#korean husband

[ahsung]

WATASHI NO OTTO TO KEKKON SHITE (2025) dir. Ahn Gil Ho 

[tttabii]

──. 이희승 MY OBSESSION GROWS ૮꒰◞ ˕ ◟ ྀི꒱ა

lee heeseung x female reader

note: reader is chinese but knows korean. barista!reader x idol!heeseung

YOU WERE JUST ANOTHER barista behind the sleek counter of HYBE's in-house café, your soft-tone "欢迎光临"hardly catching anyone's attention in the idol-filled building. Most didn't care enough to listen either.

Your Korean was decent, passable, but had a thick Chinese accent, and many days you would default to silence and let your hands do the talking by serving cappuccinos and americanos to the artists who barely remembered your name.

But Heeseung did.

Every day.

At first, it was just subtle—he would linger a little longer at the counter, pretending to check messages while watching you write on the cups. Then he started seeing things.

The way you tied your hair up when you were too busy, the exact moment of the day you changed the song that was playing on your earbuds, how you always wore muted colors, except for those one black mary janes you wore whenever you could. He had become slowly, but irreversibly obsessed.

It started as simple curiosity. 

Heeseung shouldn't have even been on the subway, but he went undercover as he donned his hoodie and mask before taking the long way home to the subway station to again experience you—hoping you would get on your usual train or his train after work.

He found you waiting at the subway station, looking so immersed in your own world, the music blaring in your earphones.

Guessing he looked like a stranger, he stood beside you and tilted his head down just enough to see one of your earphones hanging ultra-low out of his ear. He tried to figure out what song you were listening to—he was guessing some Chinese pop—which he couldn't understand at all.

But the fact that it was yours? That was enough.

You didn't notice him at all. Didn't really notice him. You'd never look long enough to. That's how invisible you were to him, but he couldn't look away.Only when you almost stepped into traffic—head down, music blaring, unawares—did he broke the dream. He grasped your arm tight and fast, yanking you back onto the curb.

"Hey careful," he said quickly, in english now. Your eyes got all wide, your confusion coming too fast as you looked up at him, eyebrows pinched and lips apart. 

You nodded slowly, a shy, quiet thank you slipping past your lips as you took out your earphones. He smiled behind the mask, heart thudding way too hard, then gestured for you to turn the volume down.

And just like that, you disappeared, back into the crowd.

That night, he downloaded all the language apps he could find. "She's Chinese," he shared with the members in the dorm, staring at the ceiling. "I want to learn... for her."

And that was only the start of his obsession. Your hair had been a warm cherry brown in the spring. A week later, he had rolled up to schedule with a similar hue.

"For the fans," he said to his manager. Right. There was an uncanny resemblance between your casual street-style outfits and his sudden wardrobe changes.

And those playlists he shared on live? They suddenly contained soft, mandarin songs, that he knew his fans wouldn't be able to translate. But he could. Now.

The members picked up on it. Everyone picked up on it. "Bro, are you turning into her?" Jay asked one morning, as they watched you behind the café counter again, headphones on, quietly humming. Heeseung grinned, on you, as you stirred someone's drink.

"No," he whisper. "I just want to be the version of me she would notice." 

"Whatever you say, buddy," Jake snorted, clapping Heeseung on the back as they all watched you from the couch near the café counter.

Heeseung watched as you untied your apron after finishing your shift for the day.

Your shoulders dropped, and you sighed, swiping some hair out of your face. Heeseung was transfixed as his eyes followed the movement, mesmerized by the way your lips moved when you mumbled to yourself.

"Go. Go talk to her. You have been learning Chinese for three months because of her," Sunghoon shoved him hard, and the others followed suit by practically pushing him out of his seat.

He stumbled like an awkward teenager, hands flapping and messing with his fingers and patting down his hoodie.

It was like his body shifted before his brain registered what was happening.You noticed him—how could you not? Heeseung was tall and hard to miss, even when disguised. His face was hidden, but the sharpness of those eyes and softness of his voice?

You recognized them all too well.

"你还好吗?" you asked, head cocked to the side as brows knitted together. And it shattered him.

You remembered him. The guy from the traffic stop.

He froze for a second, then replied, "我没事。你呢?" His pronunciation was careful, tender.

You blinked, surprised. "You speak...?"

 He smiled beneath the mask, nodding once. "Learning. For a while now."

Your eyes sparkled with that undeniable look of impressiveness. You laughed lightly as you reached to take off your hair clip and your now-matching red strands fell over your shoulders.

That moment? That image? Heeseung wanted to freeze it for ever. But, he never said anything more. He never did.

Not the real things, anyways. He couldn't even confess that your playlist had become his, that he started to dress like you, that he had memorized your café schedule before anyone else.

That fans thought his aesthetic shift was a concept-but it was really you. And, you still had no idea. He walked next to you that night, not saying much, allowing you to ramble away in a mix of Korean and English, as you both crossed the dim-lit street. He allowed himself to glance at you as often as he could.

He watched the way your eyes sparkled with the nearby city lights, and how your fingers played with the sleeves of your jacket. His jacket, actually. He draped his jacket over your shoulders the minute he noticed the chill in the air. 

What you didn't know was that someone captured the moment. One blurry picture. Your hair a match to his. His hand lightly resting on your lower back as you leaned forward to see something in a store window.

One blurry video of you two laughing next to a food stall as he handed you a skewer, your red hair catching the light.

The way he looked at you in that one second. That was all it took.

 The internet caught on to it.

"WHO is she???"

"Heeseung's new girlfriend???"

"She looks kind of Korean... kind of not???"

"Matching hair. Matching outfits. Matching vibes."

"She's not on IG or Twitter so she must either be low key or from out of the country."

"I swear I have seen her before from some company background video—wasn't she behind the coffee bar?"

They didn't know your name. They didn't know your socials. You were faceless, unknown—even a little mythical. And Heeseung? He never said a word against it. He let the rumors spread. 

He read every single one. Obsessively. Screenshotting the theories, watching fan edits that people made of blurry you and high-res him.

He liked the idea of you being his mystery. His secret girl. His obsession that no one could touch, no one could reach.

And you? You were just scrolling through a few of the articles with mild confusion.

"I look weird in this photo," you murmured, frowning a little.

Heeseung watched you, lips twitching in amusement, heart thudding so loudly he swore Jake could hear it.

"She has no idea," Sunoo whispered to Jay.

"Nope," Jay grinned. "Not even a clue."

Eventually, you both were almost always together. He'd pop into the café almost every day now—not always ordering coffee, sometimes just sitting there and watching you work behind the counter with his chin in his hand while pretending to scroll through his phone, sneaking glances like he wasn't some whole celebrity sitting in public just to see you.

You were the reason he learned how to say, "How was your day?" in completely perfect Chinese.

And he was the reason your Korean was becoming soft and natural, his corrections keeping you from tripping over your words when engaging with other idol customers requesting simple easy things. Even other idols poked fun at how fluent you were becoming—particularly around Heeseung.

"Thanks to him" you'd laugh innocently. "He corrects me every single time I mess up."

Heeseung would just smile. But on the inside? He was spiraling.

Because it wasn't lessons or shy glances anymore. He needed you like air.

His thoughts? You. His playlists? Your favorite songs. His accessories? Matching yours more often than not. His fans?

Figuring it out, whispering about it, compiling, clipping.

But you? You still didn't see it.

And he liked that.

He liked how untouched you were by fame. How pure you looked laughing at his lame jokes in your little apron.

How you walked beside him in the street, not even noticing the flashes of distant phone cameras or whispers from fans passing by.

Heeseung wanted the world to know, but through his way. Quietly and intimately. Enough to stir rumors. Enough to make people talk. So he did exactly that.

That day, you and him were at the bookstore across from HYBE. You had your arms linked, and he was leading you toward the language aisle. He leaned down, his lips barely grazing your ear, and whispered in Korean—fast and slurred and too fancy for your level.

You stopped and stared up at him. "Huh?"

He smiled. Your cheeks were flushed pink just from the proximity.

You nudged him. "Yah... What did you say?"

He shrugged, amusement threatened to bring a smile to his lips. "Nothing."

"Liar." You crossed your arms, the playful act did little to hide your flustered state.

He simply watched you, head tilted slightly, his eyes dark and affectionate, and something else. Something unhinged.

Because what he whispered was: "If I were the ocean, you'd be the sky. Always above me, always unattainable—but I'd still drown trying to reach you."

A romantic, poetic line in fast Korean that sounded like nonsense to you. You thought he was joking. He was absolutely serious. And later that night? He posted a blurry photo to his own  account.

You walking away, holding two books, your red hair catching the light.  

The caption read, in Korean:"If they only knew how much of you is already mine."

Of course, his fans saw it.His fans always see it.They began sharing it. Making correlations out of your blurry frame and other street photos.

Noticing you wore a necklace that Heeseung had been seen holding in a vlog.

Noticing that his hoodie was seen on you a week earlier, on a café TikTok in the background.

They still didn't know your name. But they were obsessed with learning it. Just like him.

[skidne]

And we’re back with another episode of doomed old men yaoi

[25shadesoffebruary]

Please give Ji-Hyuk to me, I want to be happy with him.

[drawendo]

Me just realizing all the cool foreign Steven universe fan artists are going to come back and draw the most beautiful and bad ass art again.

[gothamite-rambler]

Batman is questioned about his child sidekick by on field reporter Angela Ito and makes a good impression at least

Story: Gotham citizens are kind of used to the whole child sidekick with Batman. He's a six-foot man wearing a Bat-suit; they've seen weirder. But after the initial shock wore off, most are confused. His new sidekick is so cute, but he's also ferocious. It's going to take Gotham's on-field reporter, Angela Ito, to get to the bottom of this, mostly because no one else is as brave as Jim or as stupid as the Gotham criminals to ask.

Sometime in the 80s

An on-the-scene reporter named Angela Ito held her microphone slightly higher for the six-foot-tall hero dressed as Batman to speak into. The brunette Korean-American reporter had interviewed the Dark Knight before, back when he didn’t have a Robin, and her nosy nature is how she’d gotten so far as a journalist.

Today, she had to learn about this possibly-child sidekick, ignoring her cameraman, the meteorologist, and the in-studio anchors who advised her against asking questions like that to the six-foot man in the batsuit.

When she finally was close enough to Batman and Robin, she readied her microphone. The heroic duo stood together while police arrested the criminals nearby.

Angela (after getting Batman’s answers about the criminals): Thank you for talking with me today. Before you go, I have one last question.

Batman: Make it quick.

Angela (inquisitively): Batman, what do you have to say to those who find it odd and concerning that you have a child sidekick?

Batman glanced down at Robin, a ten-year-old Dick Grayson in his Robin costume, then back at the reporter and the camera. Robin looked at his father, then at the camera, and waved.

Robin!Dick: I’m Robin! I can do flips and tricks!

Angela (sweetly): You sure can, kiddo. Batman, inquiring minds want to know- it might make you look a little less… strange if you give a reason.

Batman: Seriously?

Cameraman (whispering, slightly nervous): She’s been wanting to ask you this for a while.

Angela: I’ve been a reporter for two years. I’m used to asking the hard-hitting questions that others are too scared to ask.

Batman: Like the time you asked me if I wear boxers in my suit?

Angela: Would you want Chip asking you that, or me?

Batman: I’d rather not be asked it at all.

Angela: For those who missed that episode, the answer was yes, he does. Now, what do you have to say about your adorable child sidekick?

Robin (holding up his index finger for emphasis): Who is also a threat to be rec- requi- um… re—

Batman (exhausted tone): Reckoned.

Robin!Dick: Threat to be reckoned with! Thanks, Papa.

Batman: Robin, names.

Robin!Dick: Thank you, Bat-Papa.

The cameraman chuckled quietly, and Angela persisted, determined to get her answer. Batman went silent, sighing and covering his eyes. This was becoming increasingly frustrating, especially since Robin had been in that role for two years. He reluctantly accepted that he had to answer. Walking away now would only make him look more suspicious.

Why do people find it odd that a child could fight so well? he wondered. It wasn’t the strangest thing about him. Robin, for his part, beamed proudly, his head peeking up beside Batman’s imposing figure.

Batman (deadpan, glancing at his son): Robin, how do you feel about being my sidekick that happens to be a kid?

Robin!Dick (high-pitched and cheerful): It’s fun! I love fighting bad guys with him. Tonight, I bit the arm of a guy who was gonna hurt a child! Batman is a… um… neat man. Yes!

Robin!Dick patted his father’s arm with a sweet smile. Batman smiled softly and ruffled his son’s hair.

Batman: He gives me another reason to want to protect Gotham. Kids like him need protection from lunatics with guns. I wear a batsuit, does that seem odd to most people? Yes. But it’s worth it to keep everyone safe.

Angela: That answer was pretty on-brand for you, Batman, and it makes sense to me.

Robin!Dick bounced up and down to be more visible on camera, prompting the cameraman to step back for a better shot.

Batman: Glad it does. Robin’s my sidekick. He’s safe, and surprisingly, he’s pretty hard to pry off when he’s biting a villain.

Robin!Dick: That’s right. And after this, we’re getting McDonald’s!

Batman: I never said that—

Robin!Dick (mischievous, swaying back and forth): I’ll cry if you don’t get me nuggets!

Batman let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head at the little whirlwind beside him. He knew Robin would hold him to that promise, and honestly, he was already dealing with enough.

Batman: I guess we’re getting McDonald’s. Why do children like nuggets that taste like wood shavings?

Angela (sympathetically): I have no idea, but as a mother of a four-year-old, I get the frustration. How old is he?

Batman: None of your business.

Angela: Is he a street urchin you kidnapped?

Batman: Is he a what now?

Robin stepped closer to the microphone to save Batman’s reputation further.

Robin (sweetly): Bat-Papa said I was delivered by a stork. Even though it’s just him raising me, he loves me dearly. I love you, Bat-Papa.

Angela, unable to resist the adorable child, placed a hand on her chest. Batman groaned inwardly, knowing this little hero would use the cuteness for some kind of manipulation.

Angela: He’s so adorable! Gabe we should—

Cameraman: We’re not ready for another kid, Angela!

Angela: You're right, got hit with motherly emotion for a moment.

Batman (exasperated): Can we go?

Angela: Yes, you gave some decent answers. I wish you the best as a parent and superhero. Have a good night, heroes.

Batman (flatly): Yep. Robin, let’s go.

Robin!Dick (holding up his arms): Carry me, please!

Batman (confused): Carry you?

Robin!Dick: I’m too sleepy to walk. Please, Papa.

Cameraman: Why is he so adorable?

Robin eagerly opened and closed his hands, milking the moment.

Batman (irritated): Don’t fall for that. He’s tricking you with cuteness.

Robin!Dick: I’m cute and filled with fury. Carry me, please!

Despite his annoyance, Batman scooped up Robin and carried him back to the car, the boy hugging him tightly as they walked away. Angela giggled, then turned back to the camera.

Angela: And there you have it! While I find this duo a bit odd, it’s a sweet father-son team-up. I’m Angela Ito reporting live from Gotham. Back to Chip and Lily in the studio.

The camera cut to a white man with blonde hair and a black woman with brown hair, both struggling to hide their amusement. Lily covered her face with a sheet of paper, giggling.

Chip (raising an eyebrow with a smile): I have a few questions, did he just say he bit a child abuser?

Lily (laughing): Yeah, yeah! Oh my goodness, this is so weird, but I love it… I love it so much!

Angela Ito is an OC I made for fun. She's a reporter in Gotham and these are other stories she's "featured" in:

News in the 80s

I'm sure you are

dihydrogen monoxide

Red Hood Interview

First time meeting Batman

[gatorgrumbles]

Real happy with the way my Mr Gap keychain turned out! I love being able to make stuff of my very obscure favorites

[nanaosaki3940]

Korean Manhwa/Webtoon Recommendation List (Romance-Fantasy Genre)

I recently got into the romance-fantasy (rofan) genre of Korean manhwa/webtoons and wanted to make a recommendation list about it. This is a recommendation list but I want to briefly talk about some newly released rofan manhwa that I really liked.

(My recommendation list will be divided into different categories so you'll be able to understand what kind of stories they are...)

So recently, I got into these newly released rofan manhwas:

The Wicked Ladies in Waiting 

The Promise Isn't Mine 

Turning the Mad Dog into a Genteel Lord 

Fallen to Paradise 

I Swear We're Just Friends 

Please Don’t Reply!

High Society 

The Wicked Ladies in Waiting

Yulia, who was born an orphan, was killed in exchange for falling in love with the Young Master of the Marjoram Family and was left on a snowy mountain. But when she opened her eyes, at the same location as any other day, she was rescued by the Commander of the Imperial Army, Carus. She was hit by a curse of being unable to die, and this is now her 8th life. After realizing that she would be stuck in the loop forever if she didn't take down the Marquis, she became a servant (2nd prince's lady-in-waiting) within the Palace to utilize the Royal Family’s power to demolish the Marjoram Family in her 8th life. I really love both the FL and the ML here. At first, the ML was suspicious of her when she revealed the truth to him in her 8th life that she had regressed back to the past 8 times, and each and every time she died in various ways, she encountered the ML and he somehow always tried to save her each and every life (even though he doesn't have the memories of his previous 7 lives like the FL). To make him believe her, she offered him help by predicting some future events that were going to occur later on because she had already seen or known about those events from her previous 7 lives. In this way, the FL saved the ML and his comrades' lives in this 8th life, and because of that the ML believed her regression story and offered to help her lifetime. Their relationship progressed well from suspicious strangers to trustful allies. Although we haven't seen much of them yet, I'm still waiting for some romance and fluff to happen in their relationship. The 2nd prince whom she works for and the 1st lady-in-waiting who is her colleague are also interesting characters and have immediately become the FL's good friends and strong allies just like the ML. The FL is strong, smart, and lovable, and the whole revenge plot is really interesting. You would love to see her succeed in her missions. Highly recommend this manhwa/webtoon.

The Promise Isn't Mine

When her twin sister Leyla, the Holy Maiden, suddenly disappears one day, the ordinary Elena finds herself having to marry Crown Prince Kyle, a man infamous for his ruthlessness, in her stead. After a dreadful marriage ceremony, Kyle demands that a certain promise be fulfilled, to Elena’s confusion. Elena and Kyle are actually childhood sweethearts btw. They've both been in love with each other since their younger days. The ML immediately realized who she was, but she didn't recognize him; although she does vaguely remember him from her past, but doesn't know that the man she married is the same boy from her teenage days. I can't wait for her to realize who he actually is; that he's her childhood sweetheart. Also, it's kinda funny how the ML and FL look like Iske and Ruby from "How To Win Over My Husband". However, this ML is a whole lot different from Iske since the ML is genuinely nice, kind, and caring towards the FL from day one. And not to mention that he's still in love with her and immediately recognizes her after meeting her so many years later again. Highly recommend this series.

Turning the Mad Dog into a Genteel Lord

Diarin, a priestess without any noteworthy family background or connections, always gets the toughest assignments. So when her boss tells her to help Ceres, a war hero, reintegrate into society, she decides to stop being a pushover and get as much as she can out of it, including a juicy promotion. But upon reaching Ceres’ manor, she’s greeted by a growling hound instead of a human. Tasked with the impossible job of turning the mad dog into a proper gentleman, she dedicates herself to caring for him. But his unexpected obsession with her was never part of her plan. This one is my No. 1 personal favorite at the current moment!! You can tell by the pictures how funny and hilarious this series is. I won't tell you guys anything more. Just go and read this one as quick as possible!! STRONGLY recommend this series!!!

Fallen to Paradise

Ange, the daughter of Duke Glaster, believes her life is all planned out as she is set to marry Philip Cardiner, the rightful heir to the throne. However, her plans are disrupted when Philip's brother, William Cardiner, schemes against him and removes him from the line of succession. In order to secure his power, William forces Ange to marry Aiden Fitzroy, an illegitimate child born between the emperor and a commoner. Will Ange learn to love the humble stranger she was forced to marry? Another hilarious yet very cute manhwa!! At first, the FL didn't like the fact that she was getting married off to the illegitimate son of the emperor and that the ML lived in the countryside and was also a farmer. The ML also found her a nuisance in the beginning because of her whining and throwing tantrums, but as time went on and they started to understand each other, they began to fight less and tried to get along. Romance also started to blossom between the two as they went on with their lives in the countryside on the farm by planting crops and vegetables and raising cows and pigs. I love how the FL, who was the Duke's daughter and was once the next crown princess, is now just a military officer/farmer's wife, and yeah sure, in the beginning, she used to complain about everything and anything, but she quickly went through a major character development, and now instead of whining and throwing tantrums, she tries to understand her husband and even willingly participates in the farming works. The ML was cold at first and found her annoying, but eventually he also later tried to understand her and her situation and started warming up to her. Very cute manhwa!! Highly recommend this!!

I Swear We're Just Friends

When Rienne transfers to the elite Alena Academy, she never expects Karcion, the most popular mage in school, to recruit her into his club and she definitely doesn't think he'll fall for her! But the grumpy Karcion soon makes it clear how much he adores her, and she starts finding him too cute to ignore. Still, he's a future duke and she's a commoner, so Rienne knows his feelings won't last. Can Karcion magic his way out of the friendzone? Or will Rienne prove they're just friends after all? A typical high school setting kinda story with enemies to lovers troupe; the only twist is that it's a historical fantasy story, not your typical modern high school romance. The FL is a cool smart girl and I loved her from the start. Meanwhile, at first, the ML is also shown to be this cool smart dude and is very popular in school but later it is revealed that he's actually a big tsundere crybaby and is very expressive when showing emotions which makes the FL want to tease him more and more whenever they interact. Since it's a high school romance in a historical fantasy setting, it has a different spin to it and has made the read very much enjoyable which was unexpected. Definitely check this one out! Highly recommend this series.

Please Don't Reply!

What’s worse than someone who leaves you on read? How about someone who doesn’t know when to end the conversation? Mira Hexen is cursed to always be the last one to reply for a whole year or she will be turned to stone. But that’s a bit difficult when you’re the chief of a company that produces a massively successful messaging device. Mira’s latest VIP client is Euryx Deyra, an extremely friendly duke who feels the need to respond to every little thing she says. If only she could just tell him to shut up already...! By reading the synopsis you can already tell where this story is going. Read only 4 chapters and found it really cute, funny, and wholesome. Definitely worth checking out. Highly recommend this as well!!

High Society

While scheming to get out of an arranged marriage, Cesare runs into Adele, a shoeshine girl from the slums. The two make a 3-month deal to help Cesare elude marriage. However, Adele is so different from the women he's met before that he can't help but be drawn to her. Okay, so this series might not be everyone's cup of tea since the ML is a super red flag, and the FL is kinda like a doormat. Sure she fights back from time to time, but since she's under a contract with the ML and he's the Duke of a powerful ducal family, she always can't say anything she wants to him. At first, the ML didn't care that much about her and didn't see her as a woman with whom he could have a potential romantic relationship but as time went on, he fell more for her beauty and personality, but there was a problem - the ML had already introduced the FL to the high society that she was his blood-related little sister. Now how could he have a romantic relationship with his so-called "blood-related little sister"? The thing is, the ML was trying to get out of this arranged marriage alliance that was set with this crazy woman from another powerful ducal family. But this marriage alliance was very important for political reasons and also to maintain a good relationship between those two families in the empire. But the ML didn't want to marry that crazy woman, so he found the FL (who was willing to help him out btw) on the streets one day, took her in, and used her as a shield to stay away from that marriage. How so? By offering the FL as the bride of that crazy woman's little brother. The FL would get married off to that crazy woman's brother while the ML won't have to marry that crazy woman anymore, and therefore with that, the alliance would still be made between the families without him getting married, of course. But what is he gonna do about this situation now that he's falling for the FL? Is he gonna let the FL go and let her get married to that crazy woman's little brother? Or is he gonna seduce her and make her his and only his?? The ML is super toxic and a huge red flag, but he's so fucking beautiful that I just can't, y'all!!! Like, look at his dimples OMG!!! Although the ML is super toxic and a major scumbag at times, the story is still super engaging not gonna lie. Highly recommend this to check it out!!

Also, here's the link to the photo gallery of Cesare Bonaparte, a toxic yet sexy and beautiful male lead - Link

Now the entire recommendation list I mentioned earlier:

Regression Genre (the FL goes back to the past):

The Fantasie of a Stepmother 

The Redemption of Earl Nottingham

Marriage of Convenience 

Baroness Goes on Strike 

Please Marry Me Again!

June Peach

Saving My Sweetheart 

My Sweet Enemy, Thy Name is Husband

I'm the Queen in This Life

I Am the Real One

The Contracted Grand Duchess 

The Villainess Lives Again 

The Taming of the Tyrant

Leveling Up My Husband to the Max

Why Are You Obsessed With Your Fake Wife? 

Adeline's Darkest Night

I Tamed My Ex-husband’s Mad Dog 

The Empress of Ashes 

The Tyrant Wants to Be Good 

The Duke's Bored Daughter is My Master 

Rewriting My Husband's Tragic Ending 

You Mustn't, Your Majesty! 

I Shall Master This Family 

My In-Laws Are Obsessed With Me 

The Villain’s Daughter Plans To Run Away 

The Grand Duke is Mine 

Seducing the Lady's Lover 

The Villainess Needs Her Tyrant 

Crazy Like a Fox 

So I Married the Abandoned Prince 

While I'm Back in Time, I'll Get My Revenge 

Are We Still in Love? 

I Accidentally Tamed the Duke 

I’m Done Being Your Best Friend 

I Tamed the Male Lead Who Tried to Kill Me 

The Villainess's Road to Revenge 

The Villainess Behind the Mask

The Crimson Lady

Please Obsess Over Me

Let Me Die in Peace!

Libera Me

What the Duke Picked Up in the Forest

Peony: Dreaming of the Dangerous Grand Duke

Reincarnation/Transmigration Genre (the FL is reincarnated/transmigrated into a novel/webtoon/otome game)

I Am the Villain (Sejji) 

My Little Tyrant

Secret Lady 

Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story

The Villainess is a Marionette

Author of My Own Destiny

Father, I Don't Want this Marriage

The Monster Male Lead Living Under My Bed

Behold the True Villainess

Beware the Villainess!

Villains are Destined to Die

I Fell Into a Reverse Harem Game!

I Met The Male Lead in Prison

An Extra Stole the Male Leads

I Will Become the Villain's Poison Taster

Elissa's Whirlwind Marriage

Fortune-Telling Lady

How to Win My Husband Over

The Villainess's Maker

Viola Tames the Duke

The Beloved Bashful Villainess

My Ray of Hope

Who Made Me a Princess?

The Heiress's Double Life

The Villainess's Blind Date Is Too Perfect

Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion

Writing My Male Lead's Happily Ever After 

Villain Duke's Precious One

My Sister Picked Up the Male Lead

I Bought Land, Not a Man!

Just the Male Lead's Friend

The Villainess Flips the Script!

I Met the Male Lead in Prison

The Viridescent Tiara

Philomel the Fake

I Married the Male Lead's Dad

The Villainess's Stationery Shop

The Rules of Rose Ivy Manor

The Tyrant's Only Perfumer

Your Ultimate Love Rival

I Hold the Tyrant's Heart

I’ll Become the Heroine in This Life

I Became the Tyrant's Dishonest Adviser

Divorcing My Tyrant Husband

Contractual Marriage to a Surly Duke

It Was Love at First Sight, Mr. Villain! 

Lia's Bad Ending

The Villainess Just Wants To Live In Peace!

How to Tame the Merciless Villain 

Grand Duke of the North 

The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife

The Fake Saintess Awaits Her Exit 

The Terminally Ill Villainess Refuses Adoption 

Wicked No More 

I Became the Young Villain’s Sister-In-Law 

I Became the Villain's Mother 

I Became the Mother of the Evil Male Lead 

The Sea Captain's Bride 

Living as the Villain’s Stepmother 

The Rewards of Marriage

Flirting with The Villain's Dad

Childcare Diary With the Villain 

I Became The Stepmother Of An Irrevocable Dark Family

Beloved by the Male Lead's Nephew

I Ended Up Raising the Children of the Female Lead and Male Lead 

I've Become a True Villainess 

I Didn't Mean to Seduce the Male Lead!

Becoming the Obsessive Male Lead's Ex-Wife

My Personal Favorite Transmigration Stories:

Kill The Villainess

Charming the Duke of the North

The Strong Empress:

Remarried Empress 

I Abdicate My Title of Empress

FL as Knights:

The Age Of Arrogance 

The Night Without Shadows 

Runaway mothers:

How to Hide the Emperor's Child

The Vanished Duchess

Smutty or Spicy Goods:

Please Kill My Husband

Winter Wolf

Beast’s Flower 

Tempting My Salvation 

The Bondservant

Toxic MLs:

My Husband Who Hates Me Has Lost His Memories

Bitten By The Dog I Abandoned

The Mistress Runs Away 

The Problematic Prince 

Others:

I Belong to House Castielo

Obsidian Bride

It Was All a Mistake

My Secretly Hot Husband 

Taming the Marquess 

Royal Marriage

Lady Evony

A Royal Princess with Black Hair

When You're in Love

Raising My Fiancé with Money

Catherine's Key to a Happy Life 

Lips Upon a Sword's Edge 

Little Rabbit and the Big Bad Leopard

I Stan the Prince

Becoming the Lady of the Cursed Ducal House

Betrayal of Dignity 

My Beloved Oppressor 

Your Eternal Lies

What It Means To Be You

Lies Become You

The Psycho Duke and I 

From BFF to Obsessive Hubby

I Listened to My Husband and Brought In a Lover

My Husband Changes Every Night

The Elegant Sea of Savagery

My Unexpected Marriage 

Seducing the Monster Duke

The Duke's Cursed Charm

Here Comes the Silver Spoon! 

I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

Married to a Duke Called Beast

I Don't Love You Anymore

Disobey The Duke If You Dare

When Fate Finds Us 

Like A Wind On A Dry Branch 

The Price of a Broken Engagement

My Three Tyrant Brothers

Searching for My Father 

A Tipsy Marriage Proposal for the Emperor

The Villainess Empress's Attendant 

Trash Will Always Be Trash

The Last Straw

Carnephelia's Curse is Never Ending

To My Husband's Mistress 

Go Away, Romeo 

Ones that came out this 2024, but I haven't check them out yet (but I will do it very soon...):

A Beast Swallowed by a Flower

Traces of the Moon

I Was Tricked Into a Fraudulent Marriage by the Obsessive Villain

An Unexpected Proposal

No, I Only Seduced the Princess?

Until The Real One Shows Up

I’m Unmarried With a Time-Limited Lover

The Youngest is Trying to Prevent the End of the World

Reasons for Avoiding the Perfect Guy

Confined Together with the Horror Game’s Male Lead

I Became The Tutor of The Royal Twins

Till Divorce Do Us Apart

I Thought You Were A Time-Limited Husband

Now Come and Regret

The Villainess Captured the Grand Duke

Corrupting the Heroine’s First Love

[bengiyo]

Ben’s Big BL Blurb 7: BL Is Over Its Piners

It’s been quite a while since I wrote one of these. I’ve been watching a lot less, but I wanted to jump back in and meditate on the state of pining in BL, and also comment on how things haven’t felt this sparse in BL since maybe 2019 for me. 

I’ve noticed in some of the shows I’ll discuss below that piners are no longer universally lauded for the purity or sanctity of their one-sided crushes or obsessions, and instead have been confronted or challenged by the narrative. This is a fascinating (and honestly necessarily) evolution for the genre. Let’s get into it, in no particular order…starting with the worst.

Something’s Not Right is Appropriately Named

Adapted from the same source material as Blueming (2022), this show follows stressed piner Do Ba Woo and his crush on his childhood friend Ji Hoon. Ba Woo is at his wit’s end with the vivacious Ji Hoon and wants to end their friendship. Ji Hoon, responding as any man would to their best friend suddenly wanting to sever ties, ignores this and wonders what might be wrong. 

Meanwhile, interloper Jung Ha Min discovers Ba Woo’s diary and misunderstands it as a novel. He pesters Ba Woo into finishing the novel so he can use it for a webtoon, and encourages Ba Woo to ask Ji Hoon out for a week. When Ji Hoon surprisingly agrees, Ba Woo goes on to torment this confused man for a week with hot and cold behavior, rejecting Ji Hoon’s own confessions, and facing no realization about his own role in his misery before the story retcons the drama by saying Ji Hoon was withholding his own feelings the whole time.

Final Verdict: 4, Not Recommended. Friends, this show is a mess that also apparently erased its original supporting cast (@lurkingshan and @ahxiang). It fails to understand that Ba Woo is the problem here in that he’s constantly confusing Ji Hoon and treating him cruelly. It fails as a romance for me because I didn’t even want the guys to be friends by the end, and spent most of the show baffled by the apparent determination to make Ba Woo vibe with Ha Min. I also deeply-resent the show retconning Ji Hoon in the final episode by having him have also been nursing an older crush. At no point does Ba Woo grow from any of the events he’s encountered to reckon with the fact that he’s the one causing all of their problems. This was an unusually frustrating viewing experience that I do not recommend. 

While I do think this show wanted to tackle the intensity of unrequited feelings, I don’t think it did right by Ji Hoon at all. This show completely misses the mark on saying or doing anything interesting with one-sided pining and its impacts on both and related parties. Ba Woo was a rude, misanthropic friend, and this show was more concerned with Jung Ha Min developing his own unrequited crush than the believability of the romantic connection between its leads. ONE CHOP.

Business as Usual Should Have Remembered that Our Dating Sim Exists

I’ve been thinking about how elegantly Our Dating Sim incorporated the game development work into the second chance romance after finishing Business as Usual. Business worsens the conflict by having the guys be actively dating and FUCKING as our mad piner, Kim Min Joon, severs ties with Jin Hwan over a misunderstanding. Min Joon essentially stagnates for  eight years before Jin Hwan joins the same company. Jin Hwan is clearly still interested in Min Joon, and we eventually learn that Min Joon badly misunderstood a call he overheard and ghosted his boyfriend for no valid reason. 

My primary difficulty with this show is that it doesn’t want to spend time on the work Min Joon needs to do to earn its wedding epilogue. We recently finished the Theory of Love Romcom Rewatch, and this is something I’ve been thinking about a lot in the wake of dealing with Third again (probably helped by the uncanny resemblance between Chae Jong Hyeok and Gun Atthaphan). Compare this to Our Dating Sim, in which Lee Wan came face-to-face with the separation anxiety Shin Ki Tae developed after being ghosted, Min Joon mostly faces one tough conversation with a mutual friend that inspires Min Joon to do a dramatic run to the airport to say that, despite their differences, he wants to commit. I didn’t buy it.

Final Verdict: 5, Rewatch Our Dating Sim instead. I will grant this show that it did seem to understand that Min Joon was the major problem here, but it doesn’t know what he needs to do to make things right between them. I also want to give this show credit for letting the men have sex even though they hadn’t solved all of the problems between them. However, they failed to use their dating advice book conceit to help with the arc of the relationship at all, nor did they address the way Min Joon’s avoidant behavior led to him also being a bad supervisor. I generally struggle with second chance romances like this where the wrong party doesn’t go on a growth arc and face the reality that they hurt the person they loved. TWO CHOPS.

Gelboys Finally Gave Me Another Thai BL Built Around Internal Drama

I’ve been sitting on what I want to say about Gelboys for quite a while now due to my frustrations with the fast happy ending for both couples. While I don’t think that was wholly earned, I do want to praise this show for making the boys’ affection/obsession with each other the primary source of drama and driver of the narrative. Too often, I find that Thai BL relies on external sources of tension or romantic obstacles rather than face the fundamental personality issues that make the relationship difficult or impossible. 

In Gelboys, we have a quartet of boys who like someone in the group in a way that the other can’t or refuses to reciprocate. Fou4Mod wants someone (notably Chian) to choose him fully. Chian wants to be with Bua, and wants to use Fou4Mod to make Bua jealous. Baabin wants to be with Fou4Mod, but won’t confess. Bua eventually wants to be with Baabin, but Baabin won’t let go of his crush on Fou4Mod. They all end up making each other miserable. 

Friends, the misery of this show was delectable in a way that felt fresh after this creative team’s last major BL outing of I Told Sunset About You. It was interesting to see them completely avoid the conversation around sexuality in this show in favor of a focus on trains and youth freedom to play at malls to focus on how young people use internet tools to torment themselves and each other. I remember vividly the social moors of the MySpace top 8 friends feature, and I was obsessed with the way the kids used the Close Friends feature of Instagram to carefully show off information to their crushes. I was also deeply mortified by Chian asking ChatGPT for relationship advice, and Fou4Mod using a generative AI to make a fake makeout video. The digital landscape is dark!

On the pining front, each of these boys is such an asshole about the boy they’re pining over. Chian wants Bua, and is cruel to Fou4Mod for it. Baabin essentially ends his own friendship with Fou4Mod rather than confess properly. Bua finally pursued Baabin properly, and is the only one to properly apologize for the pain he inflicted on another over the course of this. This show was plain about how withholding feelings and using people’s feelings against them led to such cruel outcomes. Unfortunately, it rushed a happy ending that soured my taste at the end. 

Final Verdict: 9, Highly Recommended. This show is for those people who want to see what youth urban romance feels like in the modern era. There are so many ideas about how consumption plays into dating and flirting, particularly around the way the boys chose to have their nails painted (or not painted). It was really something special to have a show where what the characters wanted was the source of all of their issues, rather than an interloper inflicting contrived drama on the pair. In a year where I can’t seem to finish a Thai BL, this is a bright spot. 

Heesu in Class 2 Understood Unrequited Love

Heesu in Class 2 explores the impacts of two queer boys having unrequited crushes, and why these boys have avoided confessing. Of all the shows about boys I watched in recent months, this one felt the most queer to me. This was such a visceral experience for many readers who were able to appreciate the role of Heesu’s sisters (@soypim), the way admissions like Heesu’s will forever change your dynamic (@nabi-unveiled), the ways this show grappled with one-sided love (@wanderlust-in-my-soul), and how shows like this remind us why we seek out queer media (@watchingblsnowandforever).

While we had disagreement about whether this show’s divergence from the source material was worthy, I still think we got a great drama out of this AND I think viewers who want to see Heesu and Seungwon’s dating era should read the webtoon; I don’t think it’s a one or the other situation here. The webtoon is well-intentioned, and I think it’s a worthwhile read for people curious about how a simple narrative can be expanded into a full drama.

Final Verdict: 10, Don’t Miss This One. More than anything, I want to praise everyone involved with making this show. I loved the way they navigated turning this webtoon into a gay kdrama, and I hope the delays in releasing this don’t spell an end for this type of approach from Korea. I especially want to praise Ahn Ji Ho for his stellar performance as Hee Su. I loved this show immensely, and it’s currently my favorite of the year. This show is going to feel different from what romance viewers of BL content are used to, but it’s a really special show that tells you what it’s about and then delivers on it.

Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2

I am so glad we were able to return to these two after so many years. I’ve been struggling with the global state of GL, and this is the only bright spot I had this year. I loved seeing these two try again after their breakup. Yi Ming was able to divorce her husband, but she’s still working through so much to figure out if she can have a proper relationship with Ting Ting. I also loved the way this show used its second lead as a way to further Ting Ting’s steadfast devotion to her relationship while still respecting the feelings of a friend. Some of the boys above could have used that lesson. 

Final Verdict: 9, Highly Recommended. Seriously, just go watch it. We don’t get enough good lesbian shows, and this one cares a lot about lesbian realities while still managing to be kind to the characters and the viewers. 

Fellow Travelers Has Me Back in America (6/8)

I wasn’t kidding after Heesu when I said it might be time for me to stop identifying so much with BL and return to my roots. This show follows the lives of four queer characters and their families starting in the McCarthy era of government employment into the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. It explores the validity of queer love and the difficult realities about pursuing them across more than 30 years. Anchored by absolutely stellar performances from the entire cast, it is my biggest queer obsession right now. 

I originally avoided Fellow Travelers because it was a Showtime exclusive and, while I love Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey, I wasn’t in the mood for white gays surviving the McCarthy era. Unfortunately for this show, the fans making fan content about this show failed to highlight that there’s an interesting Black couple in this show that are also exploring issues around race and gender in queer relationships. I also didn’t know that the series takes place in the 1980s as well.

What I have found so compelling about this show is how much information we have about where everyone is. We know who is alive in the AIDS crisis of the 80s. We know who chooses to marry into heteronormativity and who doesn’t. We learn who knows about who. This makes our time in the past far more compelling because now you’re paying attention to how people end up where they are not if they’ll even survive. I just finished an episode involving the son of a gay man and I am compelled to continue.

2 Husbands 1 Wife is Actually a Poly Show (5/10)

Featuring Asaka Kodai of Cherry Magic’s Tsuge, this show explores an attempt at a three-person marriage involving Yanaguchi Mia, Satomura Shinpei, and Mitsuda Takuzo. Mia, an office worker, wants to marry Shinpei, a dancer. However, Shinpei doesn’t think the two of them are big enough adults to make a marriage work, and so he proposes adding a third person to help them. After attending the funeral for Takuzo’s (and at one time Mia’s) rabbit, Shinpei proposes they approach Takuzo (who is Mia’s ex) to be part of their trio. Initially hesitant, the three are going closer during their trial period. 

What’s so compelling for me about this one is how seriously the show is taking the potential around sex, public appearances, affection and jealousy within the trio, and family management. As of episode 5 and the preview for 6, we’re even exploring Mia having to reckon with the fact that the two husbands will inevitably have a relationship with each other as well, following the fact that Shinpei was clear to Takuzo that they will be husbands as far as he’s concerned. This show has managed to accomplish so much in its 20-minute episodes, and I find myself eager to watch it on Thursday evenings on my nicest TV.

Top Form is as Sappy as Its Source Material (8/11)

I haven’t written about this one, mostly because I remember watching Dakaiichi years ago. While I have my own qualms about the changes the Thai show has made, especially when it comes to the timeline, I honestly think I’m just not enjoying the sappiness of the project this time around. That is not the fault of this show, which is actually accurately capturing how sappy Dakaiichi was. I was also turned off by their decision to basically adapt the assault storyline exactly as the original. Mostly, I’ve struggled with the sex for love politics of the Thai version in a way that I think has weakened the original Japanese narrative. It’s a personal issue I’m having, and I think if you’re curious about the show, you should check it out.

Dropped Shows

Look, I just can’t do it anymore. If the show doesn’t hit, I’m letting it go. GMMTV is the biggest loser here. Since the last blurb I’ve dropped:

My Golden Blood (1/12) - It’s not sexy enough, and the chemistry is deeply lacking.

Ossan’s Love Thailand (8/12) - It started to offend me, so I dropped it.

Break Up Service (3/12) - Off is good. The show is not.

Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist (1/12) - How could they do this to Mark Pakin?

The Bangkok Boy (1/12) - I want an action BL. This isn’t hitting.

The Boy Next World (9/10) - Things went stupid, so it got dropped.

Boys In Love (1/12) - This kind of saccharine isn’t hitting for me right now.

The Age of Pining is Over. Now is the Time For Earnestness

The biggest thing I’m thinking about right now is how many shows engaged with the negative side of unrequited pining this year. As a Known Piner, I am all for this. All piners must understand that they must face the mortifying ordeal of being known if they want to experience the benefits of being loved. It’s also important that we grapple with how withholding our feelings from the people we love leads to confusion, resentment, and possessiveness. I’m thankful that in Heesu in Class 2 we got to see all the contexts of why queer people would withhold those feelings and how it hurts everyone, and I’m glad Gelboys was willing to be so visceral about the ways young people love and hurt each other in the digital age. I’m curious what comes out of the other side of this if we start to see something more earnest. Perhaps we’ll get something as heartfelt and beautiful as When Life Gives You Tangerines.

But also...seriously...where is Japan? It hasn't felt this dire in almost 6 years.

[grishaxverse]

marry my husband japan is exactly why I say STICK TO THE BLOODY SOURCE FOR ADAPTATIONS

eventhough it’s only 10 episodes the show has gotten everything right - the characters, the costumes, the makeup and hairstyles - EVERYTHING! the actors bring so much to the screen that I’m more invested than I was in the korean version

no hate to the korean adaptation (obviously) but some things don’t need to be so exaggerated. though the japanese version has some changes it’s following the webtoon exactly and THATS why it’s the better adaptation

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

Watching Misa eat ramen so passionately that a customer asked if she just got out of jail brought me so much joy

[nabi-unveiled]

2025 BL/QL Recs (Jan - July)

Tagged by: @hughungrybear @homegirlisgayandtired @dramalove247 @watchthisqqq Thank you so much 🫶.

When I first got tagged by @hughungrybear and saw their list here, my thoughts were .... it's time to copy/paste 😅. Because all of their favorites are ones I thoroughly enjoyed. And then I saw other peoples' lists and...yeah, I agree with those too.

There have been definite misses this year. I have (mostly privately) raged over writing and wasted potential. I have white-knuckled while hitting play on so many finale episodes. I have thrown things over a consensual kiss. I hated a plushie. I didn't even know that last one was possible for me prior to this year.

But the things that have hit...hit for a lot of us. There's a lot of overlap in peoples' lists. In the end, I decided to just have fun.

A few notes:

I removed ALL of the ones I watched this year that weren't from 2025 (so LFLS, Let Free the Curse, Light on Me, I Feel You Linger, Cooking Crush, etc.) or ones that started prior to 2025 (THK).

I AM interpreting this prompt as shows that bring me joy and that I'm glad I have in my life. I'm not looking for technical masterpieces here. That list would be very short, and it would remove most of the ones that had a death grip on my heart or brain.

So come watch this show with me if....

You want to listen to me talk non-stop about how everything has layers and multiple meanings. You have been warned. Block out at least a week.

When It Rains, It Pours

Revenged Love

I'm not joking about talking about these (in filtered code) with anyone and everyone. Even my homophobic father has seen the behind the scenes clip of the snake wrapped around Wu Suowei. I might've taken perverse pleasure in that "hey look at this" since he's terrified of snakes. My pettiness increases with age.

You want to see me melt into a puddle of goo....over bookcases.

Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island

Ballboy Tactics

These shows made me have warm and fuzzies anyways, but they went that extra step and pinned each other to a bookcase 🥰.

You want to watch me go slack jawed repeating "pretty...so pretty" like someone possessed.

Realistically, this could be almost all of these shows. For example, SHOTLI has gorgeous scenery. Many shows have moments that my brain short circuits. But...

Reset

Look, I know this show has plot and symbolism. But this is the live cam of me watching this show:

Don't ask me anything of consequence about this show. I'm just going to say "pretty...so pretty". And maybe squeal over Janine saying "Take Me". It's risky posting this now since the finale comes out later today, but whatever happens can't change the amount of pretty.

You want to laugh while I lose my mind over Little Prince references

Moon and Dust

I'm not talking about recognizing this...

That's child's play. I'm talking about recognizing this...

So. many. references. I heavily fixated on this show. But I was mega stressed that my imp might die so I didn't post a lot about it. Good news? He didn't die. Bad news? He's currently banished from his home planet and separated from his rose. This is not a happy ending, and it's been pulled currently anyways 😭. But I still think on it WAY TOO MUCH. I need to finish up the post that dives into all of the references. It's buried somewhere in my drafts. 😅I love my imp.

You want to relish in a "good" polycule

Whether they're of the "let's pretend poly could save them" (Secret Relationships)

"Holy crap, we might have a canon toxic polycule?" (Revenged Love)

Or "Wait, this is an actual, functioning and healthy throuple?" variety (Two Husbands, One Wife). I love them all.

In all seriousness, I highly recommend the last one. It's an easy binge.

You take perverse pleasure in watching other people sob uncontrollably. No, I am not a pretty crier.

Heesu in Class 2

Top Form

The experiments that came out of Top Form were fun, but yeah...way too many tears came with these shows. I almost didn't include them for that reason, but they tell me misery loves company.

You want to indulge me by watching a fic with visuals.

My Stubborn

This show has the bonus of two narratively relevant and symbolic plushies. The plushie wars have been fierce this year though, and I'm not ready to decide "best of the plushies" yet.

Desire

Obviously, this show is ongoing and could end up terrible. Doesn't change the fact that I have bonafide omegaverse on my screen.

You support your mutual even when they can't explain why they love a show.

Ok. I could explain it, but you might not agree.

Business as Usual

FC Soldout

They still bring me immense joy. Warm and fuzzies all over just looking at these gifs.

This is getting long (no surprises there) so I'll cut it off here. We'll save the rest for end of year posts.

No pressure tagging: @soypim @obsessedferalgremlin @babyangelsky @delesaria-blog and anyone who wants to do it.

[kawasiki-jo]

New Pit Crew just dropped ☄️🤗💛✨

Don't ask me why they don't look like Benz and Garfield, I tried my best. It wasn't enough.

Also someone make a fic before I do. 😂

The uncensored version will be posted in my CF.

[25shadesoffebruary]

Can I ask you something? Why do you hate me? Because you're selfish. You don't trust anyone do you? That's because your not trustworthy.

[btsicedtea]

Jiwon's dad is the GOAT. Imagine reviving a whole ass guy just to ensure your daughter (who was also revived btw) has a chance at fixing a shit life and finding someone who's actually right for her. No words im speechless

[absolutebl]

(Asking for recs bc you're the only one who gives me exactly what I want)

I don't know if what im looking for even exists, but I'm gonna try asking anyway. I'm looking for something that gives me the vibes of Beyond Evil, but outwardly queer (implied is fine too, ig), or Hannibal, The Devil Judge, High-school frenemy etc. Basically morally grey/unhinged freaks who would die/kill for each other. And I know you don't watch censored Chinese shows but I absolutely adore Word of Honor, The Untamed and Justice in the Dark. All of them involve someone who believes they cannot be redeemed being loved.

I've watched Triage and 4 minutes and I liked those too bc it's very plot heavy and the romance sorta happens as part of the plot. I do not like MAME, or anything adjacent.

Again idek if this ask is even possible. And I apologise for being all over the place. Save me, absolutebl, save me.

Hum, morality chain characters I think is what you're after. Or even murder husbands.

So have you tried SCI Mysteries AKA S.C.I (2018)?

Old guard partly Hong Kong produced censored Chinese BL. They pretend they're something else but they married. Back in the day I found it on YouTube but not sure who officially hosts it now. I would call it Beyond Evil x Trapped + police procedural.

Have you considered Addicted? Odd choice but I suspect it might work for you. Or Where Your Eyes Linger, if you're okay with high school characters.

And there is Long Time No See of course. You should watch that immediately if you haven't already.

Finally, there is Guardian (2018) to consider.

It's an odd creature with extremely chewy world building, but it is very much in the vein of the stuff you like. Not exactly those tropes though. It's so hard to describe. Be warned, you looking at 40 eps of 45 min each. (I think it still holds the crown as longest BL.) It is a BL, just very censored. Still if you want to be distracted for a very long time this might be what you're looking for.

Other's I can think of off the top of my head:

Laws of Attraction* (have you seen this? It certainly has some characters with that perfect unhinged quality to them)

Manner of Death

Lovely Writer (maybe a little)

KinnPorsche maybe?

The Eclipse

3 Will Be Free

Big Dragon

Not Me

The Heart Killers

My Stand-In

The Thai ones simply have less of an edge to them. They will go sappy and only 1/2 of the couple is morally grey but they're there if your desperate.

HIStory Obsessed

HIStory 3: Trapped

HIStory 4: Close to You has a crazy side couple with this dynamic.

Kiseki: Dear to Me (definitely the sides)

I have a sinking suspicion I'm missing something from Taiwan. These also will have less edge.

Tien Bromance from Vietnam has some of this quality to it but it's quite raw.

Some cray cray from Japan:

Happy of the End

Double Mints (if you wanna go unhinged and dark just go there?)

Same Difference AKA Docchi Mo Docchi (the office version) and then there is Beloved Enemy from China, an even more messy office version, and China's Capture Lover which is a nicer version.

Dangerous Drugs of Sex AKA Sei no Gekiyaku (the ultra kinky version)

Dominant Yakuza and Wimpy Corporate Slave AKA Ore-sama Yakuza to Hetare Shachiku: Kuni wo Koeta Jingi Naki Dekiai (it's short tho)

But those are all, ya know, Japan being all Japanish about it. Gotta like their style which is very different from the Korean and Chinese stuff you seem to like best.

Okay hopefully something works? Let me know, okay? I'm curious to see if I was right on anything.