Checkered Shirt – Season 2 Review & Episode Guide

Hangyul and Jeongwoo are a newly dating couple. They first met on an online marketplace app, where Jeongwoo bought a checkered shirt from Hangyul. One casual chat led to another, and before you know it, these two caught feelings. For Jeongwoo, an engineering student who's new to dating guys, this relationship makes him self-conscious. Luckily, Hangyul shows him the ropes and helps his boyfriend grow more comfortable. Jeongwoo even feels confident enough to come out to his best friend, Jaeseop.

Hangyul carries emotional baggage from his past relationship. His breakup with Younghoon was messy in the worst way. Younghoon wasn't ready to come out. When a romantic photo of them leaked online, panic set in. Rather than face the rumours, he dumped Hangyul. To protect himself, Younghoon spread nasty lies, painting Hangyul as a stalker and a promiscuous flirt. The gossip spiralled so badly that Hangyul considered transferring schools. When Jeongwoo enters his life, Hangyul is still nursing a wounded heart. Thankfully, Hangyul is happy with his new boyfriend and ready to move on from his ex.

Just when Hangyul is finally in a good place, Younghoon pops back into his life. He wants a second chance. Hangyul hasn't forgiven his ex and shuts him down on the spot. Younghoon doesn't take the rejection well. On his way out, he drops a bitter warning, insisting that Jeongwoo is no different and will eventually abandon Hangyul too. Later, he even tries to stir up trouble by calling Jeongwoo and talking trash about Hangyul. Jeongwoo is annoyed and firmly stands by his boyfriend. He makes it clear that no one gets to bad-mouth Hangyul on his watch.

The rumours about Hangyul refuse to die. Even Jaeseop hears about Hangyul and his messy love life. Worried about his friend, Jaeseop warns Jeongwoo to stay away from this guy. Jeongwoo defends his boyfriend, but Jaeseop brings up a harsh reality check. Jeongwoo is going to enlist soon, and a bad reputation has a way of following you. In the army, that kind of gossip could make his life miserable. Since the relationship is still new, why not walk away now? Yet, Jeongwoo doesn't budge. He chooses Hangyul and refuses to give up on the relationship.

Hangyul has a date with Jeongwoo when Jaeseop suddenly calls with bad news. According to him, Jeongwoo cancelled at the last minute. After that, silence. No texts. No calls. Jeongwoo disappears without an explanation. Hangyul assumes the worst, convincing himself that Jeongwoo got scared off by the rumours. Hangyul forces himself to move on. Years later, he's working an office job and considers dating his coworker, Yuchan. When Hangyul is assigned to a new company project, he's shocked to see Jeongwoo. It's their first reunion since the breakup.

Checkered Shirt 2 wants to be To My Star 2 soooo badly! The comparison instantly comes to mind because of their similarities. Both sequels tell the same angsty story. Your ex vanished years ago without a word… Now, he's back in your life and stirs up a storm of emotions. TMS2 was popular among fans, so this series wanted to follow in its footsteps. Did it succeed? Nope. It's nowhere near as good. Hell, it can't even match the first season of Checkered Shirt. This ambitious sequel aims high and falls flat on its ass.

Season 2 begins happily. Jeongwoo is fully devoted to Hangyul. Rumours? Scandals? He doesn't care. He's standing by his man like a ride-or-die. The first episode even includes a steamy kiss, just in case you forgot their chemistry. At the back of my mind, I can sense trouble is coming. We all know the unspoken rule of romantic dramas. If the couple seems too happy at the start, that means they'll suffer for the rest of the series. Enjoy those sweet moments while you can, because Checkered Shirt 2 is putting the leads through hell. If you came in expecting the feel-good vibes of Season 1, surprise! This sequel is pure angst!

Unfortunately, Checkered Shirt 2 is way too serious. The constant melodrama sucks all the joy out of watching. The characters spend most of the time being miserable around each other. They're ex-boyfriends who feel betrayed, so there's a lot of moping around. This unpleasantness drags on forever. At some point, the mood gets so heavy that you're desperate for a break. Give us some cheeky banter! Let the couple flirt a little and remind us why they have sparks! But the story doesn't know how to lighten up. It just stays depressing episode after episode.

Oh my god, Checkered Shirt 2 gets so boring! Since the writing isn't sharp enough, we're stuck with many dull conversations. The leads won't stop fighting. Their scenes together feel exhausting. All the negativity has ruined the romance, making me forget why I ever liked the couple in the first place. I'm totally over their relationship drama. Do I care why Jeongwoo disappeared five years ago? Ugh, not really. We've seen this exact storyline in dozens of BL dramas, so the mystery isn't exciting anymore. Another boyfriend goes missing!? Oh great, here we go again…

Compared to the studio's past projects, SUKFILM clearly put more effort into Checkered Shirt 2. If you've watched their previous dramas, you know the struggle. Same bedroom, same living room. Every single time. This series actually has new filming locations. Thank god! The production quality has also stepped up, and I'm glad the visuals don't look as blurry as before. Best of all, Hangyul's actor (Jeon Yu Bin) is the MVP. Wow, he's acting his ass off in those emotional scenes! After watching him in many BL roles, he gives the most impressive performance here.

Sadly, Jeongwoo's actor (Choi Dong Ho) looks really stiff and struggles with the heavy material. He seems more at ease doing lighthearted BL dramas. On the bright side, he shines in the romantic moments. Wow, both leads seem so eager when they kiss! Full make-out sessions! Since they have great physical chemistry, it's such a shame they got stuck with all this annoying melodrama. Even though Checkered Shirt 2 ends on a happy note, the rest of the story is way too gloomy. After sitting through these painfully boring episodes, I've lost all interest in the series.