Never Fair – Series Review & Episode Guide

Woohyuk recently moved to the city for better career opportunities. He wants to look for his dream job in the publishing industry, but housing is expensive for someone unemployed. Fortunately, Woohyuk's mom uses her connections to arrange free accommodations. He'll stay with Onyu, a childhood friend who lives alone. Onyu has a spare room and lets Woohyuk live there completely free of charge.

Woohyuk and Onyu used to play together. Woohyuk still remembers the time his friend protected him from bullies. However, they haven't stayed in touch for fifteen years, so Woohyuk feels slightly awkward as they reconnect. Onyu welcomes him into his home without hesitation. As an established author with a famous mystery series, he's currently working on his next book. Onyu has no problem with Woohyuk staying as long as the house rules are followed.

Woohyuk feels grateful for Onyu's generosity, since free housing makes his job search less stressful. He promises to repay the favour by doing chores. Onyu makes a comment about accepting repayment with his body, and an uneasy silence follows before he clarifies that it was a joke. House chores are fine as compensation. Onyu expects Woohyuk to clean, do laundry, take out the trash, and act as his housekeeper. Woohyuk gladly accepts this arrangement.

After they start living together, Woohyuk discovers Onyu's strange habits. Onyu covers his wall with sticky notes for his writing process, and no one is allowed to touch them. He adds a rule that Woohyuk must stay away from his workspace. He also dislikes sharing belongings, reprimanding Woohyuk for using his whiskey glass by mistake. In addition, Onyu begins invading his roommate's personal space, walking into his room and sitting on his bed without invitation.

Woohyuk notices these eccentricities more often. Even so, he remains grateful for the housing and doesn't want to upset his host. He follows every rule and tries not to step out of line. Woohyuk also finds a part-time job at a cafe, although the employer seems to hire him for his looks. Onyu becomes annoyed and visits the cafe, causing a commotion and picking a fight with him. Woohyuk worries he has upset Onyu and hopes to earn forgiveness. Onyu responds by setting even stricter rules, including a house curfew.

My quick review of Never Fair is a hard pass. Hell no to whatever this BL drama is! I'm not a fan of the toxic main character or his controlling behaviour. The story's title refers to the unfair power dynamics between the leads. Onyu offers free housing, but in exchange, he sets strict rules that strip Woohyuk of his autonomy. I sensed the first red flag when Onyu made an inappropriate joke about Woohyuk repaying him with his body. His creepiness escalates quickly, and he gets more disturbing with each episode.

Onyu goes on a bizarre power trip and acts as if he's the master of Woohyuk's life. All he did was offer a free room, yet this fucker thinks that gives him authority over every decision. His actions raise serious alarm bells. In Episode 2, Onyu barges into Woohyuk's workplace and scolds him over a personal issue in front of his boss. WTF!? He has crossed the line! Later, he imposes a strict curfew that limits Woohyuk's freedom. Onyu also makes predatory comments, invades Woohyuk's boundaries, lectures him on dressing 'provocatively', and belittles him to undermine his confidence. Ugh, he's just the worst!!!

BL fans are notorious for shipping toxic couples. The creators behind Never Fair may have written a twisted romance on purpose, hoping to appeal to the audience's dark desires. However, it's hard to imagine anyone finding Onyu's weirdo behaviour sexy. Instead of evoking a Christian Grey vibe, the series portrays him as a total loser. He even throws a tantrum over Woohyuk touching his sticky notes! If a character is meant to be a problematic asshole, his villainy should make our skin crawl. Instead, Onyu acts like a petulant brat, and I can only roll my eyes at him.

Not every love story needs to be sunshine and rainbows. You wanna create a dysfunctional romance with a problematic couple trapped in an unhealthy relationship? Sure, but it better be compelling. Never Fair doesn't rise to the challenge. The characters seem shallow, the dialogue sounds stiff, the confrontations are awkward, and the plot lacks complexity. Most of all, the series feels uninspired. It offers no original ideas beyond the usual cliches of the domineering control freak and his powerless victim. Never Fair is like the generic version of a toxic BL drama.

Onyu's actor (Shin Joo Won) portrays the antagonist. I end up hating his character immensely, so some credit should go to the performer. His expressions and mannerisms can provoke a visceral reaction in me, which is a positive. This actor appeared in another BL drama, where he also played a bad guy, so I feel bad that he keeps getting stuck in these roles. His co-star (Yoo Jin Seok) is pleasant but unremarkable. He doesn't turn Woohyuk into a memorable protagonist. I dislike the romance too much to care about the couple's chemistry, but their kissing scenes seem fine.

Never Fair irritated me since the beginning, but I officially lost my patience during the finale. These annoying characters have gotten on my laaaast nerve! The only way the story could have redeemed itself is if Woohyuk stood up against Onyu and cut ties with him. That didn't happen. Instead, they bickered, threw tantrums, said dumb shit, and still somehow ended up together. Woohyuk, what are you doing!? Why are you in love with this walking red flag!? Overall, Never Fair represents everything I don't want in a BL drama. I'm never watching this again.