I have not read the book or followed the filming turmoils on social medias. I just started watching this on a whim, a bit reluctantly, fearing the worst because of the steamy title. Before the first episode was finished, I was hooked. The characters were working adults dealing with serious problems all the while falling in love and showing how steamy it can be!

And steam we got, loads of it. But also, so much more! So much more!

This is the story of Uea and King who falls in love with him at first sight but due to his bad reputation Uea accepts only to become friends with benefits. Uea's calm and immovable face, hides childhood traumas he buried deep not letting anyone come close to him. After the initial macho attitude, King realizes there was more than meets the eyes about Uea and starts respecting the lines Uea drew for their relationship. This respect King shows, breaks down the defenses Uea so painstakingly built over the years and he starts healing.

The story deals about the abuse within the family and in the workplace. Respect for family members (parents) even if they are violet and abusers is so deeply ingrained that it is difficult to move and do something about it. Harassment at work is also difficult to fight against especially when the abuser is the boss. Uea just takes everything upon himself and breaks down only when King is around. He trusts him. The series dealt with mental health, how to trust the people around you, how to protect yourself and how to accept that the healing process will take time. For once in a bl, love is not a miracle cure. It helps, but the real solution is to ask for professional help and let time do its job.

The main actors are extraordinarily talented and they portrayed King and Uea with brio. Net, as King, was all in nuances and the expressions in his eyes were telling so much. James as Uea made me think of Lee Joon Gi, light and almost transparent and still leaving an indelible impression. They were so in synch that they completely made me forget I was watching a BL. It was not a bl any more for me, it had become just an extraordinary love story. The chemistry between them is off the charts! They are so perfect together!

The cast of side characters was miscellaneous: creeps were creepy, friends were nerdy, the mother was venomous. The scenes of abuse were raw and real and scary and frightening and infuriating. Very hard to watch!

A lot of people found issue with the editing, saying it was bad and messy. No, not true! I had no problems following the story. There were a few instances when they went flash forward flash backwards but I was OK with that. That made me pay attention more to what was happening on the screen so doing something else at the same time or fast forwarding was impossible: where is absolutely nothing you can skip. The cinematography was a bit basic: while there were some beautiful shots of sunset all warm orange and pink, the shots of the city and the office were gray and cold! Songs were boring but I liked the orchestral background score which was a perfect reflection of feelings changing. Costume designer did their job perfectly: dressing King always in black while Uea was always dresses in silk and colours, which was a good representation of their characters' hiding behind a shield made of clothes.

The last episode ruined a little bit the series for me. It was just a piece of fluff, completely unnecessary since every conflict and problem had already been resolved in episode 9. The bad people had been punished, the good people talked and sorted themselves out. So the last episode was just the honeymoon! Pretty but boring! Happy people are boring! It is a fact!

This was an exceptional series I did not expect and that I ended up loving so much. So it depends what you are looking for in a drama? If it is just fluff and romance, this is not it. If it is something serious but still a romance, this is for you. this is a drama for adults not teens!