Private Lesson – Series Review

A year ago, Hyunseo was a private tutor. He helped Jaeon, a high school student, with his studies. Jaeon had a crush on him and admired Hyunseo's maturity. When Jaeon finally confessed his feelings, Hyunseo turned him down. He wasn't interested in dating a high school kid. The rejection left Jaeon heartbroken, especially since Hyunseo stopped tutoring him afterwards. The two haven't seen each other for almost a year.

Back when Hyunseo was a university student, he had a crush on Yujun. Even though Yujun already had a boyfriend, their relationship seemed to be going through a rough patch. Hyunseo thought this was his chance. He confessed his feelings and tried to win Yujun over. Sadly, his plan blew up in his face. Yujun made up with his boyfriend and rejected Hyunseo's advances. He only wanted to be friends. Oof. Hyunseo was crushed.

A year later, Hyunseo has thrown himself into his career. He was recently promoted to a new teaching position at the university, which is a huge step forward for him. He's excited about the opportunity. However, there's one small problem. Jaeon is starting his first year at the same school. Back when they were still meeting for tutoring sessions, Jaeon told him that he planned to apply here. Hyunseo didn't think the kid would actually get accepted. Well… he did. Now, Jaeon is a student at Hyunseo's university. His old feelings have only gotten stronger since they last met.

Jaeon quickly tracks Hyunseo down on campus. He keeps finding excuses to spend time with his former tutor. He tries to make plans for them to attend events together, including the upcoming orientation day. Hyunseo wants none of this. He's determined to keep a respectable distance between them. And when Jaeon confesses his feelings again, Hyunseo rejects him once more.

The second rejection only makes Jaeon even more determined. Jaeon argues that he isn't a kid anymore. He's a 20-year-old adult who's ready for a mature relationship. Yet, Hyunseo remains unmoved. Jaeon starts to wonder if Yujun is still the problem. After all, he witnessed Hyunseo's failed confession and knows how devastated he was afterwards. Maybe his former tutor is still hung up on his old crush? Hyunseo insists he has gotten over Yujun. Hyunseo simply doesn't want to date a student he used to tutor.

Even though Hyunseo keeps trying to set boundaries, Jaeon refuses to leave him alone. He follows him around campus, hoping to charm him and change his mind. Eventually, Hyunseo gets fed up. He confronts Jaeon and makes it clear that a relationship between them isn't happening. Jaeon responds by ambushing him with a kiss. Whoa there! Hyunseo looks stunned. He tries to keep his composure and reject Jaeon again. But the kiss has already given Jaeon hope. For the first time, Jaeon thinks he might have a chance.

Private Lesson reminds me of a #MeToo horror story. This is the video Karen from HR would show at a workplace seminar, right before she explains why a teacher-student romance is a big no-no. A university professor in a position of power, getting romantically involved with a young vulnerable student? Whoa, the optics don't look good! We usually hear about these kinds of predatory relationships in the news, not in a BL drama. Private Lesson is full of red flags, which will make you uncomfortable.

To be fair, Private Lesson isn't simply about Professor Hyunseo taking advantage of Poor Little Jaeon. Instead, Jaeon is the one chasing this relationship. Hyunseo turned him down, again and again. Back when they were tutor-and-student? Declined! Now that they're teacher-and-student? Declined! Hyunseo sets boundaries, but Jaeon ignores them. It's icky to watch a relationship where one person keeps saying no and the other person won't listen. Stop forcing this relationship to happen! He made it clear your annoying ass is NOT wanted! It's a bad sign in a BL drama when I wanna file a restraining order against the love interest.

I must admit, Private Lesson held my interest for the entire series. I was annoyed and disturbed, but I wasn't bored. The plot has an interesting hook. Ooooh, the scandal! The forbidden relationship! I kept watching because I wanna know how this mess would play out and whether anyone would face consequences. With that said, the writing has serious issues. Jaeon is hot for teacher, but the story never really explains why. It just seems like he's obsessed for no reason. Both leads also feel shallow. Outside of "teacher" and "student", there's no depth with either of them.

I was rooting against the couple and didn't want Hyunseo to give in to Jaeon's advances. Ward off his seduction powers! OK, I knew I was fighting a losing battle. Let's be real. This BL studio isn't gonna make a series where the characters behave properly and never hook up. Eventually, Hyunseo crosses that line and kisses his student. It was inappropriate, for sure… But I gotta admit, the kissing was pretty damn juicy! Sorry, but their makeout session looked hot! I especially loved the moment when Hyunseo grabs Jaeon's chin before diving in for a long passionate kiss.

Disclaimer alert: I still don't endorse this couple. Nuh-uh! They should never be together! With that said, the kissing scenes are iconic from a purely BL standpoint. It also helps that both leads do a great job in their roles. I've seen Hyunseo's actor (Yoo Jin Seok) in other series before. He always finds a way to capture his character's essence. You can count on him to deliver a strong performance! His co-star (Ki Myoung Je) seems livelier and more animated than in his previous projects. Playing Jaeon's messy character lets him showcase much more of his personality.

Hyunseo spends most of the series rejecting Jaeon, but he throws away his morals in the finale. Suddenly, he has no issue hooking up with a student. The story can't justify why he changes his mind, other than a bad writer rushing to wrap everything up. The series also portrays this romance as sweet, but it's predatory. My prediction? Once the honeymoon period is over, we'll see headlines like "Disgraced Professor Resigns Over Sex Scandal". Overall, Private Lesson gets a low score. The kissing was great, but I won't die on this hill defending such a problematic series.