High School Boy – Series Review & Episode Guide

Iltak is a second-year student at Daemun Boys High School, an all-boys school crawling with delinquents. In his class, Hyeongju rules the place. He sits at the top of the social hierarchy with a loyal pack of followers trailing behind him. Iltak isn't part of that little crew, which makes him the perfect target. Hyeongju and his buddies constantly harass him. Thanks to them, Iltak's high school life is basically a daily nightmare.

Hyeonwu is another student in Iltak's class. He's a quiet loner who sits in the back corner of the classroom. He trains in martial arts, which makes him even stronger than Hyeongju. Even though he isn't part of the gang, he and Hyeongju are on friendly terms. Still, whenever the bullying goes too far, Hyeonwu steps in and shuts it down. Once, he stopped Hyeongju from beating up Iltak. Hyeongju actually listened to him. Afterwards, Iltak is convinced Hyeonwu is the most powerful guy in their class.

Iltak is tired of the constant bullying, so he comes up with a plan. He decides to befriend Hyeonwu and use that friendship as a human shield. In his head, Hyeonwu is a lion who can keep Hyeongju and his little pack far away. The problem is actually getting close to him. Being friendly doesn't work. Hyeonwu barely reacts to anything he says. Iltak even tries a bit of clumsy seduction, only for Hyeonwu to freeze up and turn away. Iltak has no clue how to make this guy become his friend.

Iltak doesn't realize that Hyeonwu has a full-blown crush on him. The reason Hyeonwu gets so tense around him is nerves. He completely freezes up around the guy he likes. On top of that, Hyeonwu swore off relationships after his ex-girlfriend broke his heart. This is also the first time he has ever been attracted to a guy, which only makes everything more confusing. Even though he's secretly into his cute classmate, Hyeonwu hesitates to act on those feelings.

Hyeongju keeps bullying Iltak, but Hyeonwu starts stepping in and defending him more often. Iltak's plan works. He now has a built-in bodyguard who actually looks out for him. However, Hyeongju notices how close they have become. He starts to suspect that Hyeonwu might have feelings for Iltak. To test his little theory, he deliberately gets cozy with Iltak just to see if Hyeonwu reacts. Suddenly, Iltak is stuck in this bizarre dynamic where one guy is trying very hard not to look at him, and the other is paying way too much attention!

High School Boy is funny! Our lead, Iltak, wants to survive high school without getting bullied. Those delinquents are the worst, constantly beating him up or making his life miserable. His situation is actually quite bleak… But still, the humour comes from Iltak's hilarious reactions to everything. He dreams up the silliest survival strategies. Sometimes, he totally misunderstands what's happening. Other times, he makes a bad situation even worse for himself. You feel sorry for Iltak, but you're also giggling at his nonsense.

Hyeonwu is another comedy goldmine. On the surface, he looks like a silent tough guy. But deep down? He has the biggest crush on Iltak and acts like a nervous wreck around him. Seeing him get all flustered is adorable! Since Hyeonwu is bad at expressing himself, Iltak thinks they don't get along. One of them is shy… The other is confused… And their dynamic is just amusing because they're both completely wrong about each other. High School Boy gave us two hilarious protagonists who are perfect together. They constantly get mixed up in silly misunderstandings, and every scene with them is entertaining!

High School Boy is a great showcase for Iltak's actor (Han Se Jin). It has been a while since we've seen him in a BL drama, but he's still as charming as ever. Sejin shines in this comedic role with all his goofy expressions and mannerisms. I can't find much info about his co-star (Lee Jung Hoon), but his performance as Hyeonwu is solid. However, High School Boy is a vertically filmed series, which makes the whole production look cheap. These two leads deserve better than being stuck on some random short-form drama app. Give them a real platform!

Sadly, High School Boy is one of those faux BL dramas. Y'know, the ones where the romance never goes anywhere. Long-time BL fans will know what I'm talking about. You've got one lead with feelings. He gets close to confessing. But then, there's always some obstacle stopping the relationship from levelling up. This romance really never develops beyond "Hyeonwu has a crush and can't spit it out" for the entire drama. That's it. That's the whole arc. We're stuck watching him pine and fumble forever while nothing progresses. The relationship limbo gets old fast.

The story also gives the bully way too much screen time. That damn guy is constantly lurking around the couple. Whenever Iltak and Hyeonwu are hanging out, Hyeongju shows up to ruin everything. He's so annoying! I'm tired of seeing his stupid face! This is not a throuple situation, okay!? The bully sucks, and his scenes always bring the same tired formula. More fights… More violence… Rinse and repeat. He's repetitive as hell and adds nothing new to the plot. Can we get rid of him? Focus more on developing the actual couple instead of this supporting character.

By the end, Iltak and Hyeonwu get a little closer. But like, not close enough for an actual romance. The series spends so much time on them denying their feelings for each other. Oh, we can't like another dude! We aren't gay! Blah blah blah. Okay, but where's the BL content? Every time they get close to an intimate moment, the series chickens out. We finish the series with an ambiguous relationship. Do they kiss? No. Are they boyfriends? Also no. Look, I don't care how funny High School Boy is. I can't sit here and recommend a BL drama that only offers a bromance.