Trying to form relationships when you are intensely afraid of relationships makes connecting with someone feel impossible.

Adapted from the webtoon of the same name by Dorae, the new Korean BL Happy Merry Ending delves into this kind of fear.

Starring Lee Dong Won as wedding singer Seung Jun and Byun Sung Tae as pianist Jae Hyun, it tells the story of a man with a panic disorder who finds himself slowly growing closer to a lively new wedding host.

While there isn’t much time in the first two episodes to do more than present Seung Jun’s fears while building a tentative curious attraction between himself and Jae Hyun, the fear Seung Jun feels is palpable and easy to empathize with.

I’m clinging to Seung Jun’s need to overcome his fear to take me further into the story.

Short story formats are hard to pull off. They need to come in hitting hard with the plot from the beginning, pulling it along at a pace that never lets go of its audience. While Happy Merry Ending does open strong, the second episode, outside of Seung Jun’s flashbacks, felt oddly like a repeat of the first. Same feeling. Same tone.

That said, Byung Sung Tae is doing an excellent job of building a one-sided love story. With Seung Jun’s fears overwhelming the first two episodes, Sung Tae’s portrayal of Jae Hyun needed to be strong enough to pull off the instant attraction. While he manages to do this, I hope the next two episodes pull in a stronger response from Seung Jun.

A short story is already hard enogh to move forward impactfully, but the burden becomes even heavier when your plot centers around emotional trauma and a panic disorder. The need to explore the trauma while pulling off a love story becomes a race toward a quick finish that may or may not satisfy.

I have high hopes for Happy Merry Ending.

For a drama that tackles falling in love while fearing to do so, check out Happy Merry Ending now on Gagaoolala.

Rating- 3.5 out of 5

Krishna’s Sidenote-

☆ Happy Merry Ending’s main leads Lee Dong Won, Byun Sung Tae & Shin Myung Sung were featured in Cine 21 Magazine!