CDramaMama

So, it's like this. Ming starts a relationship with the stand-in (and stunt person) of his crush, a major superstar named Tong. The stand-in, Joe, doesn't know this until later, and of course, it breaks his heart. Joe is so into Ming, and Ming likes him, but he's cold about it. I think it's because Ming doesn't understand his own feelings yet 'cause he's clinging to his feelings about Tong (who is his sister's boyfriend).

At one point, Tong asks Ming to prevent Joe from coming to a press conference because Joe is getting ready to be elevated from stand-in to male lead in a major movie. The movie from which Tong had been fired because he's an arrogant douchebag. This is a sticking point for other viewers (at least from reviews I read) because Ming kidnaps Joe and prevents him from attending the press conference. But he doesn't do it for Tong. Ming is super jealous of Joe's friend, an idol named Sol. When Ming finds out Sol will be in the movie, that's when he agrees to keep Joe from the press conference.

He knocks out Joe, kidnaps him, and chains him up. Again, he is not helping Tong (later he confesses to Joe why he kidnapped him, but it's easy to figure out without him admitting it). Ming is dominant, possessive, and jealous. He changes somewhat later on, but he is still dominant. He is not a kind person EXCEPT to Joe. For Joe, he does all sorts of things that he wouldn't do for any other human being. (Like buy couples' mugs because Joe is so excited about all the couple things.)

Ming tells Joe that he will invest in any movie he wants and elevate him to stardom (because Ming is rich as hell). Joe, of course, has principles and wants to earn his rise into stardom. (As an aside, I don't understand why you can't be principled and let your boyfriend spend his money to give you your dreams, but okay, make it difficult, I guess.)

Is Ming selfish? Yes. Does he do the wrong thing because he's never really been in love and he's letting fear drive his actions? Also, yes. He can have anything he wants, so why wouldn't he think he can have Joe? Is he thinking about Joe's feelings? Sorta. He does things because it pleases Joe and he likes making Joe happy, but he also doesn't consider how his actions (his often blunt comments) hurt Joe.

Joe has already broken up with Ming because he knows he was a stand-in, and now with the kidnapping and the ban from the industry because he missed the press conference and put everyone in a bind, he decides to take a shady job with an unlicensed movie company.

Ming, meanwhile, refuses to break up with Joe and continues on as though they will be together. Joe goes off to the shady production and is yeeted off a cliff and dies.

He wakes up two years later in the body of a man named Joe (who is also gay and was a model, so he has connections to the entertainment industry). Long story short, he ends up in the same company he worked for before, doing stunt work, and eventually is tapped to be Tong's stand-in. Believe me, he's like WTF am I doing? This is life number one all over again, and of course, he runs into Ming.

Joe is very determined to stay away from Ming even though he still loves him. He won't admit it, but he does. Ming seems to recognize him right away even though he can't pinpoint why he likes new Joe. Ming has also entered the entertainment industry (later, we find out it's because he was hoping if his image was out there Joe would see it and come home ... awwww!). He is drawn to new Joe and keeps arranging opportunities to meet him. Eventually, to save new Joe's mother from health problems and debt, he agrees to a paramour contract with Ming.

Joe thinks that Ming just wants him as a toy. He's jaded about Ming because he still believes he was a stand-in. But here's the twist: The whole reason that Ming fell in love with Tong was a scene in his blockbuster movie where he fought off enemies. All you see is Tong's back as he fights and THAT's what got Ming's attention. Turns out (you knew this was coming, right? I did, too) the back he saw in the movie belonged to Joe. Because Joe did that scene uncredited and Tong (because he's a douchebag) told everyone he did his own stunts.

Yes, that's right. Ming was crushing on Joe the whole time and didn't know it because he assumed Tong was the actor in the scene. The reason he looked at Joe's back and thought, yeah, I want that, is because it was the actual back of the actual person he actually liked. (That makes Tong the stand-in for Joe.) When he finds out the truth, he is crushed and there's an amazing scene where he just emotionally melts down and hugs new Joe (during a movie shoot) and apologizes over and over.

During the two years that old Joe had disappeared, Ming suffered. He came to the realization that he loved Joe too late so he preserved everything they had together. The shitty house, the broken couple mugs, the idea of cooking dinner and leaving the lights on so Joe could come home to someone, and even taking a job in the same industry.

Ming deserved to suffer. If he didn't suffer, we couldn't forgive him for being such an asshole before. (On a personal note, most people who say something or someone is "dark" is almost always "light gray" to me. I have a high threshold for dark, I guess. And I think Ming was just a flawed human who did try to better himself to be more worthy of Joe.)

Other viewers have mentioned that the ending is almost too sweet and it is. And I want that. We have suffered, people. We want fluffy cotton candy endings for everyone. Everyone gets someone to love and I am not mad about that. I don't like that Tong gets redemption in the end because I think he's trash. I think he should be thrown in the garbage and the garbage should be set on fire. But he gets forgiven. Blech.

I liked it. I'll probably watch it again.