The Ten Commandments of KBLs
These are the commandments that have been handed down to us by the gods of Korean BLs. They shall be the commandments by which the present and all future KBLs may be judged.1. Thou shalt not kiss. Thou shalt not, in any meaningful sense of that word, "kiss". Thou mayst, however, press thy lips against another man’s as you would a leper’s.
2. Thou shalt not utter the word ‘gay’. For it is a sin. Thou mayst love another man, but if any man shall ask of you if you do, thou mayst answer, “I like not men, I like only you.”
3. Thou shalt refrain from all carnal desires. For it is a sin. The submissive shall resist all attempts at intimacy, and the dominant may not pursue the submissive unless it is known that all his attempts shall prove fruitless. (Aptly mayst thou call this 'ironical'.)
4. Thou shalt respect the difference in height between the dominant and the submissive. Six inches will suffice, a foot too much, three inches too little. As below, so above.
5. Remember thou that there exist only three acceptable settings for a KBL. School, university, and office. For these do encompass all of life. Thou shalt invest thy characters in white jackets with blue borders if at school, leather jackets and hooded sweaters at university, and ill-fitted suits for work.
6. Remember thou that there exist only three acceptable plots for a KBL. Friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and (adopted) brothers to lovers. Thou shalt entertain no other plots besides these.
7. Thou shalt employ no actor that is not thin, wanting of water, and starved for nutriments. The actors must have defined chests, six (or better yet, eight) pack abdominals, and flawless skin. Thou mayst coat the skin with three inches of wall paint to whitewash all flaws.
8. The writer shall inscribe in each tale at least one instance of timejump, forced separation or miscommunication. The unimaginative shall employ all three.
9. Thou shalt choose from among the following ornaments at least three to embellish thy tale: the slipping towel, the towel bath, an accidental fall or catch, sleeping-beauty false-kiss, somnolent confession, gentle lock-of-hair restoration, alcoholic amnesia, and rain-born fever.
10. Thou shalt by no means indicate homophobia in thy tale — in this, our most homophobic realm — unless it furthereth thy plot and our cynical purpose. Friends and family shall be universally supportive, unless it force a separation between thy characters. Remember thou always that this is a world of pandering fantasy, not reality.
Note: The ratings are provisional. For each commandment broken, I'll add half a star to the rating. If there's a proper kiss, I'll add a whole star.
Was this review helpful to you?
Is this your type?
The short answer is, "YES." The opening line of this series is very direct, and the storyline begins with Mr. Hans discovering Suan's preferences and asking, "Is this your type?"Jung Jae Bin looks incredibly attractive here, and Jeon Yu Bin provides a nice balance to Jae Bin's dominant appearance. This series is too short; it is a mini-series with about 10 minutes per episode. I believe it shouldn't run weekly; at least two episodes should be released per week.
Was this review helpful to you?
First Impression: My Damn Business
Overall: can't wait to watch the rest of this series. 7 episodes about 10 minutes each. Airing on GND Studio YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UjFgW8TJEcVMXRV63uoHXg7rXv7mwll&si=9uCOLI4bRiXQRyBdWhat I Liked
- centered on the 2 leads
- made me chuckle
- good way to show time passing
- realistic way to show a character is queer
- production value
Room For Improvement
- started with a flash forward
- with such short episodes they should release at least 2 per week
- a continuity error with hand placement when the one guy was reading the comic
Was this review helpful to you?
Han Woo Jim is the leader of sales team 2 who has received a dissolution notice amid the company's management crisis. He is in charge of closing deals with the associated companies he has managed within a period of three months. Left alone in his office, Yoon Su An, a deputy manager of the support team, is sent to temporarily help sales team 2.
Yoon Su An is a young man capable enough to work under Han's orders. And the latter ends up falling in love with the personality and beauty of his office colleague, when a small incident brings them face to face with each other. In this way, the lives of the two young people will change when they come into contact with each other.
With just the two of them in the office, Han can't help but notice Yoon's distant attitude. But the constant closeness will make their hearts end up broken as the days go by and they will have to deal with an office romance.
The South Korean small screen has office romances as one of its calling cards, thanks to numerous series that reflect the romantic relationships that occur between people within the four walls of any institution, relationships that can be short-term or long-lasting, and They can occur between co-workers at the same level or workers in a hierarchical relationship.
'My Damn Business' follows the path started by other series that have provided us with clear proof that love can be found in the most unlikely places, such as the also South Korean series 'Business Proposal', 'What's Wrong With Secretary Kim', ' My Secret Romance', 'Her Private Life', 'Romance Is A Bonus Book', 'My Shy Boss', among others.
Many Asian television stations are not far behind in telling this type of romance. There we have the Chinese 'Capture Lover' ('Bing Tang Xian Jing') and 'Beloved Enemy'; the Thai 'Step by Step', 'Paint With Love' and 'Cherry Magic Thailand'; the Japanese '30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii' and the Taiwanese 'We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd', 'HIstory 4: Closet to You' and 'Be Loved In House', to name just a few, but The latter have in common with 'My Damn Business' that they address a love story between boys.
Even animes like 'Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen' address romances taking place in the offices of any company, series that at the same time expose relationships of camaraderie in work settings between employees and between them and managers, and serve as a fascinating portrait of the work life, many times without them being about anything in particular, but they are perfect for those moments when one just wants to disconnect from one's own reality.
Back to 'My Damn Business': this series, produced by GND Studio, fully inserts its plot in a company office in the South Korean capital, to mock the strict human resources policies that make it seem like romances in the environment work are doomed to fail, while reflecting the birth of a romance between two co-workers.
In a comedic tone, bright, affectionate and without great pretensions, from the first frames you will be hooked on its fun and romantic story, while it embroiders a story that describes the love of a boss and his subordinate. Quite a guilty pleasure for many viewers.
And it successfully meets that objective. The characters of Han Yu Jim and Yoon Su An breathe truth. The second one is definitely coded as a shy cat, and Han Yu Jim is the big doggo who complements the dynamic perfectly. Despite their different characters, they merge a loving relationship that arose in the heat of everyday life in the office.
With small doses of comedy that really works, the story of 'My Damn Business' stars actor Jung Jae Bin in the role of Han Yu Jin, and Jeon Yu Bin, who wears Yoon Su An's clothes.
Jung Jae Bin is known for starring in the film 'Three of Us' and the series 'BReal Bro&Sis', both from 2022, and Jeon Yu Bin is remembered by BL lovers for his starring roles in the drama 'Actor:eal', 2024, and for playing Yu Yong in the film 'His, Ice Cream' (2022), and Lee Hyun Woo in the series 'Judo Boys' ('Blue of Winter' - 2022).
For his part, Hwang Min Hwan, known for playing the Boyfriend in the drama 'Fake Buddies', from 2024, and Park Jung Woo in the series 'Sweat Romance' (2019) and 'Sweat Romance 2' (2020), intervenes to play Hwang, a recruiter in charge of introducing the two protagonists.
Han Woo Jim and Yoon Su An are credible beings who even become endearing to the viewer, despite the series not having a deep plot, a serious conflict, or a story arc that delves into the psyche of the characters. and is only interested in showing the daily life of two young people who, due to circumstances, are forced to work side by side, resulting in them getting closer, getting to know each other, beginning to help each other, while they discover what they carry inside. In short, a kind of balm for an escape from reality.
A type of series that I don't know if they are becoming more popular or if I am paying more attention to them now, but every time I am coming across more of these comedy or romance stories.
In a delicate mix of wit, silly humor and heart with a lot of potential, through these two characters, the director creates a drawing – deep and noble, individualized, rich in color and warmth – of two young people who fall in love between computers and sales management charts.
I know that at first glance this is not a series for everyone, that the short duration (only 7 episodes of 11 minutes on average) does not allow us to delve deeper into the personality of the characters or to develop conflicts and tensions, a small cast in terms of quantity and diversity of characters, the absence of a specific plot beyond "have they already confessed their love or will we have to wait for the next episode?" and that humor that is enjoyed even if sometimes it is not understood because it is very "Korean", I would encourage giving 'My Damn Business' a chance because it is a fun and tender series with which to have a good time and disconnect from everything .
But despite this, or because of it, when seeing the way in which the director transmits the feelings, humanity and the growing romantic relationship of his central characters - without grandiloquence, with virtuous simplicity -, one cannot help but think about series like ' 'The New Employee' by Kim Jo Kwang Soo, 'Love Mate' by So Joon Moon, and 'Jun & Jun' by Kim Eun Hye, all Korean, all 2023. And that's the biggest compliment I could receive 'My Damn Business'.
Was this review helpful to you?
