there are 10 more to come. :)

Wait... what's a black flag? (I'm an old maiden.)

Wait, what the fuck? Seong Hyeon's asking Da On if he's afraid of going home because of the abusive boss, and Da On says yes, and the background music is all groovy -- la di da, di da da -- as if they're about to go into a Jazz club? What?

I'm sorry, you guys, but the signposting of the characters is about as subtle as using a sledgehammer to crack a boiled egg. Su Hyeon's abusive villain is almost cartoonishly evil in everything he says and does, and Seong Hyeon's flag is so green he might as well be an Irish publord dressed as a leprechaun for St Patrick's Day.

I do hope I'm wrong, and that these initial impressions will be subverted soon. And I am enjoying it still. But I just want the show to surprise me in some way.

Me, if I were in this show: where's HR?

Da On, Dorothy, you're not in Ken's-ass anymore. Run! Run to the Emerald City! Evidently, you have a magic wand, because you have not one, not two, but three men interested in you. (That kind of real estate value is hard to come by, even in NY.) So get out, and find other wands out there: bigger, better, more charming... Come with me, and I'll show you.

The things we do for pretty people...