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This Is Not a Love Story

To be honest, the story told in My Stubborn hit me like a bullet - it felt painfully real.
This isn’t just a fictional story about boys kissing and having lex whenever they feel like it.
It’s a story about a friends with benefits relationship that slowly spins out of control.

The need for physical closeness doesn’t always mean someone wants a relationship. But… feelings are inevitable. We’re human, not machines. Touch, and intimacy blur the lines.

The main character, Jun, gets pulled into a situationship with P’Sorn.
At first, it was supposed to be casual - no strings attached.
Sorn was “teaching” Jun how to be better in bed, implying he was terrible or couldn’t even kiss properly - true or not, it was a cruel, calculated way to keep Jun insecure enough to stay. And that’s where the problem begins.

Sorn is the textbook narcissistic manipulator. He set off red flags for me from the very beginning.
Even though the relationship was supposed to be based on mutual agreement, Sorn starts controlling Jun -> following him to clubs, chasing away other guys, creating the illusion that Jun belongs to him.
And that’s what makes their dynamic so dangerous. Sorn wasn’t acting as an enemy, but as a so-called “savior” who built a cage around Jun - not out of love but out of a need of control.

Jun slowly loses his sense of reality and, eventually… falls in love. And that’s very human, too.
Sometimes, even if someone is damaging us, we fall for them - especially if they offer the illusion of warmth, affection, and closeness.

What this series shows isn't some romantic love story - it’s a story about emotional dependency.
About how easy it is to confuse control with care, manipulation with love, and sex with intimacy.
And that’s exactly why it pulled me in so hard - because this kind of story happens all around us. Sometimes, it even happens to us.

The turning point comes when Jun starts realizing that what they have (this kind of situationship) no longer fulfills him.
Even though he used to go along with s ex he didn’t really want, he begins to say “no” — more clearly, and more confidently.
He stops pretending everything’s fine and starts setting boundaries.
It’s one of the most powerful moments of the whole show - raw, real, and deeply human.
It shows Jun isn’t just a passive victim, he’s someone who’s starting to protect himself.
Sorn, on the other hand, has no regard for Jun’s emotions. All that matters to him are his own needs.
Sex becomes one-sided, mechanical, and stripped of any emotional reciprocity.
There’s a scene where Jun says, “Do it quickly, in case someone walks in,” and it made me feel incredibly uncomfortable - it’s obvious Jun is only agreeing to satisfy Sorn, even though he feels uneasy and disconnected.
Following intimate scene gets more invasive - especially the one in the bathroom, where Jun gives every clear signal that he’s done and wants Sorn to stop, and Sorn just ignores it.

The climax of the series comes when Jun decides to leave.
Not with drama, not with screaming - just a quiet, conscious choice to walk away from something that’s hurting him.
It was the moment I rooted for him the most - finally, he was listening to his intuition, choosing dignity over dependency.
Meanwhile, Sorn, stripped of control over his “toy,” responds with frustration and contempt.
He doesn’t even know Jun that well, he doesn’t know what he likes, where he might be hiding.
When he finally finds him (with help, of course), his first reaction is to invade Jun’s space again.
He doesn’t need Jun as a person. He needs him as a tool to meet his own emotional and physical needs.
And then come the manipulative “romantic gestures” - late, forced, and dripping with narcissism.
When Sorn says, “I like you,” it sounds more like a demand than a confession.
He uses emotional blackmail (“I’m late for work because of you,” “I’ll get fired because of you”), infantilization (giving Jun candy like he’s a child), and pressure (“But I like you!”) to regain control.
But Jun responds maturely - saying that maybe he used to feel something, but now he’s not sure and he needs time to figure it out.
And Sorn doesn’t respect that. All that matters is what he wants. And if he wants Jun, Jun has to agree.

The final scenes between Sorn and Jun are a masterclass in boundary violations.A few examples?

Jun: “I want to sleep in this room.”
Sorn: “I am not approving.”
Jun: “Why?”
Sorn: “Because if I want to make out, I won’t feel like walking to another room.”
Jun: “You’re talking about sex again… I just need some space.”
Sorn: “You want space while I’m in the next room?”
Jun: “I need personal space.”
Sorn: “Do you need it because you’re seeing someone behind my back?”

Classic control move: “You don’t get space -you’re mine.” “Why would you want space, unless you’re cheating?”
Sorn doesn’t treat Jun like a separate person. He treats him like property.

The kissing scene? Another boundary violation.
Jun: “You can kiss me, but no tongue.”
Sorn kisses with tongue anyway.
Jun: “I said no tongue.”
Sorn: “Okay, let me try again.”
Kisses with tongue again.
Jun has to stop him again.

Does Sorn ever respect anything that isn’t about his own pleasure?

One more scene:
Jun: “Don’t bite my lips, it hurts.”
Sorn: “But I want to!”
Jun: “Well, I’m hungry.”
Sorn: “Can’t you wait and eat later?”
Jun: “No, everyone’s already waiting for us.”
Sorn: “But I waited for you!”

Seriously? He’s mad because Jun is hungry… while he wants physical affection?
Eventually Jun’s had enough and knees him in the crotch. I don’t condone violence, but If someone refuses to understand words, sometimes… maybe that’s the only thing left.


And how does it end?

Jun breaks and goes back to Sorn. And I don’t blame him - he’s only human.
But Sorn? Zero change.
Maybe he once asks for consent to kiss… but then immediately does it his way.
Not a single “sorry.” Not a single “I love you.” But sure - “you’re my wifey” instead. Another attempt at ownership.

Jun goes through real growth… and yet ends up in a toxic relationship.
And the saddest part? It was so close to ending differently.
If Sorn hadn’t found him in that warehouse, Jun would’ve finished his internship, moved on, and found someone better - someone healthier.

Other Couples:

- Thai and Champ
They also started as FwB, but when Champ drew a boundary and said he wanted something real, Thai got his act together.
He apologized, admitted his feelings, and without any manipulation agreed to a relationship based on partnership.
I was genuinely surprised when it turned out halfway through that they weren’t officially dating, because they acted like a couple from the start. Thai was affectionate, present, not ashamed of being close. Sure, they weren’t all over each other at work (okay… except that one time on the stairs 😅), but it was clear he cared.

- The girls?
I’m glad their story had a sweet ending. It’s a shame they didn’t get more screen time, but hey, they were third-tier side characters in a BL series, so I didn’t expect much.


Sorn – The Only One Without Growth
Sorn doesn’t go through any inner change. The fact that he switches tactics from dominator to victim (“now I’ll suffer, and Jun will come back to me”) isn’t development - it’s just a new layer of manipulation.
From a psychological perspective, it’s actually very realistic. People like this often change their methods, but never their patterns.


Sex Scenes – Beautiful, But...
They were truly beautifully shot - sensual, slow, intimate. Some of the best-crafted erotic scenes I’ve ever seen.
But... I had to skip half of them.
Either Jun wasn’t enjoying himself at all, or Sorn was crossing his boundaries.
And what pissed me off the most - Sorn always had to enter him. Whether Jun was ready or not. Dry, rough, no lube.
As if he didn’t care at all that Jun was in pain - as long as he got what he wanted.
The final stairwell scene (which I obviously skipped) was the worst - he literally just shoved it in, dry.
Hello? Did someone forget that a nal sex hurts and that this hole doesn’t self-lubricate?! Jesus...

Final Thoughts

The last two episodes wrapped everything up really well . They even included a coming out scene with the parents. And honestly? If Sorn had any self-awareness or capacity for growth, that would’ve been the perfect moment for a big transformation. But he’s a narcissist, so of course it didn’t happen - not in such a short time, and definitely not without help from a professional.

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