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I’m so busy in September, that I don’t really have much time for fandom stuff. I was planning to sign up for Trick or Treat, but in the end decided not to, since I probably will be busy in October, too. Maybe I’ll write a treat or two if I have time. And I still haven’t sorted out my Yuletide nominations yet.
I do have time for watching dramas in the evenings to help me unwind, though. And I loved one of those dramas so much that I have to tell you all about it, and somehow I wrote 1200 words to do it. 😊
It’s called The Time of Fever, and it is the prequel to Korean BL drama Unintentional Love Story. It’s about the secondary couple from ULS Dong Hee and Ho Tae. It was released at first only in Korea as a movie in theaters, and now they released it as a drama with six 20-minutes-long episodes. Both dramas are available on iQIYI, but unfortunately not in all the countries.
I loved The Time of Fever so, so much. I loved it much more than its parent story. I mean, I did like ULS when I watched it a few months ago. It’s a pretty well written and well-acted drama with two good couples. And yes, I liked the main pairing, too. Of course I did – it’s an age gap grumpy one/sunshine one pairing, I tend to love those. But yeah, like many people, I loved the secondary pairing in ULS more, even though this trope isn’t really my favorite usually. It’s childhood friends-to-lovers pairing with a lot of repressed feelings and complicated emotions, and a bit of miscommunication, which I usually don’t have a lot of patience for. And I was a little bit frustrated by that in The Time of Fever, too, but everything else worked so well for me because of very good writing and two excellent actors with fantastic chemistry, that I was willing to overlook this tiny little bit of annoyance.
I especially love Won Tae Min as Go Ho Tae. I knew him before from the BL drama You Make Me Dance, which I enjoyed a lot, too. He was great there, and he’s great in ULS, and absolutely amazing in The Time of Fever.
The Time of Fever is achingly beautiful, sensuous, filled with love, longing and desire, and gazes that show so many hidden feelings. And it has two wonderful, hot kisses. Seriously, it’s a Kdrama, so I didn’t expect kisses at all, and certainly not for them to be this scorchingly hot. The proof is behind the cut in the form of four gifs.
I think that if someone hasn’t seen Unintentional Love Story yet, then it might be better for them to watch The Time of Fever first. Because then you can instantly watch the follow up and see what happened later with them in the second drama. Just bear in mind that Dong Hee and Ho Tae are the main characters here and the secondary characters in ULS, and their relationship doesn’t get much focus in ULS.
But The Time of Fever shows so beautifully and perfectly the build of sexual tension, how much they both love and want each other, and you get why they both react the way they react to that love and desire. Dong Hee withdrawing and repressing (like I understood it - he was kicked out of his home by his abusive father, and it’s implied that it was because of his sexuality). And Ho Tae being blunt and direct about what he wants physically (touching and kissing), but clearly not really understanding his feelings, and passively agreeing to propositions of dating from various girls, because I guess he feels this is what guys do – date girls, and not their male best friends. So he says ‘yes’ to every girl who asks, and then they all break up with him, because he prioritizes Dong Hee over them, and drops whatever plans he had with them to chase after Dong Hee. But Dong Hee of course can’t help but feel abandoned when he sees Ho Tae agreeing to date yet another girl.
But Dong Hee also can’t make the first move and admit his feelings openly, because he believes (for a very long time, because he still believes this in ULS) that being in relationship with Ho Tae would be harming Ho Tae and Ho Tae’s mother, too. He says a few times that if he admitted his feelings for Ho Tae, he wouldn’t be able to look Ho Tae’s mother (with whom he has a great, affectionate relationship) in the eyes. And it’s obviously informed by Dong Hee’s fraught relationship with his father, and abuse his father subjected him to.
When Dong Hee tells his best friend that he decided to study in Seoul Ho Tae says:
“Do you hate me that much? I apologized to you and told you I won’t do it again.”
And you can clearly see how much they both want to do it again - to kiss again, and to keep doing it over and over again. But Dong Hee can’t move on because of his trauma, and Ho Tae still doesn’t realize that he’s so desperately in love with his best friend. And all this prevents them from admitting that they love each other and want each other, and that leads to their separation. To Dong Hee leaving to study in Seoul, and Ho Tae staying behind in so much pain and still not really understanding that what he feels are romantic love and desire.
Ho Tae finally recognizes his feelings for what they are in ULS, but Dong Hee takes a bit more time to believe him, and like I’ve said their ending in ULS was open, yet again. I would say definitely hopeful, but yeah, they don’t get together on screen. And that’s why I would really, really love at least a special sequel episode when they do get together properly. And where they kiss some more. 😊
And I really felt like that scene in the last episode of ULS between Dong Hee and Ho Tae’s mom hinted at mom knowing that there is something more than friendship between her son and Dong Hee, and being sort of accepting about it?
And someone nominated The Time of Fever for Yuletide, so now I have to find time to sit down and write up prompts for my Yuletide letter. Because of course I want to request all the fics for that beautiful drama. 😊
I do have time for watching dramas in the evenings to help me unwind, though. And I loved one of those dramas so much that I have to tell you all about it, and somehow I wrote 1200 words to do it. 😊
It’s called The Time of Fever, and it is the prequel to Korean BL drama Unintentional Love Story. It’s about the secondary couple from ULS Dong Hee and Ho Tae. It was released at first only in Korea as a movie in theaters, and now they released it as a drama with six 20-minutes-long episodes. Both dramas are available on iQIYI, but unfortunately not in all the countries.
I loved The Time of Fever so, so much. I loved it much more than its parent story. I mean, I did like ULS when I watched it a few months ago. It’s a pretty well written and well-acted drama with two good couples. And yes, I liked the main pairing, too. Of course I did – it’s an age gap grumpy one/sunshine one pairing, I tend to love those. But yeah, like many people, I loved the secondary pairing in ULS more, even though this trope isn’t really my favorite usually. It’s childhood friends-to-lovers pairing with a lot of repressed feelings and complicated emotions, and a bit of miscommunication, which I usually don’t have a lot of patience for. And I was a little bit frustrated by that in The Time of Fever, too, but everything else worked so well for me because of very good writing and two excellent actors with fantastic chemistry, that I was willing to overlook this tiny little bit of annoyance.
I especially love Won Tae Min as Go Ho Tae. I knew him before from the BL drama You Make Me Dance, which I enjoyed a lot, too. He was great there, and he’s great in ULS, and absolutely amazing in The Time of Fever.
The Time of Fever is achingly beautiful, sensuous, filled with love, longing and desire, and gazes that show so many hidden feelings. And it has two wonderful, hot kisses. Seriously, it’s a Kdrama, so I didn’t expect kisses at all, and certainly not for them to be this scorchingly hot. The proof is behind the cut in the form of four gifs.
Enjoy. 😊
“Teach me how to kiss, hyung.”
“Can you teach me one more time? Just one more time, okay?”
I think that if someone hasn’t seen Unintentional Love Story yet, then it might be better for them to watch The Time of Fever first. Because then you can instantly watch the follow up and see what happened later with them in the second drama. Just bear in mind that Dong Hee and Ho Tae are the main characters here and the secondary characters in ULS, and their relationship doesn’t get much focus in ULS.
More with spoilers for both dramas behind the cut.
I just have to tell you up front that their ending in The Time of Fever is an open one, considering it is a prequel and we know what their relationship is like in ULS. And it is kinda frustrating that their ending in ULS is open, too. So, sequel when? 😊But The Time of Fever shows so beautifully and perfectly the build of sexual tension, how much they both love and want each other, and you get why they both react the way they react to that love and desire. Dong Hee withdrawing and repressing (like I understood it - he was kicked out of his home by his abusive father, and it’s implied that it was because of his sexuality). And Ho Tae being blunt and direct about what he wants physically (touching and kissing), but clearly not really understanding his feelings, and passively agreeing to propositions of dating from various girls, because I guess he feels this is what guys do – date girls, and not their male best friends. So he says ‘yes’ to every girl who asks, and then they all break up with him, because he prioritizes Dong Hee over them, and drops whatever plans he had with them to chase after Dong Hee. But Dong Hee of course can’t help but feel abandoned when he sees Ho Tae agreeing to date yet another girl.
But Dong Hee also can’t make the first move and admit his feelings openly, because he believes (for a very long time, because he still believes this in ULS) that being in relationship with Ho Tae would be harming Ho Tae and Ho Tae’s mother, too. He says a few times that if he admitted his feelings for Ho Tae, he wouldn’t be able to look Ho Tae’s mother (with whom he has a great, affectionate relationship) in the eyes. And it’s obviously informed by Dong Hee’s fraught relationship with his father, and abuse his father subjected him to.
When Dong Hee tells his best friend that he decided to study in Seoul Ho Tae says:
“Do you hate me that much? I apologized to you and told you I won’t do it again.”
And you can clearly see how much they both want to do it again - to kiss again, and to keep doing it over and over again. But Dong Hee can’t move on because of his trauma, and Ho Tae still doesn’t realize that he’s so desperately in love with his best friend. And all this prevents them from admitting that they love each other and want each other, and that leads to their separation. To Dong Hee leaving to study in Seoul, and Ho Tae staying behind in so much pain and still not really understanding that what he feels are romantic love and desire.
Ho Tae finally recognizes his feelings for what they are in ULS, but Dong Hee takes a bit more time to believe him, and like I’ve said their ending in ULS was open, yet again. I would say definitely hopeful, but yeah, they don’t get together on screen. And that’s why I would really, really love at least a special sequel episode when they do get together properly. And where they kiss some more. 😊
And I really felt like that scene in the last episode of ULS between Dong Hee and Ho Tae’s mom hinted at mom knowing that there is something more than friendship between her son and Dong Hee, and being sort of accepting about it?
And someone nominated The Time of Fever for Yuletide, so now I have to find time to sit down and write up prompts for my Yuletide letter. Because of course I want to request all the fics for that beautiful drama. 😊