The Devil Judge shoved a middle finger right into the face of heteronormativity – a middle finger with a diamond ring on it, mind you – and it did so with a devilish smirk and a wink. Sexy, twisty, and unapologetically gay, it told one hell of a story, with one hell of a passionate, epic queer romance at its center.

Aside from the inspirations that scriptwriter Moon Yoo Seok mentioned, such as Beauty and the Beast, Jane Eyre, and a Swedish queercoded movie, this series has also drawn on, or evoked, Batman, Lucifer, Goethe's Faust, which is known for its homosexual subtext, the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, Sherlock Holmes, and even Romeo and Juliet. This seemingly outrageous blend of different influences worked spectacularly well, delivering a mind-blowing tale that will keep you on the edge of your sit from start to finish. Love triangles, seduction, obsession, jealousy, sexual tension – they all join forces to serve a romance so deliciously addictive.

But how is this a queer love story if Yo Han and Ga On neither kiss not profess their love for each other? The answer to this question depends on your definition of love. If you prefer to be told, not shown, that two people are in love, then kisses, dates, and confessions are what you need, and you will not find them here. However, if you, like me, want to see and feel with your whole being that two characters have fallen deeply for each other, if love to you means to protect, to sacrifice, and to desire, if you believe that it heals and transforms, then Yo Han and Ga On's story will captivate you, shake you, break you, and then uplift you. It is to South Korea what The Untamed and Word of Honor are to China. It is extraordinary, bold, and beautiful.

The Devil Judge, Kang Yo Han, is the heart of this series. Ji Sung has done a magnificent job portraying his complex character, who will keep you craving for more. What impressed me even more than Yo Han, though, is the fact that the rest of the characters were a match for him. Not one of them was flat or boring. Although they did things that were evil, annoyingly stupid, or reckless, I understood their motivations and objectives. From Ga On, to Sun Ah, to Elijah, to everyone else, the characters are masterfully drawn and brilliantly played by the actors. Ji Sung and Park Jinyoung's chemistry is through the roof. Kudos to the production team and the cast.

My only complaint is that the script introduced a heteronormative romance into the story out of nowhere. You cannot make Yo Han and Ga On so obviously gay and their relationship so obviously more than just a bromance – I have seen enough bromances to know the difference – and expect the viewers to buy your heterosexual romance. If the production team did it to disguise the clear homosexual subtext, they should know that it did not work: by forcing Ga On and Soo Hyun out of their friendship and into a romantic relationship that had no chemistry, they only underscored the fact that this story is queer.

Overall, do not be discouraged by the heavy topics that this series deals with. It is more than worthy of your attention. The last two episodes are brilliant and more than compensate for the underwhelming episodes thirteen and fourteen. Please, Mr. Moon Yoo Seok, give us a second season. I would watch Yo Han and Ga On be gay and solve/do crime for as many seasons as possible.