hyuk

Yes I have read the novel!! I actually bought the real ebook on MEB but I heard wattpad has it too but the translation isnt that great. it's really good and I even suggest to read Faifa's story as well because his character is actually much more depressing than Gun (you can see hints of Faifa's story in the latest ep).

The kiss scene was really unnecessary like you said. I feel like a hug would have sufficed or at least have someone else relay Yotha/Wa past instead of Gun facing it alone in the bar. However, this change actually made Klao's char significantly better because there was no kidnapping, like it's a literal crime instead so I get why they changed it. Klao also manages to mature up after this incident so I guess there are pros and cons to this change :)

You're spot on with Yotha's way of handling things and how he needed a wake up call from the incident. However I'd like to add some details that isnt included that is from the novel.

Faifa is very considerate of Gun's feelings and it was actually Gun's idea to move out of the dorm room. Like Yotha, Gun has a way to deal with his own trauma, which is to run away. Even his trauma to sleeping without lights, he would never face confrontation about it and always put on mask & smile it off. Despite all that, Yotha visits Gun every single night and sleep beside him for weeks/months before Gun was willing to talk to Yotha & Faifa knows about it (as seen in the ep13 as well). So while on the surface, Gun's friends might see overboard with the defending but that was just initially.

Next is, after the breakup, Wa feels super responsible to Yotha because Yotha already went through the trauma with his parents then Wa broke it all again. In the novel, it's explained why both of them mistook their love for each other because they were super vulnerable. However the blow was far greater for Yotha as he was younger and not as emotionally stable as Wa. So Wa would never ignore Yotha's cries for help because he is aware he's partially responsible. Wa truly only think Yotha as his brother after the break up and nothing more.

The newton bar incident was actually slight changed from the novel where there wasn't a kiss scene between Yotha and Wa. That scene was purely to make Gun aware that Yotha and Wa are exes. In the novel, Klao kidnaps Gun & Yotha comes to rescue him, this was supposed to be scene that Klao tells everything to Gun instead of Gun witnessing a kiss scene.

I'd like to add some details in the novel that was probably cut and amended below.

I've said it many times before and I'll say it again... the series will never have enough time for Yotha's char to develop. In the novel, after Faifa seperated them from the dorms, Yotha visits Gun room every single day to sleep beside him & Faifa knows this and slowly they even charged Yotha 'entrance fees'. It took some time for Gun to actually start talking to Yotha despite sleeping in the same bed almost everyday. There were actually so much more angst to cover and Yotha will finally learn his lesson then have the 'talk' with Gun.

However, despite all that, I like how the series slightly amended Klao & Wa story here as compared to the novel.

1. Klao 'kidnapped' Gun because Klao wanted to teach a lesson to Yotha for messing with his bf but Yotha reached in time to save Gun. This is where Gun figured out Yotha used to have a relationship with Wa. There was no kiss scene between Yotha and Wa. Klao also added fire the fuel by saying Yotha lingers around the bar (to break up others) as an act to be close to Wa, finding his chance to break up them and get back together with Wa, even though it wasnt true and was just Klao overthinking.
2. The incident where Yotha got ambushed by the attackers were a seperate fight all together. But it did happen right before Klao kidnaps Gun, so Yotha appeared with injuries when saving Gun.
3. The end result is the same where Gun finally realises Yotha's world is so much more different then he imagined. We can see this in episode 13 [3/4], where Gun explains all the things he wasnt ok with - the fights, the ex relationship and how he feels heartbroken despite being just 'roommates' with him (Gun doesn't feel like he had the right to be jealous or angry because they arent dating/bf yet).

So in the series, Klao did not become an asshole by kidnapping and traumatizing Gun but the story telling of how 'kissing you ex' to prove a point is just weird imo. Not sure how I feel about this but.

Sidenote, I'm still super thankful to be able to see the novel come to life because Santa's acting blew me away. I don't think I shed tears when I read the novel but I cried so much here watching the Santa cry Boo to all the haters that said Santa cant act or Gun's char is one-dimensional and cringey.

I started off watching the series without knowing much about Est or LYKN. So after many rewatch of previous episodes while waiting for new ones, I started learning more about the cast and it made me appreciate them even more... especially their acting! Seeing how William is usually more chaotic and bubbly act out a character that is super calm, romantic and extremely soft spoken just blew my mind.

Thank you for agreeing too! Whenever I see Gun's smile disappear, I'd appreciate Santa's acting because the whole atmosphere just changes for moment. & yes there are many different coping mechanisms like laughing. Yotha also has a different way of dealing with his trauma regarding love, which is so vastly different from Gun. Personally, I would like to think the reason why Yotha started accepting Gun in the first place was because of the time Gun was shivering in fear on the first night they met in the dorm. Like for someone as happy and cheerful on the outside has a deep fear of sleeping without lights on. It's like for a spilt moment, Yotha realised that Gun is hiding himself behind a facade so Yotha has always been trying to probe out the real Gun by teasing him and getting into heavy topic.

Oh so you do know it's an actual illness. Just because you think the show is bad = its made by people who have mental illness? So you're saying people with mental illness shouldnt even be allowed to create shows or smth? You're indirectly insulting people with mental disabilities because apparently garbage shows = created by mental people. Get out and grow up pls.

When I see comments calling out Gun's character of being one-dimensional, happy go lucky yet annoying smiley and cutesy, has obviously not seen how many vulnerable moments he shown. It's like as if everyone just keep skipping scenes(?) Gun's character has avoided almost all direct confrontation with his trauma to sleeping in darkness with his overly annoying cutesy act. Additionally, you can see his a slight of his true self showing whenever his smile drops and thinks about the situation, then immediately going back to his cheerful self. I think someone in the comments below has spoken more in details on how Santa is portraying Gun's character in details and it's on point when you refer to the source material from the novel. Gun puts on a heavy act with his friends (even on a certain degree to his family) with his cheerful self. The man just smiles and annoys you whenever he does not feel like answering or cant react to the situation on hand. It's a defensive mechanism to avoid issues and running away from problems. You will also notice Yotha keeps probing Gun further when Gun's true self comes out, either by asking more serious questions or just teasing him by getting closer, initiate skinship etc.

While it's fine to disagree, I don't think you have to purposely post a comment onto someone's else comment purely just to type out 'I disagree'? albeit without even putting up points for discussion....

Actually I kinda agree with OP. When it came to ep 10/11 and they were still starting off the 'just entering university' scenes, I already know YothaGun's original story will be cut/watered down a lot. Yotha has a very deep past trauma that not only extends to his ex but his relationship between his parents and siblings which slowly gets resolved throughout the story. There's just no way there's enough screentime to show Yotha's resolving his internal feelings, clear up his trauma and STILL get into a rs with Gun. Keep in mind that that's just Yotha's side of the story... If it was a typical series with 12 episodes or at least the original planned 10ep per couple, it would probably have been better. Otherwise the ending is definitely going to look rushed.

Firstly, how mature of you to drag into mental illness like its nothing when it's an actual illness. Secondly, did you just except 'The heart killers'? You could have cited better comparisons to argue a point.

If I remember correctly, Nop was really friendly towards Gun as compared to New and Wa. No idea why the screenwriter tweaked it differently

In the books, the rs between Yotha and Wa was built on their vulnerabilities. Yotha went through the trauma with his parents' marriage and Wa was heartbroken from a prev rs. Both of them met when Newton and his friends were starting up the bar. Yotha changed for the worse because he wanted attention and love that he lacks from his parents (esp his mom). He would do things just to please Wa like acting more adult-ish & out of his age (you can see this in ep 11 where Klao apologises for his childish acts to Wa). While Wa was just trying to find someone to fill up the hole from a heartbreak. They both mistook it as love but Wa was more mature to snap out of it and broke it off with Yotha. Wa was very polite and never forced anything upon Yotha. The line used was more like 'We only love each other as brothers' instead of straight up telling Yotha they werent in love.

Yotha on the other hand took it harshly and decides that he will never trust love anymore but still lingers around the bar in hopes of Wa looking back at him (until Gun came around that is). This is the reason why Klao is so aggressive against Yotha because no one will ever like your bf's ex always lingering around your bf. So don't hate on Klao so much.

I think the breakup could have been handled way better but you'll be glad that Wa broke it off early. Otherwise, Yotha wouldn't have looked at Gun the same way now. You can think of it as the same way of what Yotha is doing to the other couples to 'save time'. It may be morally wrong/unethical depending on your views but it was for the better.

I also like they added the fact that Wa finds Klao much later after breaking up with Yotha because that was led to the problems when he got together with Yotha in the first place.

Newton is just a playboy and their family as a whole is very dysfunctional so you can tell why the brothers are like this (with the exception of Faifa who was brought up by their mom instead).

So far its following quite closely to the book but I feel like 8 episodes might not be sufficient to cover the whole story with good pacing and char development. Esp when there will be a slight angst before YothaGun get together~ Nonetheless we will get to enjoy the chemistry ^^v

I'll try to answer your questions to my best of my abilities based on the novel.

Major spoilers: Yotha and Wa's relationship started off very badly. Wa just got out of a rs and Yotha was a 'rebound' & Yotha's parents divorced leaving a very big scar on his view on love. They both were super vulnerable and the bar business just started so they hang out often. They both mistaken it as love and start dating but the rs was unstable. Yotha would do whatever that made Wa happy even if it meant sacrificing himself. He became independent because Wa do not like childish acts (you can see this in ep11 where Klao came to apologise). This made Yotha character very cold. In the end, Wa managed to snap out of it and know what they have was not true love, they were just using each other to feel better. Hence why they broke up.

Unfortunately, Yotha still does not realise this so he's lingering around the bar around Wa, which led to Klao being so aggressive at Yotha.

Hope this explains why Newton has not 'killed' Wa because deep down they know none of them were right. (Newton in the book is a very famous playboy know to have many one night stands. When Gun visited the bar the first time (aka ep11), Gun saw Newton brought up a girl around 8pm to do the deed beside their room. :P)

Oh and Wa is really surprised that Yotha true self is coming back, it wasnt jealously. Wa only has brotherly love for Yotha and hopes he can find someone that lets him be himself.

I think Jun knows.. that is why he's trying to prevent it because idol relationships usually do not end well. He was trying to spilt them up before it get worse but we obviously know that aint gonna happen after that call... LOL

No one is a saint when it comes to dating. She has never dated before and had a 7 year crush on a jerk that steps over his boundaries again and again, only for her to get hurt every single time.

The FL obviously likes the ML but was never brave enough to face her feelings. Throughout the episode you can see her unconsciously staring but snapped out right after. Only when she realise the possibility of the ML going out with other girls made her realise its not for granted. Some people do move on after a while, which clearly what she went through with that jerk. Just count the number of times the jerk introduced girlfriend(S) in front of the FL. Jealously as cliche as it can be, its a very strong emotion to help people realise they actually care a lot about the other person. Like you say, I don't think her behaviour is cute or okay, its annoying when she is cowering behind her fears and it hurts the ML everytime but that's an area her char should work on because love should help people to become a better version of themselves.

However i completely agree with the injuries part, its too much but actually some are pretty hilarious like the grandpa one LOL, i laughed at the clip for a whole day.

Writing comments and reviews about an episode that is officially released is not a spoiler. Especially when it's already out more than a few hours before the comments were made. Just because someone didnt have time to watch the show yet doesnt mean people can discuss about the show that already aired.

By your logic, if I scrolled down to the comments in the video before watching it, it's a spoiler? Then what is the point of having a comment section?

Also please have a life before going to each and every comment tryna be the spoiler hero and calling out everyone. Jesus.

You'd be surprised how bullying is so common it is in sk. Paired with how gruesome the education is in korea where all your time spent studying till high school is based of just one exam that decides your future; no wonder they have one of highest(if not the highest) suicide rates for teens. Also the bully disappears after the both leads are seen eating, sitting and studying together as friends. And there's a huge time skip where they go into university. You can see it as how TS use this as an excuse/plot point to finally talk to HB since they are finally in the same class for once.

I also pretty sure this isnt a romcom but how they developed/understood their feelings throughout the process of growing up since they spent not talking at all when they were younger despite living in the same house. It was not meant to be a comedy in any way.

You mentioned WYEL as one of the more decent BL but the plot also contains many unrealistic and manipulative traits that can be taken in the wrong way that I personally think shouldnt be on the screens. Like how you wouldn't want to see a student/teacher or incest show.
- the client, openly flirty, uses his authority on occasions, got beat up by flirting with other people girlfriend's
-the bodyguard, tries to date another girl to confirm/giveup his feelings for the other male lead
the chemistry between the leads were great that it covered some of eh plot in the show. It's still a very decent bl show tho.

Due the fact that the original story of CBAW was written in 2017, you are definitely correct in the conventional, formulaic story plot. There were only a few well written plots 5+ years agos. But due to its majority popularity in the webtoon, it's probably why the same exact studio who produced WYEL, decided to take produce this.

I'd say support in your fullest capabilities, if you have the extra time. Especially in countries such as sk, its slowly taking it's baby steps in such a conservative country. What we shouldn't do is supporting shows that doesnt accurately portray the LGBTQ+ community while promoting things likes sexual harrassment.

The source material goes much deeper into their characters and your questions - such as why does taesung dont defend haebom and also why haebom is constantly being builled.

In addition, the source material is unrealistic like any typical BL until adapted to the screens, where screen writers have to tweak certain stuff to fit the story while not changing the original intent of the story.

Let's take semantic error for instance, many details were left out because some of them were unrealistic, and JJY moving in as a neighbour also never happened but it was made so it was much more realistic as compared to JJY just stalking him everywhere.

Lastly, the budget of the production is very important. As compared to Semantic error which is under watcha, other BL such like this and kissable lips do not have the same budget(much lesser tbh) to get a better screen writer and more sets, props & etc.

I can understand why you feel like it's lacking but I hope you give it a shot since it's only at episode 2 right now. I feel like the more we support such small scale k-bls by giving it more attention and views, we can actually get more better produced k-bls. For now its definitely quantity over quality. Even in thai bls, they started mass producing medicore thai-bls with over used troupes such as engineering and university until we get better produced ones after that. The k-bl industry in korea is definitely still small..

The adapted material was made in 2017 so its obv that in 2022 it will be considered cliche and outdated. Besides K-BLs are still relatively new into the industry. In the webtoon, they have much more developed characters and imo definitely not stereotypes.

A low budget production can never have enough time to build character as compared to other shows/bls. If you really like something more in depth, you should read the webtoon than watching the drama.