Finally! Another good BL coming out of Korea. This series was super sweet and left me feeling so happy and nostalgic. For this review I will be using the online screen names of the main characters since that is what they were going by in the show.
Lee Wan and Shin Ki Tae are best friends. At school, they are almost inseparable and are always to be found hanging out together outside the classroom. Lee Wan is also attracted to Shin Ki Tae, and wants to start a romantic relationship with him. One day, Lee Wan confesses his feelings to his friend, who is stunned by this. The duo parts on unhappy terms.
Now, seven years later, the two young men are trying to navigate the job market – with varying degrees of success. Shin Ki Tae has become a middle manager at a team leader at a startup gaming company. He has built up a reputation as a programming ace. Lee Wan, meanwhile, has become a keen illustrator. When Shin Ki Tae’s company posts a job ad for an illustrator for a new dating-themed game, Lee Wan comes to the interview. Could romance spark for these two the second time around?
-Viki summary
Story & Characters
Eddy (Shin Ki Tae) and Ian (Lee Wan) are our main characters who have reunited again after 7 years since they graduated high school. The show follows them as they come to be honest about the feelings they have for each other and have had for each other since high school.
In high school, on their last day of school together, Ian confesses to Eddy that he has romantic feelings for him. But Eddy was confused about this. Ian simply said, “I like you”, and Eddy laughs and says he likes him too. He was confused because they were already friends and he thought that Ian was talking about platonic feelings since Ian has always been so introverted and closed off. But Ian basically tells him, “not like that,” and then suddenly tries to kiss him. This completely startles and surprises Eddy and he stumbles backwards. And I mean…I would too because why would you try and kiss someone out of the blue! Like, give them time to process what you just told them and understand what you really meant lol. But Ian mistakes his surprise for rejection and immediately runs away.
Eddy tries to search for him and call him but Ian has truly disappeared. And that was the last time he spoke to or saw his close friend again until they meet again 7 years later. Initially, Eddy gives Ian a hard time, but he eventually comes around and they get the chance to start over. Ian also eventually explains why he disappeared, but not before they go through a few more tribulations together.
I liked both main characters even though Eddy rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning. But as the story progressed, I understand why he was acting the way he was. Initially, we as the viewer only see the story from Ian’s perspective and don’t get Eddy’s perspective until later. That’s when we find out that Eddy’s surprise was not actually a rejection and that he also liked Ian in return.
I think both main actors did a great job at portraying their characters and getting their emotions across. Ian is the quiet, introverted one while Eddy is the extroverted one, who is also super emotional! Lol. He wears all his emotions on his sleeve and he’s not afraid to show them however they come to him. His worry, his jealousy, his fear, when he wants to cry, when he wants to cuddle, when he wants some smooches or alone time with his man, and even when he was pouting. He was completely an open book and I really liked that about his character. I never felt like the actor was overdoing it. I also think that these two actors did a good job at showcasing repressed romantic tension. I was not expecting to feel it as much as I did in the beginning of this series.
Something that I really liked and thought was creative was in between the episodes, the scenes being shown were as if the screen was a video game (since this series took place at a video game company). I like how the screen would ask a question, give the viewer options to choose, and then continue the “game”. Of course, we as the viewer can’t actually choose anything, but the concept was really cute and creative.
Location/Scenery
The locations in this series were nothing special but every location was very fitting. Nothing felt out of place or unnecessary and there were enough extras in the background to not make the series feel empty and as if other people didn’t exist in this world.
Music
I really enjoyed the music in this series. I could see myself listening to the songs in my own time if I heard them on the radio or had them on a playlist.
Overall
This series was a pleasant surprise for me. I was careful not to get my hopes up because the Korean BL I’ve been finding has just…not been hittin. But Our Dating Sim was a good one and it made me happy. I really liked the ending too. Not only did we get a happy ending with our couple, but the very ending was a video game simulation that basically made it seem like the story of our main characters had been rewritten. In this new ending, both Eddy and Ian confessed to each other in high school and accepted each other right away. It was a cute little scene that really reminded me of my own senior year of high school, which is why I said this show feels nostalgic. The purity of first love and first kisses are memories that never go away, and I think that this series did a good job at showcasing that.
I highly recommend giving this series a try if you are looking for a sweet series to watch with a good story, great acting, and all the fluffy feels!
