I've watched this show like 5 times now..... So let's talk about it. The first time I finished this, I was super confused because I found it funny, but was also like this feels like queerbaiting, but they actually have gay characters in it??? So let's break it down.

So the POSTER is v romantic, however it's still implied to not be romantic. How so? We got the shojou-y flowers surrounding their faces in the poster. And yet, the two are separated from each other facing the audience. So the poster is both kinda implying romance, but also implying not-romance. I think that's an excellent way to express the show.

The GAY JOKES: This whole show's humor and drama is based on misunderstandings and assumptions. The thing that confused me the most was "the jokes are about being gay, but are they being bad about it?" So here's my take. I think I was on the defensive when I first watched this because I expected the jokes to be making fun of gay people because I grew up in a time where being gay WAS the joke. But the jokes/drama are actually misunderstandings-based with gayness being the vehicle of the misunderstandings (instead of the gay people being ridiculed through jokes). Okay okay so far so good.

Another positive point? First episode they got some "it's okay to be gay" dialogue, and it's actually sprinkled in throughout the show. +1 for good intentions.

Okay but is it still QUEERBAITING? Yeah. -1
Queerbaiting breakdown: The chemistry. Okay so some of it is obviously not actually queerbaiting despite the homoeroticism. Why? Because it's actually just a joke set up with the reveal of a misunderstanding being the part that makes you laugh. We aren't actually supposed to think they're gay, and the beginning of each episode is supposed to make you feel like "WAIT I KNOW THIS ISN'T GAY SO WHY DOES IT LOOK SO GAY?" However there is still queerbaiting! What does it look like? So early on we got some moments where there are literal sparks between the two. We got your typical kdrama "oh it's hot in here" when they're blushing so that's hella queerbaity. There's some moments of chemistry in other places as well, and an entire song dedicated to how much they miss each other. By the end of the show I was torn because I was like, if there's a season 2 I can't tell if I want GyuTae to end up with Mina or Sung JiJae. Ah the bisexual conflict T_T

Moving on to the GAY REPRESENTATION. So this show actually has a gay couple in it! (Can you have queerbaiting and also have gay representation? *cough cough Teen Wolf cough cough*) The coming out and gay relationship is actually kinda precious. The gay couple become really confident in themselves. +1!!! However.... When Gyu Tae is like "oh shit (gay guy's ex-girlfriend) Mina is upset because this man broke up with her and immediately got into another relationship!" so he wants the gay couple to be on the down-low so Mina won't feel sad. Good intentions right? Except he goes about it in a cringe way. He's telling them that they should keep their relationship on the down-low because they're gay. -1 points. He does later say "if you found someone you like then that's worth celebrating" so .... +1??? See this is why I get confused.

OVERALL: This show feels like its written with good intentions, but it didn't always go about it the best way possible. Whether or not this show is right for YOU as a queer person, I can't say. For me? I like it honestly. I think it's a funny show. I think they could do better with the gay rep, and Mina especially kinda felt homophobic. Not like "i hate gays" homophobic but like "uhhhuhuhuhuhh I think I'm tolerant of gays but actually I feel weird about it" kinda homophobia. -1 Because of this, I can't rate it higher than an eight. So in that way, I want the show to be better and I want to see shows be better about it in the future. But like yeah, as the show is right now, I'm not gonna lie. I think it's funny. Could be better, and I feel kinda weird when I watch the more cringey stuff, but it's a short series that gets me to laugh. An easy rewatch for me. Hmmm. I'll call it dark chocolate. It's sweet, I like to eat it sometimes, but it does have a bitter flavor to it.

Also I love Choi Woo Shik. He's just so extra in this role. :)