This is best described as an anecdote BL. For me it was a bit cryptic and hard to follow. The screenplay might have made sense in Korean. Maybe it was due to translation issues or merely not understanding Korean culture very well, but I did not understand the nuances of the plot. The overall story, however, is a familiar, tried and true, standard one. Tropey. Cliché. Stereotypical. Parts of it did intrigue me and I kind of liked it, despite not fully grasping where it wanted to go.

Briefly it is a story about want-to-be-idols Min (Kim Bit and Ki Myoung Je) and Su Ho (Shin Joon Hyung). They were not only friends but lovers at one time. Something happened to break them up which I never fully understood. Su Ho went on to form a group, leaving Min behind.

By happenstance, they are thrown back together again and are literally forced to reconcile. While it is explained why Su Ho came back into Min’s life, I simply did not understand it and after several rewinds, I gave up trying to figure it out. Translations and nuance can be tricky. Plus, the cinematography liked to cut off scenes quickly and then go back to them as if we could follow the story more coherently. It felt like a ‘cut and paste’ technique that made sense to someone, but I simply could not follow.

Overall, the story is pedestrian but entertaining and honestly the chemistry between the first Min (Kim Bit) and Su Ho was quite good. That is a much stronger pairing. What was really done exceptionally well in this part of the series was the kissing. There was a warmth and a sincerity to those scenes that felt organic and unpretentious and very, very genuine. It was quite refreshing to see kissing, especially in Korean BLs (honestly in all BLs as of late), to be so authentic and straightforward. No silhouettes, stuffed animals, or pillows to hide behind and the shots were clear and close-up. It felt real and surprisingly unrehearsed.

The story gets wonky in episode 4 when for some reason the part of Min is replaced with Ki Myoung Je. It does lose something after that because the feel of the series and connection is disjointed and off. It is hard to replace a major role like that and not have it adversely affect the story and outcome, especially in a series that is so short.

The drama also goes very dark and melancholic with Min’s flashbacks to his father abusing him. Some of those scenes are rather intense. I am guessing that was done as a prequel for us to appreciate the magnitude of the intensity of the relationship between Min and Su Ho, since Su Ho was so instrumental in helping him to navigate through his father’s abuse. That might have been a bit heavy-handed especially for a short series like this. Sometimes, some things are best left to the imagination.

It also does not portray the female characters in this series in a positive light. They are either cold and calculating taskmasters or manipulative vindictive creatures. I just wish these cliché and stereotypical roles of strong women are done in better context. It is not a fair characterization. It portrays them as overbearing and subsequently the men as weaklings; neither of which is a fair or honest characterization.

The connection between the two protagonists is surprisingly strong, more so in the beginning. I give them props also for not making this series too polished. It does show the grittier side of Korean society and the not-so-easy aspect of living the life of an aspiring idol trainee.

Honestly, there is something addictive about watching Shin Joon Hyung as Su Ho. He is boy-next-door handsome and plays the part with a laidback approach but with a quiet intensity about him. His level of sincerity is off the charts. I believe completely he was Su Ho. Plus he carried the series throughout despite having to maintain his persona to essentially two different Mins. I thought his efforts to maintain consistency were exceptional.

You cannot make a story with this much internal strife and expect it to flow naturally and effectively in 40 minutes. Too much is left hanging or not dealt with when it needed it to be so. The story and plot are so disjointed and simply hard to follow and felt so ambiguous. Yet, I did find myself caring about these two and even though it was brief, found their connection compelling. Although there is nothing here that is novel or original, there was just enough to make me appreciate and like them and for that, they deserve kudos.

So, if you have some free time and want to be entertained and see some very good kissing (and I do mean very good kissing), watch this short novella. I think you will enjoy it also!

Rating- 4 out of 5

Streaming on- Lovememory YouTube Channel