RandomUsagi

VIKI link 1:
https://www.viki.com/videos/1167157v-character-introduction-gang-gook
Timestamp for mentioned scene 2:25
VIKI link 2:
https://www.viki.com/videos/1167158v-character-introduction-han-tae-joo
Timestamp for mentioned scene 0:50

Yeah let's hope for the best for tomorrow!

Ah yes ''The boy next door''. Yeah it is BL-bait but they do actually feature a gay couple somewhere in the show. Basically a guy realises he is gay because of them faking that they are gay. So that was 1 good thing that happened.
Though with Korea.. sometimes the ones with real action are far worse because of the extremely tragic endings they come up with (similar to some Chinese BLs)

I rewatched the character intro videos from VIKI and realised (from the scenes they showed) there's gonna be a scene of TJ crying and another scene of Gook being beaten up by some guy. Am a bit worried now for the next few episodes.

True unfortunately T__T but it'll help with the ratings so they might.

TJ is definitely scared at this point to lose Gook. There's a lot of different potential reasons why TJ tried to match Gook with the girl.

1. (If TJ was aware of his love) He wanted Gook to have his own happiness so he set up the date because TJ doesn't believe he can be with Gook in a relationship. In this case it's kinda a tragic reason. Whether TJ has been aware of their love will probably become clear soon.

2. He wanted to see how Gook would be as a lover to someone because he had never seen that side of Gook. In this case its pure fascination of TJ about how Gook would act as a lover instead of a servant. This also gave him the opportunity to teach Gook about how to start a relationship.

3. (If TJ has been unaware of his love) He wanted Gook and him to have something to talk about between them as friends. He could use the situation to get a better bond with Gook. Being able to help Gook be happy was probably also a priority and TJ thought that this would be something Gook would like.

None of these reasons are exclusive of each other but it's what I could come up with as to why TJ chose to let Gook date.

Yeah it's been a lot of fun to read interpretations about the scenes! Until TJ opens up more the general communication between them is a bit of a mystery box of potential meanings. I hope we get to see the non-joking TJ have a good talk with Gook sometime soon so we can figure out his character more.

I am glad to hear you liked reading them :D I only post a lot of comments on dramas I love and this one is definitely great.

I think the timing of the hug will depend on TJs pride because he doesn't like to be caught emotionally vulnerable like he was in episode 4. He will likely still carry some resentment over the experience but TJ has been shown to cheer up pretty quickly so yeah it can happen soon.

This is just my theory but I think it'll probably happen in a moment where Gook feels sorry for TJ so I'm a bit worried about TJ. Again, at this point I don't think Gook would hug him just by command. He would either need to be sure that they could have a relationship or feel very sorry for TJ.
If Gook just hugs TJ by himself without a word of TJ then I'll definitely watch the episode with a smile because that would be adorable ^^

Thanks for your input as a Korean speaker. Yeah as a non-Korean speaker I am almost completely dependent on the subs to relay what the situation is implying.
I am bad at reading subtle hints in BLs so I thought I could just be missing something.

However, I thought the seducing version that soapopera interpreted was also interesting even if it isn't the truth. It was easy for me to accept that these guys could just be using complicated references/code-languages to refer to certain things. Hoping that the subs will get better!

It's not difficult to find online but if you can I'd recommend supporting the series through VIKI.

I did indeed have different subs from what soapopera said in the first comment. I didn't say anything because I thought it could be the difference between subbers interpretation of the context. The subs do indeed easily cause confusion about the intent of the situation.
I personally don't mind a different interpretation too much though, its kinda fun to look at the situation with different views (even if it's not what the scene is implying).

I liked your additional thoughts! I often don't read between the lines of a conversation that deeply so seeing it in this context for once is really interesting.
Interpreting the scenes in this way is actually really beautiful and would show that these characters know each other extremely well since they can communicate their feelings like this. I think in these sorts of cases its only beneficial to look for the meanings behind their actions/words so thanks for sharing your view!

What I took away from watching this drama.
Lin Zheng Zheng: Casual gamer
Tu Si Yi: Professional speedrunner

You guys acquired the Strongberry movies (basically the only quality Korean BL movies atm) and ''smuggled'' Love Trap out of China? Good job!

I think IF an ''angry kiss'' occurs it's going to be by Gook in response to the trials that TJ has been putting him through. Gook has been shown since the first episode to have a tendency to correct TJs ''wrong'' behaviour. This would be a way to correct TJ for his amount of ex-girlfriends for example.

Since they are going to be switching the master-servant roles around soon they might as well do an ''angry kiss''. They could also resolve the tension in a calm way though and just hug which I also like. I think this series WILL provide us with a kiss though, whether it's an angry one or not. The amount of tension-buildup is already way too heavy for them to get away with just talking.

That scene of episode 3 was certainly interesting.
My theory was that TJ wanted Gook to date a girl because he knew their relationship was impossible and he wanted Gook to be happy. However, now I think another reason might've been for TJ to try to teach Gook to show his love more openly.

I think I'll only truly start understanding TJs character when he finally allows Gook to advance the relationship. Up till now he's been teasing a lot and shown jealousy but his actions and feelings are still a bit too chaotic right now.

I interpreted the scene as TJ joking around with Gooks lack of ability to handle a relationship and going too far with his flirting again. I rewatched it with your interpretion in mind and that also made sense, these sorts of signals are often given in a very subtle way.

You can honestly already see glimpses of the TJ and Gook relationship switch happening so I did expect it.

TJ never used to be seriously disobeyed by Gook until TJ treats their new friend the same way he treats Gook. Gook suddenly grabs the arm of TJ and ''corrects his behaviour''. The way he calls it is basically an indicator that this is not just jealousy but also an action to take control by the servant.

There's like 3 more examples but you can find them in the show. I'm sure it'll happen a lot more times as Gook is finally showing his discontent over the situation. TJ is not prepared for Gook to act this rebellious which is why he never knows how to react. This will probably put TJ in vulnerable situations in the show but I'm sure Gook will only engage if he gets a clear signal from TJ.

TJ basically has been controlling Gook through triggering his feelings for him (the ear-touch and sudden cute reactions). However, once Gook gets the signal that TJ will allow a relationship this will not block Gook anymore as he doesn't have to hold himself back. TJ will probably have to get used to that a bit.

Alright now that we're at half of the episodes there's only 2 scenes of the trailer we haven't seen yet.
-One at the sportfield where TJ is frustrated with Gook and the girl (will likely happen soon).
From this information I gather that Gook will remain with the girl a bit longer and further provoke TJ. Which was to be expected.

-One scene with the hug in bed.
Now the hug is actually really interesting since Gook hugs TJ while he has been avoiding most physical contact with TJ up till now due to his feelings. This means that at some point TJ will convince Gook that there is a possibility for a relationship.

I also think we might get a kiss but am unsure when exactly this will happen. You see, they showed the ''angry kiss'' once to make Gook jealous and mentioned it again later. This may be coincidence but Gook has shown before that he can flirt back aggressively too. The show is so short, normally I wouldn't pay attention to small details but I thought it was interesting that they brought it up again. I don't know what to expect of Korean BL though.

Definitely, TJ has a very different position and responsibility in comparison to Gook. Technically Gook could just go and do his own thing whenever he wants but TJ is stuck with his family-name and reputation which gives a lot more pressure.

It won't be easy to maintain a relationship in current Korea with the status of TJ. TJ is happy when Gook is happy. He probably thought it'd be best to let Gook find his own path but didn't consider his own strong feelings of jealousy. TJ wants affection but he also wants Gook to have a happy life. He needs to resolve his feelings more before he can make clear decisions.

I think that only the experience of losing Gook could push him over the edge of making a choice regarding their relationship. TJ is definitely not a morally perfect human but that's only logical regarding his upbringing. He's always only depended on 1 person and didn't care about everyone else (all the ex-girlfriends were just him playing around). While it may not seem like he's good to Gook, he definitely deeply cares about him in his own way.

How they manage to fit this much chemistry and tension into such a short series kinda bewilders me. I like the uniqueness of the relationship between the two characters and their struggles to find a way to deal with the situation. I understand TJ and even though he does some stupid things he's just insecure about losing what he knows. Gook is just cute and very protective but also kinda done with everything sometimes.
I'm hoping for a good ending despite it being set in Korean society.