Sleep is a scary thing. It’s as frightening as it is vital. And being vital is a big reason why it’s so terrifying. We all need sleep to function, but sleep is a vulnerable place to be. Unprotected. Open to nightmares. Open to things happening to you that you’re unaware of.

Adapted from the webtoon Weather Forecast Love written by Gwendolyn and illustrated by Samyoung, the Korean BL A Breeze of Love is all about feeling vulnerable and safe. Starring Shin Jeong You as Ban Dong Wook and Woo Ji Han as Lee Do Hyun, it tells the story of a young man who struggles with severe insomnia and the man he feels safe falling asleep around.

It’s a love story that delves less into the angst of a relationship and more into why a relationship can be a safe place to exist in, even as it can be a complicated place to accept.

In the grand scheme of things, A Breeze of Love doesn’t tell a huge story. Not a lot happens outside of two men trying to wade through the confusion of trust and desire as they break down the difference between being used and being needed. And yet, there’s a poignancy in the eight-episode back-and-forth as these two men learn to let go of a past confusion while clinging to the love they missed out on the first time.

A Breeze of Love feels like sitting inside a therapist’s office discussing love and why it makes one feel safe enough to be vulnerable. I found myself not only relating to that but also falling in love with it.

I don’t find it easy being vulnerable in front of people. I don’t like feeling dependent on others. Being either of these things makes me feel lost, and it’s easy to see this in Ban Dong Wook. It’s just as easy to see it in Lee Do Hyun.

And that’s one of the things I found most captivating about this mini-drama. While Dong Wook is the one who suffers from insomnia, both men have to be vulnerable with each other to make a relationship work.

So, even though the story’s theme centers on finding a safe place to sleep, the more significant theme is learning to be vulnerable with the people you love. Dong Wook and Do Hyun learn to be vulnerable with each other and discover how much more intimate a relationship can be when you explore that vulnerability.

I do wish we’d seen more of the root cause behind Dong Wook’s insomnia, if there even is a deeper root cause. But, despite this, and while I would have also preferred the intimacy in the drama to be more open and intense because of what the series explores, especially considering the extra confusion they faced in high school over their sexuality, A Breeze of Love is ultimately an emotional win for me.

The acting is incredible. The production is well done.

For a series about accepting each other’s vulnerabilities while falling in love, check out A Breeze of Love now on iQiyi.

Rating- 4 out of 5