Thanks for that translator's note, I love reading things like that. I still do want to read the novel one day, but it probably won't be soon. I don't have time to watch anything I want right now, I definitely don't have time and energy to read a book as serious as that one. Maybe it will be even better to read it later when I have more distance from the drama.

So I wonder how much the thing with the drama (and the novel) is that they're more real than we expect from our fiction... and therefore not as emotionally popcorny, if you know what I mean?

That's part of it, at least for me. Right now I definitely prefer to watch lighter stuff, or heavy stuff that is not as realistic. And ok, I didn't expect Love in the Big City to be like all those BL dramas I usually watch. I knew it was... for the lack of better word, more realistic drama. I think I just didn't expect this kind of mundane every day realism about life and relationships and loneliness. And because of personal reasons it was very hard for me to watch the subplot with Go Yeong's mother.

But I am glad I watched it (well, almost watched it, I still have the last episode to watch :)). And I'm very curious if it will influence portrayals of queer people in other Korean dramas in some way.