In our previous list, we emphasize production values. In this next feature, we focus on three Korean BL in various states of production: Hee Su in Class 2, StarStruck, and A Shoulder To Cry On. Mind you, A Shoulder to Cry On is already controversial as the agency that manages the boys – Spire Entertainment – had a falling out with the actors. The controversy continues with the boys planning for legal action. Hopefully, the new series will push thru and with such an interesting storyline, one can’t help but anticipate. Let’s have the juice about these 3 series, just down below:

Hee Su in Class 2

Hee Su in Class 2 “is a bittersweet romance between two high school boys played by K-Pop idols.” That sounds like a deviation from the original source, or is it?

Background

Variety, an entertainment industry authority site posted news a few days ago, about Hee Su in Class 2 among the projects from Peter Chan. Chan is one of the most admired film producers from Asia and his new company Changin’ Pictures will take charge of a diverse list of projects, including Hee Su in Class 2. That makes this new BL series a prestigious one to watch out for. You can read the original source from Lezhinus.

Synopsis

Hee Su (Ahn Ji Ho) already accepted the fact that he’s sort of a wallflower. He adores his friend Chan Young (Jo Joon Young) with all his heart and will serve his every need in the blink of an eye. Most often, he serves as Chan Young’s fashion adviser, stylist, and overall errand boy.

Then all of a sudden, he became ‘news’. It appears that students began calling him a sort of young love guru. He’s supposed to be the go-see person when it comes to love issues and he can solve all their woes. Finding himself the center of attention, Hee Su has to rethink what else can he do – when he can’t even solve his own love problem. Then there’s Kim Seung Won (Lee Sang Jun)…

[Synopsis © Psycho-Weird]

Cast of Characters

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYWQi7TPtMp/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Ahn Ji Ho (18) is a South Korean actor who began working as a child actor in movies at the age of 12, appearing in the 2016 film “Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned”. In 2020, he made his TV debut in the crime thriller series, “Nobody Knows.” Ji Ho plays the titular role of Hee Su. He used to be a wallflower with nobody bothering him for attention. Until rumors started to circulate that he can solve romantic-love woes.

Jo Joon Young (19) is a South Korean actor managed by SM Entertainment. He made his acting debut in 2020. He plays Joo Chan Young. Chan Young likes to date girls, yet his relationships never reach the serious stages due to a lack of emotional investment, so to speak.

Lee Sang Jun (24) is an up-and-coming South Korean actor. He made his debut in 2021 when he appeared in “Drama Stage Season 4: Love Spoiler” and the drama series “Blue Birthday.” He plays Kim Seung Won. Seung Won is a reserved young boy who adores Heesu yet could not take the extra mile to propel his liking the other boy into a friendly relationship. Certain events enable him to finally approach Heesu and they become closer.

More about the characters from Yaoi Fandom.

Changin’ Pictures and Peter Chan

Funding solves more than half the problem of any series. Let’s now see where Hee Su in Class 2 has progressed in a few weeks. For now, the below news is enough to whet our appetites:

Giving Changin’ Pictures an immediate calling card for K-content-starved streamers, the firm’s first two projects into production are both Korean. Although stylistically different, both are adapted from popular webtoons, giving them an already established fan base.

“ONE: High School Heroes” is an action-packed series about a picked-on high school kid who transforms himself into a bully-bashing hero. Production is by Covenant Pictures (“Desperate Mr. X”). Hee Su in Class 2 is a bittersweet romance between two high school boys played by K-Pop idols. Production is by Film K (“Exit,” “Escape from Mogadishu”).

– PETER CHAN LAUNCHES CHANGIN’ PICTURES, FILMMAKER-LED ASIAN TV PRODUCER (EXCLUSIVE) | EXCERPT FROM VARIETY

Peter Chan has worked with John Woo and Jackie Chan, among others.

StarStruck

StarStruck (스타스트럭) is a Korean BL series about two childhood friends, one of whom has deep feelings for the other. The lead roles go to SF9’s Baek JooHo (Zuho), and Kim InSeong.

Background

Reports from the Korean entertainment portal Naver sum up the casting process of the upcoming Korean Bl series, StarStruck.

Reports have it that there was ‘fierce’ competition due to many rising young actors and up-and-coming rookies attending the audition. Most of them target the lead roles. However, the entertainment site did not mention any names, among those ‘rising stars’ who joined the audition.

Cast and Production Crew

StarStruck is directed by Park Seon-Jae and Kim Hoon-Kwang. The script is written by Jeong Hyun-woo and is based on the popular web novel ‘StarStruck’ by author Ha Tae-jin. The producer is ‘I Will Media’. Naver further reports that the source material boasts of a strong fandom who admire the realistic depiction of the main characters. The Series is expected to be released in the first half of 2023.

The actors who were cast to play the lead roles are SF9’s Baek Joo-ho (Zuho), Kim In-Seong, Park Tae-in, Kwon San, Lee Sang Min, Chae Soo-ah, and Kim Yubin.

Synopsis

StarStruck is a tale of two childhood friends, Seo Han Jun (Kim In Seong), and Jo Yoo Jae (Zuho). Han Jun harbors deep, romantic feelings for Yoo Jae, yet he kept it a secret. He always knew it will be ‘unrequited’ love and will not confess to Yoo Jae. Yet, a certain circumstance forces him to do so…

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce-zkEkPLMn/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Controversy

One of the lead stars (from SF9), Zuho responded to a homophobic comment from a fan and says:

Whatever drama, whatever projects, or job, whatever it is. Everything that exists in this world… everything is precious. I really want to experience a lot of things and want to try many types (of roles) on stages and elsewhere, so it’s wrong to treat anything with prejudice. Everything is precious and should receive love. I’m just thankful for those who love me – as a person and as an actor. There’s nothing we should draw a line around and prejudice it.

VIDEO POSTED ON TWITTER WITH EDITS FROM THE AUTHOR.

A Shoulder To Cry On

A Shoulder To Cry On – 소년을 위로해줘 is a live-action adaptation based on the Boys Love webtoon written by Dong Mul. It’s about a prank gone wrong, where one of the boys got into trouble, yet the troublemaker is not what he seems to be.

A Shoulder to Cry On is a 12-episode K-Drama adaptation helmed by Picturesque Co. The BL series is slated for a November 2022 release. Today, the production company releases a statement related to the postponement of the series premiere. Due to the controversy between the two actors (Jae Han and Ye Chan) and their agency Spire Entertainment, the premiere is postponed indefinitely. The producers expect that there will be an amicable settlement of the issue surrounding the alleged physical and verbal abuse suffered by Jae Han from the female CEO of Spire Entertainment.

Synopsis

Da-Yeol hears two guys fooling around in the nurse’s office and accidentally knocks over the curtain rod. When the nurse walks in on the scene, devilishly handsome Tae-Hyun tells her that Da-Yeol tried to make out with him. Before DaYeol can correct the misunderstanding, the rumor spreads and his archery scholarship is in jeopardy. To make matters worse, Tae-Hyun doesn’t show the slightest bit of remorse; in fact, he shamelessly begins hanging around DaYeol. It’s not long before the two begin walking the thin line between hate and love.

DESCRIPTION FROM LEZHIN COMICS

Cast of Characters

It’s interesting to note that both lead stars are members of the boy group Omega X. Having worked together – rehearsals, stage performances, and everything in between – what we have here are two artists comfortable with each other.

Da-Yeol is an outsider and a member of the archery club. He elevates his academic status via an archery scholarship. A prank by Tae-Hyun insinuating that he’s making out with him put his scholarship in jeopardy. After the prank, things get even more complicated (and romantic?)

Kim Jae Han (27) or simply Jae Han is a member of Spire Entertainment’s boy group Omega X and a former member of WYNN Entertainment’s boy group SPECTRUM.

Shin Ye Chan or Ye Chan (21) plays Tae-Hyun, a prankster, who spreads the rumor on Da-Yeol about making out with him. What started as a prank took a 360-degree when Tae-Hyun initiated a sort of companionship with Da-Yeol. Is the prankster in love with Da-Yeol after all?

Ye Chan is a South Korean artist, a member of Spire Entertainment’s Omega X, and a former member of the boy band group, 1THE9

KPopMap posted some intriguing/interesting articles discussing the source of the Bl series. Here’s one of the tidbits:

“A Shoulder To Cry On” (“소년을 위로해줘” in Korean) has all the tropes we love in romance dramas: from enemies to lovers, heart-fluttering chemistry, campus romance, angst, and more. It tells the story of DaYeol, a scholarship student and archer who overhears two boys fooling around in the nurse’s office at school and accidentally knocks over the curtain divider, exposing both himself and the scene. In a panicked attempt to cover the student up, he falls over just in time for the school nurse to walk in on them in an inexplicably awkward position. Thus begin the series of unfortunate events that make DaYeol and TaeHyun’s lives deeply intertwined.

AN INTRODUCTION TO “A SHOULDER TO CRY ON”: THE LATEST BL WEBTOON GETTING A K-DRAMA ADAPTATION STARRING OMEGA X’S JAEHAN & YECHAN

This article is adapted from Psycho Weird which aims at providing reviews, news & analysis!