Love in Protocol – Series Review & Episode Guide

Jeong Yeon is a psychology student who begins an internship at LAB: YOU, a research lab focused on cognitive and affective patterns. The lab is run by two men, Yu Geon and Myeong Jin. Yu Geon is a top graduate with a serious personality. Myeong Jin is much friendlier and likes to joke around, often teasing his coworker. During their introductions, Myeong Jin is surprised to learn that Jeong Yeon and Yu Geon already know each other. They actually met seven years ago.

Back then, Jeong Yeon was still a high school student. He was a troublemaker who got into fights and didn't take his studies seriously. Worried about his behaviour, his mother hired a tutor for him. That tutor was Yu Geon, who was a university student at the time. Initially, Jeong Yeon wanted nothing to do with the tutoring sessions. He even tried to pay Yu Geon to leave him alone. Yu Geon refused and kept pushing him to take responsibility. Eventually, Jeong Yeon began to study properly.

During those sessions, Jeong Yeon caught feelings for Yu Geon. The tutoring arrangement came to an abrupt end after Jeong Yeon confessed. Yu Geon turned him down, since it wouldn't be appropriate for them to be in a relationship. Seven years later, they have reunited. Jeong Yeon still has feelings for Yu Geon. Now that they're both adults, he hopes there's a chance for a relationship to work out. Yu Geon remains hesitant and tries to psychoanalyze Jeong Yeon's feelings instead. He insists that this is just a first love that has been overly romanticized.

Jeong Yeon and Yu Geon begin working together at the lab. Yu Geon starts a behavioural study with Jeong Yeon as his test subject. The experiment is based on Arthur Aron's 36 Questions, which involve asking a series of intimate questions designed to get people to open up. Each answer is meant to draw the two participants closer and increase the chances of falling in love. As Yu Geon carries out the study, Jeong Yeon responds with complete honesty. Jeong Yeon doesn't hide the fact that he still has feelings for Yu Geon.

Love in Protocol takes place in a psychological experiment, which is such a weird setting for a romance. When I think of love stories, I don't picture two guys answering clinical questions in a research lab. Still, the concept was quirky enough to spark my curiosity. I like it when a BL drama tries something new instead of giving us the same formula. Some stories are so generic that I can predict the entire plot before they even start. With Love in Protocol, I don't know what to expect from this series, and that's pretty exciting!

The story is based on the 36 Questions experiment by psychologist Arthur Aron. According to his theory, two people can fall in love after asking and answering a bunch of personal questions. In my head, I'm picturing an intimate BL drama where the two leads open up about themselves. Every answer triggers a flashback, revealing their meaningful memories. Instead, Love in Protocol misses the point. The experiment plays out in a one-sided way, with Yu Geon asking all the questions and Jeong Yeon giving short answers. It feels so emotionless. I got as much romance as I would from a customer service survey.

Years ago, Jeong Yeon had a crush on Yu Geon, who was his tutor at the time. Nothing happened back then, but Jeong Yeon wants them to hook up now that they're both adults. Ugh, can we NOT go down this road? Out of all the available men in the world, why does it have to be your old tutor? The professional boundaries (past & present) make this relationship so hard to root for. The dialogue is also really iffy. Right before their first kiss, Yu Geon tells Jeong Yeon, "You still feel like a high schooler." Excuse me? WTF? I'm getting the serious ick from this couple!

We never see the leads bond in any meaningful way. In the flashbacks, they don't seem close during their tutoring sessions. In the present timeline, they still have a distant relationship. None of their scenes together show off any sparks. All their conversations sound dry as hell. When Jeong Yeon and Yu Geon talk about their feelings for each other, I'm so confused. Where's this attraction coming from? What do they even like about each other? We also know very little about these two characters. Their personalities are defined only by the experiment and the crush.

Both leads give okay performances, but they're working with limited material. Yu Geon's actor (Jeong Jae Jong) is stuck playing a stoic character who barely shows any emotion. The role doesn't give him a chance to shine. His co-star (Lee Sang Min) has more personality. But even then, Jeong Yeon spends the entire series stuck in the same mode: "I'm obsessed with you." At least the production values are getting better. Korean YouTube BL dramas have been stepping up their game lately. There's more effort put into making these low-budget series look polished.

Love in Protocol ends with a decent kiss between the couple. For some BL fans, that moment may be enough. They'll gush about the actors' chemistry, completely ignoring how hollow this romance has been. For me? I'm uncomfortable with the whole relationship. The power dynamics are messed up. The tutor-student backstory is super iffy. And the entire premise of "I fell in love while conducting a psychological experiment on you" is extremely off-putting. Overall, Love in Protocol leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. Nothing in this strange BL drama is clicking for me.