Reviews

“That fence led you to the middle of nowhere, made you suffer, pushed you out.”

Kim Nak Su has followed “The Plan” regarding his business and family life, supremely confident he has taken all the right steps. When his life starts crumbling apart, The Dream Life of Mr. Kim begins to resemble a nightmare.

Manager Kim Nak Su is up for an executive position at ACT and has no doubt his dream is about to come true. He knows very little about his team and hasn’t kept up on the newest developments but he covers his boss’ behind and does what needs to be done, even if it means skipping his own son’s graduation. He treats his wife and son more like employees than beloved family members and always has a critical word ready. When the company needs a scapegoat, the 55-year-old employee who has never worked anywhere else, makes the perfect patsy.

If there is a reason to watch this drama it is for Ryu Seung Ryong. He gave an amazing performance as the complicated and flawed Mr. Kim. He utilized his body, face, and voice for an optimal portrayal of a man brought low who must finally face himself and be brutally honest with what he wants and why he has been so driven.

Full disclosure, redemption and reconciliation dramas/films are my favorite genre. This drama should have been perfect for me, but I struggled with every episode of it. For eleven episodes, Mr. Kim was prideful and made bad (sometimes horrible) decisions one after the other. His treatment of his wife, leaving her out of key moments was frustrating. As she said, “Do you even consider me a part of this family?” He claimed to have worked to protect his family, yet everything came down to what made him look good and his reputation. Just past the midway in the drama, he committed a selfless act which seemed completely out of character and unearned. For the most part, Kim failed to take responsibility, was vain, refused good advice, showed little respect for family members and friends, and was completely ego driven.

The Dream Life of Mr. Kim showed the perilous nature of corporate work, especially for aging workers who become expendable. Companies were reluctant to hire older people for a variety of reasons which made starting over difficult to impossible. Middle management men found themselves to not be as valuable as they believed themselves to be. Nearly everyone in the family fell victim to a scam at one time or the other. For me, it was difficult to root for a character who was largely insufferable through most of the drama. When the ultimate cathartic moment came, it was still unsatisfying.*

"You don't know how to be grateful. You think you got this far on your own."

4 July 2026

Not Buying It Note: In a flashback from 25 years earlier, they merely painted on more makeup, but the actors went from looking 55 to 52. Just have younger actors play the characters in flashbacks.

With Family Like These, Who Needs Enemies Note: Ha Jin’s sister and brother-in-law were awful.

Good Son Award Note: Su Gyeom made a mistake but worked like crazy to make up for it, never blaming anyone else. He showed his father more grace than what he'd earned.




*Spoiler Comment Below






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*******Spoiler coming





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*******Spoiler directly below







* While the carwash business was “hard on the body, easy on the mind”, Kim was already getting older. For whatever reason Koreans always say they’ll live to 100 but the average life span for men is closer to 80. After 60, the body is not always so compliant to manual labor. I hope he was a brilliant businessman and could figure out how to expand the business with younger labor. If he died of a heart attack or became sick/injured, he’d saddled his wife with enormous debt unless the sale of their apartment helped pay it off. Ha Jin was also struggling to find work. I still can’t believe he used every penny they had saved and also borrowed a small fortune while unemployed WITHOUT consulting his wife who was in real estate and ignoring the advice of a friend who was in real estate. The sheer lack of respect for his wife’s opinion and not including her in major life decisions made me dislike him all the more. I’m always thrilled when a character turns their life around but 11 episodes of his selfish behavior were hard to wade through. I normally binge dramas, but it took me two weeks to finish this one.

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the boys didn't go to heaven, but they're happy :")

where do i even start???
i feel this series will speak to every queer kid out there who realised something about themselves after meeting that one friend.

it hurts in the most gut wrenching way. you feel like stepping inside the screen to hug both tanrak and barth.

for such a heavy and vigilant topic, the series was handled really well. from the commentary, the progression, the characters and the dialogues.

i love how there was no "villian" because really in such a story that can easily happen irl.. there's no "villian", just opposing factors.

gemini fourth are such amazing actors.. their chemistry is JUST TOOO GOOD!!! you feel every sigh, every look, every touch, and every heavy breath (yes. that scene.)

2 years wait for 6 episodes was definitely worth it
P'Aof has created a beautiful beautiful series, once again!

PS. Rewatch value is 7.5 because i need to have the mental strength to rewatch it 😭

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The visuals........?

Thats what I enjoyed the most about this piece. It was stunning. Chinese historicals and fantasy pieces are masterful in their makeup. A peasant girl in a linen shift with a single headpiece can look like a queen of a nation. A poor stableboy with a robe and wisps of floating hair can come out looking like a prom king. Now let's take that to a full next level drama built around heavy CGI productions and immersive story telling. I don't review many as I'm more into Kdramas but not even they can touch any levels of Chinese and their historical works~
I'm guessing this was expensive to make. Looked like it. The story was meh, abit hard to follow. The usual surprises and subterfuge but I didn't care The cast was beauty and perfection incarnate and definitely not the type of drama I'd normally go for. It just worked here. I wasn't bored for a second watching this~

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À l'amour, à la foi, à soi…

Ticket to Heaven aborde sa romance dans une thématique qui se distingue des codes du genre, plongeant le spectateur dans une quête spirituelle, où la foi devient le moteur de l'intrigue.

L'histoire explore la foi et l'amour, loin des sermons habituels, invitant davantage à une introspection. Le combat intérieur de Tanrak, fervent pratiquant, se heurte à l'esprit rebelle et plus libre de Barth. Ce que j'ai vu dans ce drame, c'est avant tout une quête de foi spirituelle. Parce qu'au-delà des textes sacrés et des sermons du dimanche matin, si les pratiquants n'ont pas la foi en eux-mêmes, peuvent-ils trouver la paix ?

J'ai de l'affection pour Fourth et Gemini depuis leur premier projet (MSP). Les retrouver ici avec une telle maturité et une si belle complicité est magnifique. Le reste du casting est tout aussi excellent, chacun livrant des performances saisissantes. Et puis, revoir le sourire de Bright suffit à illuminer ma journée, tout est parfait.

Le dernier épisode est un véritable bouleversement émotionnel. Après cet épisode (et quelques larmes), j'ai ressenti un sentiment de paix avec cette série. Et c’est peut-être la vraie récompense, ce sentiment d’apaisement qu’on ressent rarement avec une œuvre qui parle de religion, notamment lorsqu’on est athée.

D'un format idéal, la photographie est superbe, la mise en scène soignée et la musique discrète. Loin des gags pesants ou du ridicule, cette série est sobre, respectueuse et belle à regarder.

En bref, Ticket to Heaven est une série magnifique, à la fois sobre et chargée d'émotion, qui pousse à une réflexion profonde. Un chemin vers l'amour, la foi et soi.

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Shin Presents: 'Ren Jia Lun and His Collection of Bad Scripts'

It seems this actor has a sixth sense for picking scripts with unnecessarily tragic endings. Sometimes the sacrifice makes sense; other times, it just feeds his typecast. I’ve watched five of his dramas so far, and without fail......he either dies in the end or leaves his beloved for... well, anything. Including planting some so-called "Carefree Herbs."

His script choices also seem to come with a strict no-kissing, no-intimacy clause. Whatever the reason, that void has become far too obvious now. Thanks to his image, perfectly happy novel endings are twisted into tragedy just to suit his persona. Damn it.

Anyway, let’s talk about the drama itself. My excitement went up and down like a rollercoaster:
The beginning was okayish. Then it got boring. The painting case brought back some intrigue. Then boredom returned. By the time the finale approached, I found myself desperately manifesting a happy ending because honestly, that was the bare minimum this plot deserved. But the writer couldn’t even deliver that. The ending was laughably stupid. It felt like the writer wanted to mold him into a legendary hero who prioritizes duty over love, but instead, it just came off as lame.

Twelve years of shuttling between the human and demon worlds, exhausting his two-way pass, and yet the Carefree Herbs were still withering. What purpose did that segment even serve? Beyond me.

The female lead’s character was poorly written. Most of the time, she felt like an unnecessary liability—no fighting skills, no brains to outsmart villains, yet she constantly pokes her nose into dangerous situations and other people’s business. That said, Song played the role beautifully.

As for the leads' chemistry? The spice factor was completely missing.

Honestly, the side cast outshone the leads. I absolutely loved the rabbit boy.

On a brighter note, the ending tracks were superb.

That’s pretty much it.

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Eine Liebesgeschichte zwischen Verantwortung und Kriminalfall – und der Bedeutung von Familie

Hinweis: Folgende Zeilen stellen meine persönliche, subjektive Einschätzung der Serie dar.
Die Serie startet stark und zieht einen direkt rein. Ich mochte die Schauspieler schon in My Stand In, deswegen bin ich wahrscheinlich ein bisschen voreingenommen, aber die Chemie zwischen den beiden funktioniert hier wieder. Nicht nur in den großen Szenen, sondern auch in den kleinen Momenten.
Die Serie versucht viel unter einen Hut zu bringen: Kriminalfall, Action, Bar Setting, Familie und Liebesgeschichte. Für mich hat das größtenteils gut funktioniert. Die Tanzszenen waren sehr präsent, was sicher manche stört, aber ich habe das irgendwann eher als eine Art Running Gag gesehen und dadurch war es für mich völlig in Ordnung – vor allem, weil die Schauspieler auch einfach talentiert sind. Die Dynamik in der Bar zwischen den Hosts fand ich ebenfalls gelungen. Es gibt Rivalität, aber nie übertrieben oder unnötig eskaliert, was dem Ganzen eine angenehmere Balance gibt. Der Kriminalfall war spannend und hat gut zur Handlung gepasst, aber man muss sich bewusst sein: Es ist und bleibt eine BL-Story und keine Kriminalserie. Dementsprechend steht nicht die detaillierte Aufarbeitung im Vordergrund. Der Fall läuft eher nebenbei im Hintergrund mit, trägt aber zur Serie bei. Die Liebesgeschichte hat mich dafür umso mehr berührt. Ich habe mitgefühlt, gerade bei Wayu, der immer wieder mit seinen eigenen Unsicherheiten kämpft und sich fragt, ob er überhaupt ein Recht darauf hat, geliebt zu werden.
Neben den Hauptcharakteren sind mir vor allem zwei Figuren positiv aufgefallen: Wayus bester Freund, der einfach ein totaler Sympathieträger ist und eine wichtige Stütze darstellt, und natürlich auch Rose, die ich als Charakter mochte. Auch Sinto, Wayus Neffe, spielt eine größere Rolle, als man am Anfang vielleicht denkt. Man könnte meinen, er taucht nur in den ersten Folgen auf und wird dann unwichtig, aber genau das ist nicht der Fall. Sinto ist zuckersüß und bringt eine wichtige emotionale Ebene in die Serie. Gerade durch ihn wird das Thema Familie stärker hervorgehoben: was man füreinander tut, welche Verantwortung man trägt und auch, dass es nicht egal ist, in welche Verhältnisse man hineingeboren wird. Gleichzeitig zeigt die Serie aber auch, dass eine wohlhabende Familie zwar mehr Möglichkeiten bietet, aber nicht automatisch glücklicher macht.
Natürlich hat die Serie auch ihre typischen BL Elemente. Klischees sind vorhanden, Probleme werden teilweise ziemlich einfach gelöst und manche Nebencharaktere machen plötzlich eine komplette Wandlung durch. Und auch ein paar cringe Momente bleiben nicht aus. Aber ganz ehrlich: Das gehört einfach dazu!
Insgesamt ist es eine unterhaltsame Serie mit viel Herz, die nicht alles perfekt macht, aber genau davon lebt, dass sie neben Kriminalfall und Liebesgeschichte auch Themen wie Familie und Verantwortung mit einbringt und einen emotional gut mitnimmt.

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Fell in love with ep1, but gradually fades....

If this were a really short movie, Episode 1 alone would have been enough, because almost everything was already set up and resolved within that first episode. The main conflict, the characters, and even the direction of their relationship were established very quickly.

After that, the story focused more on the characters gradually understanding their feelings for each other. While I appreciated the emotional development, it felt a little stretched out at times, causing the initial excitement and momentum to slowly fade as the series progressed.

That said, it's still a very cute and heartwarming watch. The chemistry between the leads was sweet and natural, making it easy to root for them.

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Frustrating in the end!

I enjoy watching everything Japanese, since their culture is so different from Europe/America but be warned, this is one of the many J-Dramas in which it's obvious the writers did everything to shock you ! This guarantees you don't forget the drama easily, but it also makes you angry and frustrated because the WRONG message it convenes, even if it has a "happy" ending.
Episodes 10, 11 are especially frustrating because of the inconsistency. Everybody seems to forget the clearly horrible and even illegal things Maya has done and instead she is remembered as such a great teacher, and all the kids cry when she is [justfully] dismissed.
What is the message here? would it be OK for a Army Sergeant to train soldiers as if they were 12-year girls ? NO ? Then, why is it ok to educate 12-years girls as they were soldiers going to the most vicious war? There is a line in which one of the teachers says about Maya: "Probably she received by mistake military training instead of teacher training?". No other teachers react, but it is one of the best lines in the show !
The idea seems to be, "Maya is educating them well because she is preparing them for the harsh realities of life". I DO NOT agree for 2 reasons:
1) she clearly crosses the line, for instance when she takes away the summer break and then punishes Kanda and her friends for missing the last summer classes, and in such an unprofessional way, she removes their desks and then makes 12-year old carry heavy desks on the stairs ?!? Or, while she knows who really stole the wallet, she allows Kanda to be viciously bullied for it, including the risk of death when her classmates try to drown her in the pool, or when she falls thru broken glass and is seriously injured ?!?!? Basically the teacher contributes to bullying ! These are almost criminal acts! For these, she could go to prison, not just to the Reeducation center !
However, all these terrible things are forgotten in eps. 10, 11 and she is just remembered to being "a strict teacher". This is unbelievable and, I say again, just wrong, immoral and unethical.

2) all this Maya speeches "society is bad and cruel, and I prepare you for it, only 6% of the Japanese are happy and in this class NONE of you will be happy", I believe is a chicken-and-egg problem. Society is bad because the are bad people, people who learn from childhood to be bad, and are allowed to be bad, and are even encouraged to be bad, because of teachers like Maya who basically contribute to the bullying and do nothing, and teach an evil system of values and rewards and punishments ["be my friend, spy for me and then all bullying will stop"] and of course, in the future, colleagues like Maya, bosses like Maya and so on. It even contradicts how she criticizes her husband in the prequel episode, after she discovers he did acts of corruption at his company - it is not an excuse to do bad things just because everybody does them!

The 2 prequel episodes transmit a weak message about how and why she becomes a "demon teacher". Her inadequacy in solving her initial class problems when she was a kind and caring teacher is just that - inadequacy, lack of training, lack of support (all the school Principals and Vice Principals in Japanese movies seem to be utterly incapable, spineless and only make things worse).
It's like an engine only has two speeds, 0 and Maximum RPM. You can only be a weak, ineffective teacher who tries (and fails) to love everybody, or a Demon teacher which actively bullies and mistreats everybody. This is the message of the movie.

The only way to enjoy this movie is to try to detach from reality. I always try to think that probably all Japanese writers hold a meeting in which they say "this is the normal, expected course of action. How can we alter it so it is unexpected, shocking and utterly unbelievable, but will make everybody talk about it?". So you ditch morality for views and ratings.

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Kita punya kisah cinta SEGI EMPAT sebelum 'Secret Relationship' dan 'Peach Trap'

Got my lazy ass to write this karena pas banget nemu analogi yang cocok untuk menggambarkan serial ini. Dan untuk hari-ke... hmm kesekian aku sedang mencoba membangkitkan kebiasaan mengulas drama setelah selesai ditonton.

Akhirnya diriku selesai nonton series ini setelah merasa ragu-ragu apakah ini layak ditonton atau nggak 😭, udah sejak 2024 aku ragu mau nonton ini. Dari dulu udah nonton episode 1 tapi maju mundur antara mau lanjut nonton apa nggak hhh. Tapi berhubung beberapa hari yang lalu Pride Month resmi berakhir, dan aku belum kunjung dapat boyfriend :(. Disuatu malam yang dingin (beneran dingin loh! nyentuh 19°C di tempat gwejh, bweuhh menggigil cok), nah pas gw lagi bikin & ngebayangin fake scenario di otak, tiba-tiba kepikiran ada satu BL character di drama BL yang bener-bener tipe gwehh banget. Literal "daddyhh" vibes. Yap! Choi Jun (diperankan oleh Ki Hyunwoo). Langsung deh buruan buka GagaOOlala, eh malah nemu info kalo drama ini bakalan menghilang dari GagaOOlala (habis masa kontrak tayang kali ya), yahh sedih. Tapi mumpung masih ada jd buruan nonton ga sihh?

Gw paham kenapa banyak orang ngereview series ini dengan hasil yang jelek, bahkan ada tuh reviewer asal indo yang ngecompare ama "series sebelah" katanya😭 series sebelah tuh series ape tong? mau nanya eh akunnya udah keburu nonaktif tuh😭. Kita ulik dulu kenapa ini bisa dicap jelek sama orang-orang.

1. Story-nya kurang.. ntah kurang greget atau kurang ngepas sama runtime yang cuma 8 episode itu. Ini gw setuju sih tapi ada value lain yang nolong/menambal story yang gak lengkap ini. Yang mana, justru "value lain" itu jadi poin plus buat gw.
2. hmm apa ya? kalo dari gw pribadi sih, intro nya jelekkk. Padahal dia punya OST bagus banget enak didenger eh malah ditaroh di akhiran/outro :'''')
3. Intro yang cenderung nge-spill isi-isi adegan didalam series. Sumpah ini penyakit klasik sih, udah tau series cuma 8 episode trus per episode nya ngga sampe sejam eh malah ngespill adegan.. mana adegan GACOR di episode 3 kena spill juga tuh. siapa sih editornya?? ngajak gelud.
4. Beberapa adegan yang ngga nyambung sama adegan berikutnya, tiba-tiba kena potong aja gitu nge-expect kita bakalan ngemaklumin gitu? ya sebenarnya ga papa sih ganti adegan yang sama sekali ga ada hubungannya tapi at least buatlah transisi perpindahan adegan yang smooth gitu loh.
5. Lumayan banyak plot hole(?) menurut gw ini sih kacau ya.

hmm kalo dari gw sih, 5 poin diatas itu poin "Kacau" nya series ini. Eh tapi tapi tapi, selain daripada itu semua, gw sangat menyukai value lain yang secara tidak langsung ditawarkan oleh series ini (terkhususnya buat para Jones, para lonely, para pejuang dalam hidup tanpa support system, pasti mimpi basah pengen jadi Lee Jun).

Honorable mention = 🎶 Lucky to be Loved 🎶, sebuah lagu yang dirilis oleh Boygroup korea selatan, TWS (투어스).

*Verse 1*
🎶거울 앞에 비친 나의 모습
어딘가 좀 달라 보여, now, now, now
그게 왠지 두렵지는 않아
넌 날 다시 시작하게 하니까 🎶

terjemahan: Melihat pantulan diriku di cermin, kok rasanya ada yang beda ya ? (now, now now).
Tapi entah kenapa aku tak merasa takut
Karena kamu bikin aku merasa hidup lagi, memberikan ku kesempatan lagi.

*Pre-Chorus*
🎶여전히 서투르고 다 알지는 못해도
언제나 내 곁엔 네가 있어서 🎶

terjemahan: Walau terkadang aku masih ceroboh dan canggung, dan tak mengerti apapun.
Tapi kamu selalu ada di sampingku.

*Pre-Chorus*
🎶When I'm with you, I'm at home, 나다울 수 있는 걸
I know, I know 🎶

terjemahan "나다울 수 있는 걸" = bisa menjadi diri sendiri

*Chorus*
🎶I'm lucky to be loved by you (Be loved by)
Lucky to be loved by you (Be loved by)
Lucky to be loved by you
알잖아, feels like I'm up on the moon (Be loved by)
Lucky to be loved by you 🎶

*Post-Chorus*
🎶아직 모를 내일이 이젠 불안하지 않아
Lucky to be loved by you
너만 있어 준다면 더는 겁날 게 없어 난
Lucky to be loved by you🎶

terjemahan: Tidak tahu apa yang akan terjadi besok tak lagi membuatku cemas
Beruntung bisa dicintai olehmu
Selama kau bersamaku, tak ada yang perlu ditakuti
Beruntung bisa dicintai olehmu

Menurutku, ke-5 dasar lirik dari lagu ini udah cocok menggambarkan kehidupan Lee Jun, yang dikelilingi oleh 3 pilar pelindung dirinya (Choi Jun, Song Hyunjae, & simeon). Dari yang awalnya ia hanyalah seorang underground idol (idol kurang terkenal/idol dari agensi nugu), bagaimana pada akhirnya Lee Jun bisa beradaptasi di lingkungan korporat yang sangat rentan reputasinya tercoreng (biasanya ulah rekan kerja yang iri).

1. Sebuah "Changing Mirror"

Dalam lagu "Lucky to be Loved", TWS bernyanyi tentang mereka yang menatap cermin dan melihat bayangan yang kini tampak berbeda. Bagi Lee Jun, ini adalah metafora visual dan emosional yang sangat mendalam. Dirinya harus sepenuhnya melepaskan identitasnya sebagai idol underground, dari yang semula menatap lampu-lampu yang berkedip, kostum panggung, variety show, serta mimpi yang tak sepenuhnya terwujud, semuaa itu harus ditukar dengan dunia korporat yang kaku, lembar Excel & PPT, dan intrik kantor (ada tuh rekan kerjanya yang iri dengki sama Lee Jun, yang pada akhirnya si rekan kerja tersebut gagal/tidak lolos masa probation 3 bulan. haha mampus ga lu?) . Nah gw bisa bilang, “Perubahan lanskap masa dewasa” semacam itu, terasa menakutkan karena Lee Jun atau kita semua pasti merasa seperti kehilangan jati diri. Namun, seperti yang tersirat di lagu-nya TWS, bayangan yang berubah itu tidak menakutkan jika ada orang-orang yang tepat yang memandangmu dengan penuh kasih.

Nah, menurutku, metafora "Changing Mirror" ini sepenuhnya didapati oleh Lee Jun, paling utamanya yaitu berkat Song Hyunjae. Kenapa Hyunjae?. Hyunjae lah yang senantiasa menemani Lee Jun dalam masa tersulit-nya (seperti pas Lee Jun terpaksa harus mundur dari idol, kayaknya gegara rumor miring ya? CMIIW), Hyunjae rela meninggalkan posisi dia sebagai manajer pribadi-nya Simeon, demi melindungi Lee Jun yang pada saat itu tentunya sedang kehilangan arah.

Nggak berhenti disitu aja, pas akhirnya Hyunjae berhasil menjadi orang yang merekomendasikan Lee Jun ke HRD, Lee Jun akhirnya diterima kerja lagi. Tapi gak langsung se-instan itu dong kesenangannya. Banyak sekali pihak yang ingin menjatuhkan Lee Jun di kantor barunya itu. Yang paling membekas bagi gw, pas Hyunjae lagi menguping pembicaraan/gosip jahat yang dilontarkan oleh 3 intern lain (well, technically, si Mi-Young alias intern cewek, dia sering positive thinking dan membantah gosip-an nya si Yeong seok, tapi tetep aja dia masih sering nimbrung gosip! huh). Hyunjae nggak secara langsung "kasih paham" ke mereka-mereka yang gosip, tapi Hyunjae paham betul kalo situasi Lee Jun yang sedang diambang popularitas (karena lagi OP, lagi gacor-gacornya, dia berhasil mujuk Simeon supaya mau jadi model ambassador produk hair perfume terbaru, dan juga karena faktor lain) itu justru bak pensil tumpul yang sedang diraut/dipoles yang perlahan menjadi tajam, dan ketika udah tajam, bisa sewaktu-waktu melukai Lee Jun. Maka disini Hyunjae ngasih tahu Simeon buat jangan terlalu terlihat menonjol, karena Lee Jun bisa-bisa terluka karenamu (basically gitu lah intinya, gw parafrase-in).

Nah, honorable mention, si Choi Jun juga secara nggak langsung, cocok jadi sosok "Changing Mirror" nya Lee Jun. Dia kenal Lee Jun sejak kecil tapi terpisah lama karena dia merantau ke U.S. Nah, dimasa-masa "terpisah" nya itu, Choi Jun senantiasa memantau kabar terbarunya Lee Jun, terutama pas tau kalau Lee Jun jadi idol. Beuhh bucin parah tuh doi nontonin klip nya Lee Jun. Nah ketika Lee Jun mulai bekerja di satu company yang sama dengan Choi Jun, dia berusaha sebisa mungkin 'tuk dekat dengan Lee Jun, untuk "melanggar" batas profesionalisme yang seharusnya dipatuhi antara atasan dan bawahan, secara tak langsung agar bisa jadi "shield" bagi Lee Jun selain untuk tujuan utamanya buat jadi AYANG BEBEB-nya Lee Jun yaaww.

2. "Safety Net" Rookie dunia korporat

Lirik lagu TWS yang bunyinya, “Aku masih canggung dan belum tahu segalanya, tapi kamu selalu ada di sisiku,” perfectly menggambarkan minggu-minggu pertama Lee Jun yang kacau di kantor. Dia itu masih anak magang, murni dengan skill yang baru ia pelajari setelah bertahun-tahun menghabiskan waktunya untuk menjadi Trainee sebelum jadi idol (Trainee itu lama2 bgt lohh, masa latihannya. bisa sampe 10 tahun kayak Jihyo TWICE). Dia membuat kesalahan, kewalahan oleh labirin korporat (atasan yang nyuruh dia lakuin task-task lain padahal task-nya dia belum kelar, tapi dia gabisa nolak), dan merasa tidak mampu/"kewalahan" mengatasinya. Di dunia korporat yang kejam, anak magang yang canggung biasanya akan terinjak-injak. Namun, Lee Jun “beruntung dicintai”/Lucky to be Loved. Dia punya perisai manusia yang berupa tiga pria tampan dan berkuasa yang melindungi ketenangannya sementara dia belajar berdiri dengan kakinya sendiri (well, Simeon sih honorable mention ya, tapi dia juga berjasa banget lohh).

#1 Choi Jun, the Ultimate Romantic Anchor,
Dia ini nomor satu safety net-nya Lee Jun, dan jujur, dia berhak dapet apresiasi yang jauh lebih besar sebagai main lead! Cocok banget sama lirik lagu yang berbunyi, "when im with you im at home, bisa menjadi diri sendiri".

Sebagai teman masa kecil yang tiba-tiba muncul lagi di hidup Lee Jun sebagai Head Office Manager, (alias bos besarnya), Choi Jun adalah definisi nyata dari power privilege yang digunakan untuk jalan kebaikan. Disaat Lee Jun jadi anak magang yang kewalahan dan dijadikan "sapi perah" oleh atasan lain yang hobi nitip tugas (padahal tugas Lee Jun sendiri belum kelar), Choi Jun hadir sebagai tameng kekuasaan. Dia gak ragu pakai otoritasnya buat menegur orang-orang yang memanfaatkan kepolosan Lee Jun. Di dunia korporat yang kejam, punya bos besar yang siap pasang badan itu adalah sebuah kemewahan.

Namun, yang bikin Choi Jun dapet nilai plus-plus bukan cuma jabatan menterengnya, melainkan jaminan emosional tanpa syarat yang dia kasih. Lee Jun itu vulnerable banget; dia baru aja mengalami masa transisi yang berat setelah gagal debut jadi idol (setelah bertahun-tahun trainee yang melelahkan) dan terpaksa merangkak dari nol di lingkungan yang asing. Choi Jun paham betul rasa rapuh itu. Makanya, dia gak cuma jadi "Bos" di kantor, tapi juga jadi "rumah" tempat Lee Jun bisa melepas topeng formalitasnya. Di depan Choi Jun, Lee Jun gak perlu pura-pura kuat atau serba tahu. Dia boleh jadi dirinya sendiri yang canggung tanpa takut dihakimi atau dipecat.

Gak cuma pasif nunggu, Choi Jun ini tipe lover yang agresif dan protektif. Cara dia menandai wilayahnya di depan saingan—terutama interaksinya yang penuh ketegangan dengan Hyunjae—menunjukkan kalau dia bukan sekadar jaring pengaman yang statis. Dia adalah jangkar yang aktif menarik Lee Jun keluar dari badai rasa minder, membuat hari-hari magang Lee Jun yang abu-abu jadi jauh lebih berwarna, aman, dan penuh kepastian.

#2 Song Hyunjae, Office "Guider"
Dia ni paling nyesek sih, karena ternyata dia ada unrequited love ke Lee Jun. Disalah satu episode yang adegan Choi Jun menginterogasi Hyunjae tentang sejak kapan dia mulai suka Lee Jun, Hyunjae jawab "4 tahun... eh atau mungkin 5 tahun". 5 tahun yang berat bagi dirinya, karena disatu sisi, dia mulai suka sama Lee Jun itu ketika Lee Jun masih menjadi idol, yang mana tentunya idol tidak diperkenankan punya pacar ya. Nah lama kelamaan, setelah mejadi manajernya Lee Jun, hubungan antara dirinya dan Lee Jun meningkat jadi teman level 2, alias (kalau dalam POV Lee Jun) Hyunjae ini sunbaenim atau senior yang sangat dihormati oleh Lee Jun, dan keduanya sering membantu satu sama lain dengan syarat harus dibalas dengan kebaikan dilain kesempatan. Contohnya pas Lee Jun ngasih lap tangan baru untuk Hyunjae karena dia merasa tersentuh, karena lap tangan yang udah dia kasih ke Hyunjae bertahuntahun sebelumnya, ternyata masih disimpan dengan baik oleh Hyunjae.

#3 Simeon, menjembatani antara masa lalu dan masa kini
Sebagai sunbaenim yang udah dihormati oleh Lee Jun, Simeon yang secara tidak langsung merupakan jembatan antara masa lalu dan masa kini-nya Lee Jun, dia yang memastikan kalau Lee Jun tidak lupa sama roots nya Lee Jun yang dulunya adalah seorang idol, sekaligus dia menyemangati Lee Jun di workplace baru nya. Dia menyetujui perjanjian TTD Model-Company demi Lee Jun, yahh meskipun sebenernya kurang jelas sih, dia tuh suka sama Lee Jun atau Hyunjae sebenarnya? I feel like he was somehow in love with Hyunjae (makanya marah besar pas tahu kalau Hyunjae bakal berhenti jadi Manajer) tapi at the same time dia jealous sama bagaimana Hyunjae memperlakukan Lee Jun, bak langit dan bumi kalau dibandingkan sama how Hyunjae treats him (kalau POV nya Simeon begini ya). Padahal kalau menurut Hyunjae, Hyunjae selalu bangga dan percaya kalau semua yang Simeon kerjakan pasti berjayee (kalau kata upin ipin).

Intinya, aku suka banget sama universe cerita drama ini, kalau bisa mah aku bakal bikin fanfiction khusus universe drama ini sampe Lee Jun & Choi Jun akhirnya nikah, adopsi anak, dll. Sumpah gwejh suka bgt ama ceritanya yang asoy digeboy banget cocok sama gwejh yang jomblo seumur hidup karena takut sama society indo yang suka ngejudge pasangan sesama lelaki. Kadang, gw lelah harus pura-pura senang sama keadaan jadinya gw study hard biar bisa pindah negara, tapi berhubung situasi negara lagi taii banget, negara kacau yang isinya cuma menguntungkan buat penjilat rezim, gw jadi overwhelmed dan somehow capek kalau study hard melulu. Dunia geopolitik lagi kacau juga, banyak negara lagi musim tuh gerakan anti-imigran. Jepang salah satunya (gegara takaichi tulul), padahal gw pgn tinggal di Jepang. Yah intinya im at my lowest point of my life dan cerita drama yang lucu-lucu gini yang bikin gw bertahan dan belum bundir (amit amit semoga nggak bundir deh).

Love, peace, hug, and kiss

Leia Mais

It was completely worth every minute I spent watching it.

This was such a lovely drama to keep me company during this month of cold, unpredictable weather in my country.

I laughed a lot, truly enjoyed the main couple, and honestly didn't pay much attention to the business and financial side of the story. The best part was seeing dear Tan Jian Ci once again in a lighthearted, gentle, and sweet production—the kind that suits him so perfectly.

I don't really understand all the criticism. We got three adorable couples, a business issue that is actually quite relevant in today's world, and plenty of fun... along with some wonderfully stir-fried eggplants.

I absolutely loved this drama and will keep it in a special place in my heart. It was completely worth every minute I spent watching it.

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I love everything about the story

I didn't read the novel yet, but to be honest I've seen a lot of review already by those who have read the novel. And I can't blame you or I can't invalidate your feelings for not being satisfied because the series have not included a lot of things that happened in the novel. But as a bl watcher I would really recommend it for newbies.

HillTer story really shows each other pov. All the misunderstanding that happend they still waited and waited to come back to each other. It's just so pure, soft, cute and interesting at the same time. For me of all the stories in fourever you this one story really got me to watch the whole series and also the second season. Try to understand their story it will really leave a good memory for all, when I first watch it Hill literally became my standard (not until tonfah came) but yeah he will, definitely will.

While, in JohanNorth they're shown that one person can make a big difference on how you see yourself in the future. The waiting, the yearning, the way Jo changes himself to be someone that does have something to do in his life. It's a fantasy for almost everyone I think. And North being the cutest cupid everytime is a full package already. I assured everyone that if you watch this drama it's all worth it.

It became my fav of all time, my comfort series and everything. I first watch it because of P'Earth and P'Bas but ended up loving all the characters.

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Beautiful Beyond Words

Simply the best. Honestly, this series had me hooked from start to finish — I was completely along for the ride, fully invested. Major kudos to the director, who I truly think is the best BL storyteller out there. He handled such a delicate subject with so much care and skill, and it really showed. The shots, the cinematography, the editing — everything was top-notch. It captured the vibe perfectly, pulling out all the emotions in such a natural way. The script was thought‑provoking too; you can tell how much effort went into making this a high‑caliber series. The acting across the board was strong, but of course, Fourth once again proved why he’s the standout actor of his generation. His eyes alone carry so much weight — they’re expressive enough to tell the whole story without a single word. Truly a gem of an actor. All in all, this series was memorable, beautiful, and inspiring. It’s the kind of show that stays with you long after the credits roll. Absolute 5/5 stars.

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Nice drama, but didn't reel me in.

This was a nice drama about fighting to keep an orphanage alive. The story of a family overcome several difficulties in live together. Though this was a nice drama, it didn't manage to really keep me engaged. There was enough happening, the story was well written and produced, but i still felt bored several times.
The music was all background music, but it was good for this series. There was one song in the end and that was a good song.
The visuals were also good.

All the actors did a good job, the kids did great!
The mains had chemistry, but it felt more friendship chemistry than romantic. The kisses were ok.

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Perth and Santa other drama… Let’s dive in…

Unlike most BLs that focus on two people falling in love, this series begins with the couple already in a relationship.

The story follows Pobmek, an elementary school teacher who, ironically, doesn't even like children. Yet he puts up with the noisy, chaotic school environment every single day because his boyfriend, Solar, is a fellow teacher who absolutely adores kids. Pobmek loves Solar so much that he's willing to endure the one thing he dislikes just to stay by his side and support the career that makes Solar happy.

Their peaceful life is turned upside down when Solar is involved in a terrible car accident. The accident leaves him with serious neurological damage, causing his brain to regress to the mental capacity of a seven-year-old child named Sun. Sun, like most kids, becomes frightened by his situation and looks for his mom. Thankfully, Pobmek is able to persuade Sun to go back home with him.

The next morning, when Sun wakes up, he returns to his adult self as Solar. Thinking nothing is wrong, they go to work. But unfortunately for them, Solar turns back into Sun again—this time right in the middle of the school where they work.

To make things worse, the condition is witnessed by Sodchuen and Jee. Not knowing how else to explain the sudden change, Pobmek finally tells them the truth. To his surprise, Sodchuen and Jee don't judge or punish Solar; instead, they offer their help to navigate the situation. Before long, the rest of the teachers—and even the students—become part of the effort to protect Solar's secret and help care for both Solar and Sun whenever the switch happens.

Now, Pobmek finds himself caring not only for the children at school but also for the person he loves most, whose personality can change without warning. Thankfully, soon after, Pobmek finally discovers what triggers the change between Solar and Sun. Once they understand the pattern, it becomes easier for Pobmek and the other teachers to navigate between Solar and Sun.

So, how does this story end? Will Solar be able to fully return to his adult self without turning back into Sun again? What is the actual secret behind his changing personality? And most importantly, will Pobmek be able to handle both Solar and Sun, or will he give up and just bolt out the door?

That's pretty much the story without giving anymore spoilers.

What I like:
+ As usual, Perth & Santa chemistry & their acting is never disappointing. Although I kinda hope for a different role for them next time…
+ GMMTv put more effort into their dramas. It’s no longer only about school romance… it’s about something that has more meaning…

What I’m not too like:
- The whole situation with Solar and Sun doesn't really make sense. Like: how all the teachers and students just blindly accept the 'orders' to help them.
- And the most ridicules of all is the school… Sometimes I wonder if this is elementary or kindergarten… and where the school is…? Why does 1st grade and 2nd grade combine into 1 class???

But overall it’s a good drama & I’m happy I can watch this…

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