To write is to convey feelings, and there’s nothing more therapeutic than channeling emotions through fictional characters. It not only allows writers to release what burdens their souls, but it also helps them understand themselves.

In the Korean BL Individual Circumstances starring Jun.Q as writer, Seong Woo Jae, and Han Jung Wan as director, Ha Yeon Woo, writing becomes the connection that ties the leads together. It becomes the communication they need to step beyond past hurts and misunderstandings.

I often tell people I speak truth much better on paper than I do out loud. In person, I have a more challenging time expressing myself, so I related to Woo Jae and his evident struggle communicating off the written page. My favorite part of this series is how this drama seamlessly merges the story Woo Jae is writing with the actual romance happening on screen. It’s not overdone, and it never pulled me out of the real-life love story Woo Jae’s story is alluding to.

While the first episode of Individual Circumstances begins a little slow, it quickly overcomes this in the subsequent episodes. But I also think this is a matter of viewer opinion. Individual Circumstances is a slow-burn romance between two people attracted to each other who find it hard to admit they are attracted to each other. And then, when it seems like they might make it work, their individual circumstances separate them, with years of hurt settling between them.

The hurt leads to Woo Jae disappearing, Yeon Woo left wondering why, and both of them trying to let go of a friendship that had been on the verge of being more.

Over the last year, I’ve found myself particularly drawn to narrative stories. These stories aren’t pulled forward by action but by human emotion. Individual Circumstances is one of these stories. While there isn’t always a lot happening on screen, there’s a lot of story being told through the actors themselves. It takes true talent to present a human story. Actors must step into these roles, molding themselves into the characters in order to make a story focused solely on hurt feelings work.

Jun.Q and Han Jung Wan impressed me. Their acting carried the story forward, creating an intimate tale that stole my heart.

Individual Circumstances feels like poetry, which both works for it and against it. Poetry is hit and miss depending on the person. Some people love poetry, some people avoid it. I am the former.

For a slow-burn story about two men who had to grow apart to grow together later, check out Individual Circumstances on Viki and iQiyi.

Rating- 4 out of 5